KIDZ-BOP & WHITE BASS – 132 FISH @ BELTON

WHO I FISHED WITH:  This past Wednesday afternoon, May 6th, I fished with Mr. Cliff Brown of Texas Boat World and three of his grandkids — brothers Isaiah (age 13) and Caleb (age 5) who live locally, and Kinsley (age 12) who is in for a visit from her home in West Virginia.

Although it is peak season for hybrid striped bass, I feel these fish are not a good choice for kids’ trips because hybrid fishing with bait can involve a good bit of waiting with little more to do than watch a rod tip, and, once a hookup does occur, younger kids can get overpowered by these fish, getting lines tangled in other lines, in the trolling motor, in the outboard’s lower unit, etc.  So, we opted to hunt for white bass this evening and, thanks to conducive conditions, we did very well, keeping the kids engaged from start to finish for over 3.5 hours.

PHOTO CAPTION: Isaiah, Caleb, and Kinsley — Cliff Brown’s grandkids had a great afternoon chasing white bass on Lake Belton as north winds began to turn easterly.

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  Although our target species was white bass, we took 1 legal hybrid and several short hybrid, as well.  Here, with his Poppy’s help, Caleb shows off our largest fish of the trip which was half as big as he is.

 

WHEN WE FISHED:  06 May, 2020, PM

HOW WE FISHED: Locating solid groups of feeding fish with sonar, fishing aggressively, and moving once the feeding action began to lessen was the key to success this evening.  The fish were feeding in overdrive, hence, a “smoking” tactic using my 3/4 oz., white Hazy Eye slabs with stingers attached did the trick.

I stood between Kinsley and Caleb and took their fish off while Cliff did the same for Isaiah, and we kept baits in the water as best we could.

With a 5-year-old on board, I knew long pauses in the action would not go well, so, whenever action waned even just a bit, we cranked up and moved.

Fish were found on the bottom through around 7p, then, as the light began to dim, they moved up in the water column to about 15′ below the surface with occasional break-aways chasing shad all the way to the surface.  This, in turn attracted laughing gulls, making fish location simple.

This was definitely a “catching trip”, not a fishing trip.

TALLY: 132 fish caught and released

OBSERVATIONS: As sunset neared, helpful laughing gull activity pointed out the location of active, suspended schools of white bass forcing shad to the surface.  Occasionally a glimpse of the gamefish was seen; these fish were feeding near the surface, but not on the surface.

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time:   4:15P

End Time:  7:45P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 82F

Elevation:  0.83′  high, 17 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp:  70F

Wind Speed & Direction:  E9-11 all afternoon

Sky Conditions: Clear skies

GT = -20

Wx SNAPSHOT:   

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area vic 1941

**Area vic 2041

**Area B0192C

**Area vic B0070C

**Area vic B0188C – suspended fish pointed out by working laughing gulls

 

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)

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Website: www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

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