WHO I FISHED WITH: On Thanksgiving morning I was joined by returning guest James Wilson, owner of Belton Air Conditioning (https://www.beltonac.com/).
James brought his son, Brody, age 13, and, upon finding out that his other 2 kids opted to sleep in, James also invited along fellow Lake Belton fishing guide Brian Worley who focuses on catfish (https://www.facebook.com/BSCatfishing/).
The lake was next to deserted, thus making for a very enjoyable holiday outing.
Here’s how the fishing went…
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Next available dates are Nov. 27 – 30
PHOTO CAPTION: James Wilson took the trip’s largest fish today — his first hybrid ever caught. It fell for an MAL Heavy with chartreuse tail in about 25 feet of water using a sawtooth method. It weighed exactly 5.25 pounds on a certified scale.
PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Brody Crawford, James Wilson, and Brian Worley with a few of the 130 fish they landed as we used birds to guide our way to fish, and both Hazy Eye Slabs and MAL Lures to seal the deal.
PHOTO CAPTION: White bass weren’t the only things thumping our lures! We also landed largemouth bass, freshwater drum, hybrid stripers, and this blue catfish.
Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/
WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton
WHEN WE FISHED: Thanksgiving Day (AM), 23 Nov. 2023
HOW WE FISHED:
We got going right at 7:10 AM, and after waiting just a few minutes for bird activity to coalesce, we spent our next few hours using fish-eating gulls as a shortcut to our fish catching.
I’ve found that this time of year the birds primarily chase small groups of hyperactive whites and hybrids, so chasing them can be a bit frustrating. Rather than chasing them, simply using their presence as an indicator to point the way to the general area where fish are located, then using sonar to identify the location of larger groups of more sedentary fish can help put a lot more fish in the boat than just frenetically chasing after and casting right beneath diving birds.
Such was our approach this morning up until about 10:20 when the birds finally laid down and the fishing began to slow.
Although 100% of our fish were taken on artificials, we split the catch about 90% Hazy Eye Slab use and 10% MAL Lure usage. We used the MALs during that time when the birds were most aggressive and vocal, and when we had more fish out to the sides of our boat than beneath it. During that time, we used the sawtooth method to catch our fish.
Otherwise, the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab really got the nod today. We were using the white, 5/8 ounce version with a straight smoking tactic and one variation of it. When fish were tight to the bottom, we found that lifting and dropping the lure a time or two for just about 6 or 7 inches would create enough commotion to bring fish over to investigate, then, employing a standard smoking tactic by reeling the lure straight up off the bottom would often provoke those fish to chase and bite.
When all was said and done, my crew of three landed exactly 130 fish. This included 4 hybrid striped bass of which 1 was legal, 2 freshwater drum, 2 largemouth bass, 1 blue catfish, and 120 white bass of which approximately 90% were of legal size. We fished right up until the fish quit, which was around 11:20 AM.
Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ
TALLY: 130 fish caught and released.
OBSERVATIONS: The water temperature profile measured on 20 Nov., was:
0 feet, 65.9F
5 feet, 65.6F
10 feet, 65.6F
15 feet, 65.6F
20 feet, 65.6F
25 feet, 65.5F
30 feet, 65.5F
35 feet, 65.5F
40 feet, 65.5F
45 feet, 65.5F
50 feet, 65.5F
55 feet, 65.3F
WEATHER DATA:
Start Time: 7:10A
End Time: 11:20A
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 39F
Elevation: 15.21 feet low, 47 CFS flow
Water Surface Temp: 63.5F on the surface.
Wind Speed & Direction: S6-9 all morning
Sky Condition: Light grey and fully clouded
Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 82% illumination.
GT = 105
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
Areas:
B0171G – 32 fish smoking Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
1012 (2 hops) – 19 fish smoking Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
1743 – 19 fish smoking Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
346 – 24 fish smoking Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs & sawtoothing MAL Lures
682 – 21 fish smoking Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
B0102C – 9 fish smoking Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
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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