WHO I FISHED WITH: On Thursday evening, March 16, I fished with first-time guest Mr. Stacy Cloud, accompanied by his grandsons, Merrik and Miles Ambler, ages 13 and 11.
As was the case on this day’s morning trip, weather would impact our efforts.
All was well as we got going — the morning’s misting rain had cleared, the grey clouds had thinned, and it had warmed up a bit. But, all of this was essentially the ‘calm before the storm’.
Here is how the fishing went…
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Peak spring dates are just about gone. Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php
Next available dates are 23 March & 4, 24 (PM), and 21 April.
PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Merrik and Miles Ambler and their grandfather, Stacy Cloud, with a few of the 66 fish they landed before spring storms moved in and we moved out!
PHOTO CAPTION: This was the “danger cone” of a storm, complete with a tornado watch, headed right toward Lake Belton on Thursday evening; it would bring a premature conclusion to our trip.
WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton
WHEN WE FISHED: Thursday, 16 March 2023 (PM)
HOW WE FISHED:
Since the boys did not have much prior experience with spinning gear, we started with the basics on how to hold the rod and reel, how to work the bail, and then I really emphasized how important it would be for them to reel the lures we’d be using smoothly and continuously.
Finding fish was pretty simple this afternoon, as the approaching storm had the fish up off bottom a bit and feeding; they also came up into under 20 feet of water and, as they often do in shallower water, they began to spread out horizontally. When the white bass lift up off bottom they are infinitely easier to spot on side-imaging, so we were able to get right down to business.
The white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab has continued to produce like a champ, and, I’m a big believer in “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, so, we used this super little threadfin shad imitator for the entirety of our time on the water.
Around 6PM my handy KWTX weather app sounded an alarm, so, we left the fish we were catching and moved closer to the launch site so we could bail out if the storm headed right at us.
By 6:15, we could hear thunder and see distant flashes of lightning out over Fort Hood and knew it was time to wrap up.
This crew of three landed 66 fish before we called it quits and headed for safety.
TALLY: 66 fish caught and released
Find Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs here: https://whitebasstools.com/
OBSERVATIONS: Fewer and fewer fish are lingering in deep water (over 30′) as the water warms and daylength increases. Many caught fish were oozing eggs or milt once again today.
WEATHER DATA:
Start Time: 3:15P
End Time: 6:15P
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 74F
Elevation: 14.13 feet low, 24 CFS flow, .02′ fall over the last 24 hrs.
Water Surface Temp: 59.9F on the surface
Wind Speed & Direction: SSE14 all afternoon right up until the storm approached, at which time the winds went slack before turning NW with the incoming storm/cold front.
Sky Condition: 85% grey could cover with “squinting” levels of light coming through.
Moon Phase: Waxing crescent moon at 34% illumination.
GT = 0
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
Area B0085C – 15 fish in two hops
Area 382 – 6 fish
Area 0170 – 11 fish
Area B0040C- 30 fish
Area 2023 – 3 fish
Area 387 – 1 fish
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
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