WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Thursday, November 11th (Veterans’ Day), I fished with returning guests, the Covingtons.
Joining me were three generations of Covingtons … Terri, her son and daughter-in-law, Dave & Stephanie, and their two boys, Levi (11) and Andy (8).
The Covingtons have something which, according to Scripture, is more precious than silver or gold … and that is a good reputation. They are generous folks who are part of the fabric that makes Belton the still-solid, conservative, small town it is.
I always enjoy writing in their name on my “booking board”, as I know the company will be good (and the boys’ sayings unpredictable, but predictably humorous!).
We were blessed with frontally-influenced weather today after some “between front doldrums” of late.
Here is how the fishing went …
______________
My next three openings will be on 15, 16, and 22 December. Weekday mornings are always best.
PHOTO CAPTION: Back from, from left: Terri, Stephanie & Dave; front row, from left: Andy & Levi Covington. These three generations of Covingtons landed 176 fish on MAL Heavy Lures (white blade, chartreuse tail) under ideal, frontal conditions.
WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton
WHEN WE FISHED: Thursday (AM), 11 November 2021
HOW WE FISHED:
The meteorologists at KWTX nailed this one. The mild cold front which had been forecast to arrive around 1A did indeed arrive around 1A. A thin line of rain and wind passed quickly by to the east. As I drove to the lake I could see the lightning flash within the bygone bank of clouds moving away from our area.
We enjoyed fishing in the steadily increasing, cool, dry breeze of the front as the NW winds grew from 6-7 to ~16 with occasional higher gusts.
I looked over 5 distinct areas this morning with sonar, and found fish at 3 of them. The fish were not all that willing to move to the commotion we created as we fished and caught fish, so, we did a lot of “jogging” using the jog function of the Minn Kota Ulterra to do so.
With 4 of my 5 anglers being only occasional fisherfolk, I decided to set aside my standard vertical MAL Lure gear and equip them with the faster gear ratio and larger spool diameter of my “sawtooth” rod set. This was to ensure that the MAL Heavy Lures we used today had the blades turning all the time throughout the retrieve. For this work, I had an MAL Heavy with white blade and chartreuse tail tied on for everyone.
The catching was pretty straightforward this morning. We found ’em, Spot-Locked on ’em, let the lures down, reeled ’em up, and caught fish for 4 straight hours. There was no sluggishness this morning like the late morning situation I experienced yesterday which required we gear down and use the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab. This morning’s fish were perky, aggressive, and swimming with “pep in their step”.
Now, catch this: We did not land a single fish deeper than 28′ all day. We caught some in as little as 16′ (and not right at sunrise, either). I noted this was one of the obvious impacts that last week’s strong, windy cold front had on the white bass, and that impact has persisted.
When all was said and done, we landed 176 fish, including 2 largemouth bass, 11 juvenile hybrid striped bass, and 163 white bass.
MAL Lure fishing tutorials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs and MAL Lures found here: https://whitebasstools.
TALLY: 176 fish caught and released
OBSERVATIONS: 1) The front which passed around 1A definitely perked up the bite today. 2) The fish we caught were all in less than 28′, with some as shallow as 16′. 3) No helpful bird action today. 4) Here is the temp. profile down to 60’…
0 feet 69.1
5 feet 69.1
10 feet 69.2
15 feet 69.2
20 feet 69.2
25 feet 69.2
30 feet 69.2
35 feet 69.2
40 feet 69.2
45 feet 69.2
50 feet 69.2
55 feet 69.1
60 feet 69.1
WEATHER DATA:
Start Time: 6:45A
End Time: 11:05A
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 52F
Elevation: 1.46 feet low, 0.01 rise, 42CFS flow
Water Surface Temp: 69.1F
Wind Speed & Direction: NNW7 at start, increasing steadily to NNW15-16 with higher gusts by trip’s end
Sky Condition: Clear, bluebird skies
Moon Phase: First quarter moon at 50% illumination.
GT = 60
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area B0006G – 15 fish under low-light conditions; MAL Heavy w/ white blade, chartreuse tail
**Area 0138 – 9 fish all on MAL Heavy w/ white blade, chartreuse tail
**Area 1622 – 17 fish; 3 short hops; fish all on MAL Heavy w/ white blade, chartreuse tail
**Area 1845 – 25 fish; 2 short hops; fish all on MAL Heavy w/ white blade, chartreuse tail
**Area 0152 – 9 fish; all on MAL Heavy w/ white blade, chartreuse tail
**Area B0114G/B0128C – 44 fish, 2 short hops; all on MAL Heavy w/ white blade, chartreuse tail
**Area B0116C – 28 fish; all on MAL Heavy w/ white blade, chartreuse tail
**Area B0125C – 29 fish; all on MAL Heavy w/ white blade, chartreuse tail
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.
E-mail: Bob@
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