WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Monday, December 18th, I conducted the tenth SKIFF trip of the 2023 season, welcoming aboard siblings Tristan and Alice Ayres of Killeen.
The children’s father, Brennan Ayres, served 13 years in both the U.S. Army and in the National Guard as a tanker (MOS of 19K) and is a disabled veteran. Mrs. Elizabeth Ayres made the trip arrangements and got the kids to and from the boat ramp after finding out about the opportunity on the Fort Cavazos Area Facebook Page.
ABOUT SKIFF: SKIFF trips have been provided to military families at no charge since May of 2009. SKIFF is funded by donations from Austin Fly Fishers and other partner organizations, namely The McBride Foundation and Austin Subaru. S.K.I.F.F. provides the children of military personnel separated from their families due to duty commitments with the opportunity to go fishing. SKIFF trips are also provided to Gold Star families who have lost their service member while he/she was on active duty. In mid-2019, SKIFF began providing trips to kids of bona fide disabled veterans. I conduct these 3.5 hour adventures on Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir year ’round. Call or text 254.368.7411.
Here is how the fishing went…
Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php
Next available dates are Dec. 19, 20, 26
PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Tristan and Alice Ayres with a nice take of white bass the siblings caught from out of ~32 feet of water using a “slow-smoking” tactic with white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs.
PHOTO CAPTION: Tristan took this nice freshwater drum in our first 15 minutes on the water as fish fed up in under 20′ under low-light conditions just after sunrise.
PHOTO CAPTION: Alice caught this nice 4.75-pound largemouth by correctly working her Hazy Eye Slab up off the bottom at just the right speed as she followed the beat of the thumper which I have doubling as a metronome just for the purpose of helping clients to avoid reeling too fast or too slow.
Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/
WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir
WHEN WE FISHED: Monday, 18 Dec. 2023 (AM)
HOW WE FISHED:
With a majority of our local school districts which surround Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood) now out for Christmas break, I have set aside time from my normal guiding to offer free trips to kids of our local military families.
This morning I had Tristan and Alice working their white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs in conjunction with a thumper and Garmin LiveScope to catch white bass, largemouth bass, freshwater drum, and a single channel catfish.
I also had then keep an eye on the sky for me, looking out for any helpful bird action. Tristan told me he understood all about the bird because, in his favorite video game “Sea of Thieves”, the birds always fly over top of the loot.
Fishing was best from 8 to 10 AM, then fell off hard in the final hour. Helpful gulls did point the way to fish, but a lot of gull action is focused on the rising number of loons now migrating down.
Our final tally of 38 fish included 2 freshwater drum, 1 largemouth bass, 1 channel catfish, and 34 white bass, all taken on the same lure with the same tactic.
Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ
TALLY: 38 fish caught and released.
OBSERVATIONS: The water temperature profile on Stillhouse Hollow measured on 18 Dec., was:
WEATHER DATA:
Start Time: 7:30A
End Time: 11:00A
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 43F
Elevation: 15.68 feet low, 40 CFS flow
Water Surface Temp: 58.7F on the surface.
Wind Speed & Direction: SSE10-13
Sky Condition: About 90% grey cloud cover all morning
Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 29% illumination.
GT = N/A
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
Area 1205 thru 1275 – 44 fish downrigging #13/14 Pet Spoons, incl. 9 legal hybrid
Area 1549 – 26 white bass smoking white, 5/8 oz. 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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