Day: December 25, 2023

A CHRISTMAS GIFT OF TOGETHERNESS — 105 FISH

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH:  This Christmas morning 2023, I fished with a party representing three generations –Mr. Jay Reynolds was joined by his two sons-in-law, Joe Miller, and Dave Weaver, and by his grandson, Alex Weaver, age 14.

Jay and his wife recently moved to this area from Lee, Florida, where they operated a church-affiliated thrift store.
The sons-in-law are both from the Russellville, Kentucky, area.
A combination of excellent weather conditions, zero boat traffic, and prior fishing expertise allowed for a catch this morning of over 100 fish.
Here is how the trip came together…

Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php

Next available dates are Jan. 9-11 (AMs)

 

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Joe Miller, Dave and Alex Weaver, and Jay Reynolds with four hybrid taken just seconds apart and all landed in the same net at the same time!

 

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  Grandpa Jay got the big one today.  This hybrid went right at 6.00 pounds and came on the same 5/8 oz., white Bladed Hazy Eye Slab his crew used to catch the other 104 fish!

 

 

PHOTO CAPTION: White bass were the mainstay of our catch today with 89 of our 105 fish catch made up of whites.

 

Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Christmas morning, 2023

HOW WE FISHED: 

We got going this morning around 7:20 AM, at which time I provided my four guests with instructions on the one and only technique we needed to employ today, which was slow-smoking the white, 5/8 ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slab.
We fished 12 areas this morning, finding fish at every single one of them. Only the first area fished and the last area fished did not have birds present. Otherwise, we were able to observe bird behavior, and have clues as to where to begin searching for fish.  The trick was not necessarily to drive to the birds and fish beneath them, but, rather, to use the birds as an indicator as to the general location of bait and active fish feeding on that bait.
Once the fish were found, the fish displayed varying levels of interest through the course of the morning, with the peak interest coming from around 9:45 to 10:45 AM.
Each time we stopped, I got the Garmin LiveScope cranked up to make sure everyone had a clear view of the rise and fall of their lures, and fish response to those lures. I also turned on the thumper which served both to consolidate fish beneath the boat , and to help my four guests to use the correct retrieve speed (as I used the thumper as a metronome).
At some locations the fish were tightly glued to the bottom, and, at other locations, we found fish suspended, some active and moving briskly parallel to the bottom, and others nearly immobile.
By the time 11:45 rolled around we had taken exactly 105 fish. This included 11 hybrid striped bass of which 8 were legal, 2 legal largemouth bass, 3 freshwater drum, and 89 white bass, of which just 13 were short.

Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ

TALLY: 105 fish caught and released.

 

OBSERVATIONS:  Fish activity was spurred on by NW winds with increasing velocity following a cold front’s passage overnight.

 

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:25A

End Time: 11:45A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 41F

Elevation: 15.58 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 56.4F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NNW13-16

Sky Condition: Cloudless “bluebird” skies

Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 98% illumination.

GT = 105

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Areas vic 150/1012, B0244G, vic 1055, B0246G, B0247G, B0248G, B0249G, vic B0239G, B0250G, vic B0152JWC, B0245G (2 hops), and B0173G/B0171G

 

 

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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