WHO I FISHED WITH: This past Thursday evening I fished a multi-generational trip with “Poppsy” Doug Streater, his son-in-law, Travis Anthony, and Travis’s son, 11-year-old Colby Anthony. Doug works in the financial industry, Travis is a surgeon, and Colby is just finishing up his current school year virtually.
We took a multi-species approach this evening.
PHOTO CAPTION: Doug Streater with a slab-caught Lake Belton hybrid striped bass.
PHOTO CAPTION: Travis Anthony with one of 7 legal hybrid we landed on slabs this evening.
PHOTO CAPTION: Colby Anthony with the first of 7 legal hybrid striped bass we took on Hazy Eye Slabs this evening.
PHOTO CAPTION: 3- and 4- year class white bass made up an unusually high percentage of our white bass catch this evening. Don’t know where these rascals were for the entirety of 2019, but they are abundant for now.
WHEN WE FISHED: 22 May, 2020, PM
HOW WE FISHED: The SSE winds which were lacking during today’s AM trip blew with vigor this evening, with winds right at 16mph and gusting occasionally higher. This evening was one of those trips where everything just went right for the entire duration of the trip — no equipment issues, no weather issues, no fish location issues — we simply caught fish from start to finish and had an enjoyable time doing it.
As we started the trip, I used downriggers equipped with 3-armed umbrella rigs to locate fish and then stay on top of them as they appeared in distinct “patches” over about a quarter-mile of bottom. We worked at this for about an hour landing singles and doubles of white bass on the Pet Spoons the umbrella rigs were equipped with until we found an area where the fish were particularly well-congregated. We then Spot-Locked on top of these fish and worked Hazy Eye Slabs vertically with a smoking tactic and got them fired up. Once we transitioned to the vertical tactics, we began to draw strikes from both legal and short hybrid stripers. Eventually, these fish cooled down, necessitating a move. We’d boated 69 fish by this time.
As we caught these fish, I explained to Colby how important it is to “make hay while the sun shines”, meaning that it is imperative to take advantage of a feeding spree by catching fish while they are easily caught, and to avoid snack breaks, bathroom breaks, tangles, picture-taking, etc. during this critical time. This was the first “saying” of the night.
We moved only two times. The next two schools of fish we found were so large and so aggressive that we spent the entire remainder of the trip fishing for them until they finally gave up right at sunset. We landed 100 fish on the dot from these 2 areas, all on the white, 3/4 oz. Hazy Eye Slab with stinger hook attached.
As our tally approached 100 fish, Colby was excited at the prospect of being the one who caught that 100th fish. As he worked his slab, he hooked what could have been that 100th fish. As he was still reeling it in, he called out “100!”, at which time the fish pulled off before being landed. This is where I introduced him to the second old saying of the night, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
At one point in the evening, Colby got on a hot streak and landed 6 or 7 fish in as many retrieves, at which time he chided his dad and grandfather, “C’mon guys, ya’ll need to catch up.” This was a good opportunity to introduce the Scriptural saying, “Pride goes before the fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) Dad and grandpa chimed in and provided the explanation here.
As we closed out the trip, Travis asked a bit about the conduct of my business. I shared with him about planning, saving, and investing so as to be able to retire early and run my guide service. This is where the evening’s last saying, also Scriptural, figured in: Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”
When I quizzed Colby at the end of the evening about all of these sayings, he fairly closely recalled each one.
TALLY: 169 fish caught and released
OBSERVATIONS:
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time: 4:30P
End Time: 8:30P
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 89F
Elevation: 0.6′ high, 0.03′ rise, 17 CFS flow
Water Surface Temp: 73.6F
Wind Speed & Direction: SSE16+ at trip’s start, tapering back to SSE
Sky Conditions: 40% white cloud cover on a blue sky
GT = 0
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area vic 1743 downrigging
**Area vic 1269 downrigging
**Area vic 2053 smoking after fish revealed here via downrigging
**Area vic 187 smoking
**Area vic B0075C smoking
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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