WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Tuesday, December 26, I conducted the 2023 season’s 12th SKIFF Trip just for military kids.
My young guests today were Hailey (age 11), Victoria (age 8), and Brooklyn (age 9) Garrett. The girls’ father, U.S. Army (retired) First Sergeant Aldrick Garrett is a bona fide disabled veteran and Purple Heart Medal recipient, having received severe injuries after his tank was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Iraq.
Mrs. Garrett found out about this fishing opportunity on the Fort Cavazos Area Facebook Page, courtesy of Mrs. Denise Igo.
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, 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. 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
PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Hailey (11), Victoria (8), and Brooklyn (7) Garrett with six of the twenty-six fish they landed before cold faces and stiff fingers and toes brought us back to the boat ramp a bit early this morning.
Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/
WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir
WHEN WE FISHED: Tuesday, 26 Dec. 2023 (AM)
HOW WE FISHED:
Ooooweee, was it cold this morning! With an ambient air temperature of 28F and a heavy frost area wide, I was quite relieved to see the Garrett family heeded all of my advice on dressing appropriately for this trip as they arrived this morning.
What winds were blowing were light enough to keep wind chill from being a factor, and, after doing a bit of an introduction to the tackle and the tactics we’d be using, we got right down to the matter at hand — catching fish!!
None of these sisters had ever been fishing before, although it is something they have wanted to do, and were looking forward to doing today once their mom made the arrangements.
The fish were in a somewhat neutral mood today — neither turned off nor overly aggressive.
Despite dressing well, the girls were ready to head back in after about 2 hours’ worth of exposure to the elements allowed that cold to creep into their clothing.
During our time on the water, we hit three distinct areas, each indicated by light bird activity, catching fish at each one. Our approach was simple — the girls dropped their white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs down to bottom and reeled them back up while keeping in sync with the thump of the thumper which I have set at just the right speed to keep my clients from reeling too fast or too slow.
By around 9:30, the girls had landed 2 freshwater drum, 2 largemouth bass, and 22 white bass, of which 19 were of legal size.
Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ
TALLY: 26 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: 9:30A
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 28F
Elevation: 17.71 feet low, 1 CFS flow
Water Surface Temp: 55.6F on the surface.
Wind Speed & Direction: SSW2-6
Sky Condition: Clear, cloudless blue sky with a light, white haze.
Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 100% illumination (full moon tomorrow).
GT = N/A
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
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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