WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, March 11th, 2020, was Day 3 of the week-long spring break for most of our local school districts.
Joining me this morning was Mr. Jeff Arbogust of Kempner, TX. Jeff retired from the landscape architecture business to a ranch outside Kempner fairly recently, and gave me a call to discuss sampling the fishing this area had to offer.
Jeff previously lived east of Austin where he kept a kayak for fishing on the Colorado River, and kept a boat for fishing on Walter E. Long Reservoir.
Today we pursued white bass on Stillhouse.
PHOTO CAPTION: For a third day in a row, we took quality largemouth on deep flats while working bladebaits for white bass. This largemouth weighed 6.50 on a certified scale.
PHOTO CAPTION: Fat, egg-laden female white bass were once again ready to eat this morning.
WHEN WE FISHED: 11 March, 2002, AM
HOW WE FISHED: We enjoyed the “standard” sunrise bird action this morning, but, as soon as it was over, we experienced the deadly combination of sun and lack of wind. Things got pretty quiet until a SSW wind began to push around 9:50AM. I hated to lose that magic low light period, but, there was nothing to be done about it.
Once the wind picked up, the fish immediately went into gear and engaged in a late morning feed.
We fished under the birds for 21 fish over two distinct mid-depth flats, picked up another 25 fish as soon as the wind began blowing as we located over the river channel breakline, then finished up the trip with a final 19 fish at yet another channel breakline. We worked 3/8 oz. Hazy Eye Slabs with stinger hooks for these channel-oriented fish.
TALLY: 65 fish caught and released
OBSERVATIONS: Temperature profile down to 35 feet:
0 feet 58.3F
5 feet 58F
10 feet 58.2F
15 feet 57.5F
20 feet 57.1F
25 feet 56.9F
30 feet 56.6F
35 feet 56.5F
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time: 7:40A
End Time: 12:10P
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 67F
Elevation: 2.97′ low, +0.01 24-hour change, 1 CFS flow
Water Surface Temp: 58.4F
Wind Speed & Direction: Light and variable thru 9:50 when a SSW developed and ramped up over the next hour to SSW12-13
Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy with 40% white clouds on a blue sky all morning
GT = 0
#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area 1980 – blades for white on mid-depth flat
**Area 551/552- blades for white on mid-depth flat
**Area vic 0111/0114 – channel breakline congregation of whites
**Area vic 0234 – channel breakline congregation of whites
Bob Maindelle
Full-time, Professional Fishing Guide and Owner of Holding the Line Guide Service
Belton Lake Fishing Guide, Stillhouse Hollow Fishing Guide
254.368.7411 (call or text)
Website: www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com
E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle
Twitter: www/twitter.com/bobmaindelle