Month: January 2024

As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another — 100 Fish @ Belton

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH:

This morning, Tuesday, January 30, I fished with fellow professional, full-time fishing guide, Jason Weisberg, who now operates exclusively on Richland-Chambers Reservoir year-round, primarily in pursuit of hybrid striped bass and white bass.
I invited Jason to join me on Lake Belton to help me sharpen up my game on winter deadstick techniques.
You can read further to find out why, if you want to learn to deadstick for hybrid striped bass, you’ll find a great coach in Jason and his REEL Fishing Guide Service (Facebook).  Richland-Chambers is a very fertile body of water with a high density of bait and hybrid.  Contact him at (512) 368-1788.
Here’s 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 Feb. 3, 5, 6, 7, & 8 (AMs)

 

PHOTO CAPTION: Fellow full-time, professional fishing guide Jason Weisberg of REEL Fishing Guide Service on Lake Richland-Chambers joined me today on Lake Belton to provide me with an on-the-water workshop on winter dead-sticking tactics and options.

 

 

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Tuesday, 30 Jan. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

I got on the water around 8 AM and fished solo until Jason‘s arrival about an hour later.

 

This was learning point number one. Jason finds that fishing for open water fish does not necessarily require an early start, in fact, he has noticed a trend  of excellent fishing in the afternoons on Richland Chambers. Indeed, the fastest action we experienced, albeit from bottom-oriented fish, was at the very last area. We fished just after 1 PM.

 

Prior to Jason‘s arrival I used my traditional slow-smoking tactics with a white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab to land nine white bass, and one drum from out of a school of bottom-hugging fish I’d found in around 35 feet of water.

 

Once Jason joined me, we no longer searched for fish on bottom, but instead, focused on finding large concentrations of bait with at least a few gamefish signatures mixed in. This was learning point number two. The initial presence of great numbers of gamefish is not necessary in order for an area fished with deadstick tactics to really turn on and produce. This is because this method slowly draws fish in and, courtesy of both thumping and splashing, accumulates these fish under the boat while the fishing is taking place.

 

We hit seven areas together, and fished each of them in much the same way. We both used small, fluke-like baits. Jason used a multicolored lime/red pattern, whereas I used white. We really did not see much of a preference from the fish.

 

This technique depends heavily on Garmin LiveScope used from a Spot-Locked position (after we discussed the pros and cons of Spot-Locking versus drifting or controlled drifting). Our fish typically showed up at the interface between the lower part of the middle third of the water column and the upper part of the bottom third of the water column.

 

Once the fish were seen moving in from the left or right hand side of the screen, we would position our baits on a collision course with the fish as they moved towards us, and would then very slowly ease the lure past the fishes’ noses prior to them swimming by. If the fish showed interest, we would continue lifting slowly, hoping for a pursuit and a strike.

 

Some places produced better than others, but all places produced at least a few fish. The final big learning point for me today was the sorts of bottom topographies which are good candidates for this wintertime tactic.

 

After selecting what he felt were some ideal areas, Jason encouraged me to choose a few likely areas of my own toward the end of the trip.  It was a real confidence builder to find an area I suspected would hold fish, see what we needed to see in the way of shad and gamefish, and then get baits in the water and catch fish there after observing just a few times.

 

With 75 fish in the boat, we wrapped up the trip targeting another bottom-hugging school of white bass in 42′.   Jason fished the same bait in the same manner as when we were deadsticking, while I changed over to the white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab so we could do an apples-to-apples comparison on the baits.  We put another 25 fish in the boat before quitting at 100 fish even; both baits produced the same for these fish as they flared up quickly, and also died down quickly.

 

Our final count today was exactly 100 fish, which included 5 freshwater drum, 1 largemouth bass, and a roughly 60/40 split of hybrid/white bass.  This was, by far, the greatest number of hybrid I have landed in several years.  All but one of these hybrid were short, with most going right at 17 inches with a healthy (but not plump) body condition.

 

Here is a tutorial on the snap-jigging method … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtrnAQ_T94&t=55s

 

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

TALLY: 100 fish caught and released.

 

OBSERVATIONS: Here was the water temperature profile taken down to 55′ on 30 Jan.:

0 feet, 49.4F
5 feet, 49.4F
10 feet, 49.2F
15 feet, 49.0F
20 feet, 48.8F
25 feet, 48.7F
30 feet, 48.6F
35 feet, 48.4F
40 feet, 48.3F
45 feet, 47.9F
50 feet, 47.5F
55 feet, 47.3F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:55A

End Time: 1:20P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 45F

Elevation: 14.2 feet low, 40 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 45.0F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: WSW winds varying from 4-9 all morning

Sky Condition: Pale blue sky w/ ~30% wispy white cloud cover.

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 81% illumination.

GT = N/A

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area 1552 – 10 fish easing/slow-smoking with the white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab
Area B0072JWG – 6 fish deadsticking fluke baits
Area B003JWG – 10 fish deadsticking fluke baits
Area vic 1519 – 9 fish deadsticking fluke baits
Area vic B0090G (over channel) – 5 fish deadsticking fluke baits
Area B004JWG – 9 fish deadsticking fluke baits
Area B005JWG – 15 fish deadsticking fluke baits
Area B0262G – 11 fish deadsticking fluke baits
Area vic B0151C – 25 fish easing 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab & fluke bait

 

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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #SubaruAustin

A GOOD BITE, BUT THEY DRESSED LIGHT!! — 88 FISH, SKIFF PROGRAM TRIP

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: On Saturday, January 27, I ran the sixth SKIFF trip of the 2024 season, welcoming aboard George Garza Jr. and Cameron Garza, the sons of U.S. Army veteran George Garza Sr. and U.S. Army active duty Staff Sergeant Ayeisha Garza.

George is a 100% disabled veteran.  Injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device (IED) blast forced him to medically retire.  SSG Ayeisha Garza is still on active duty with 22 years of service under her belt.

George also paid the way for his sons’ two friends, Darryl Price and Logan Sherman, to come along this morning.

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, & Austin Subaru.  S.K.I.F.F. provides children of military personnel separated from their families by duty commitments with the opportunity to fish.  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

Next available dates are Jan. 30 & 31, and Feb. 1 (AMs)

 

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Darryl Price, George Garza Jr., Cameron Garza, and Logan Sherman (with no gloves or loaner gloves!) show off the biggest of the white bass they landed on a chilly, windy morning as a cold front made its way into Central Texas.

 

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Saturday, 27 Jan. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

In summary, the fish were fired up this morning, thanks to NW winds on the rise with an incoming cold front, but the combination of snotty conditions above the water’s surface and the boys’ very light clothing caused them to get pretty cold pretty quickly.  We fished for under two hours with the entire time under steadily thinning, grey cloud cover.

 

Birds once again led the way to the fish we caught.  Most all of the action right now is taking place within 200 feet of the river channel.

 

White bass were patrolling on the flats adjacent to the channel in small groups.  By using the thumper, we drew fish in from around us, giving the boys a shot at catching each time a group cruised by on bottom directly beneath the boat.

 

I had everyone rigged up with white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs and using a slow-smoking tactic.  I helped the boys keep the proper retrieve speed by using the thumper as a metronome.  Garmin LiveScope aided the boys’ efforts.

 

The boys had very little prior fishing experience, so the learning curve was a bit steep this morning. Each took a bit of time to get used to the smooth handle-turning which the slow-smoking tactic requires, and each lost a few fish after they were hooked by either turning the spinning reel’s handle backwards or allowing slack in the line by moving their rod tips excessively while fighting fish, but they all learned from their mistakes and finished much stronger than they started.

 

The cold got to the boys and we had to head back in prior to 10AM.

 

As each hopped off the boat, I gave him a “high-five” and a little ribbing about not wearing Crocs or slippers the next time they come fishing with me in the winter.  Each sheepishly grinned!   There are just some things kids have to learn the hard way.

 

After returning the boys to civilization, the birds were still quite active, so, I headed back out to do some scouting and found fish in two additional locations adjacent to the channel.  I moved short distances at each of the two locations several times as LiveScope in forward mode and/or Humminbird Side Imaging revealed fish, catching 70 additional fish before wrapping up around 1P.

 

I alternated between using the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab vertically, and sawtoothing for shallower fish using a jighead and grub.

Here is a tutorial on the snap-jigging method … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtrnAQ_T94&t=55s

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

TALLY: 18 fish caught and released by clients; plus 70 additional fish landed during scouting after clients’ early departure = 88 fish caught and released

 

OBSERVATIONS: 

The water temperature profile measured on Stillhouse Hollow on 27 Jan. 2024 was:

 

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 8:05A

End Time: 9:55A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 49F

Elevation: 17.30 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 49.7F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW15-17 with slightly higher gusts all morning

Sky Condition: Grey skies until 10:30, then slowly clearing to 60% white cloud cover on a blue sky

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 97% illumination.

GT = N/A

 

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

WITH CLIENTS:
Area SH0016G – 10 fish slow-smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area SH0260G – 8 fish slow-smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
SCOUTING AFTER CLIENTS’ EARLY DEPARTURE
Area vic 1167 – 39 fish @ 3 short hops with 3/8 oz. jighead and white curl-tail grub
SH0271G – 31 fish @ 2 short hops slow-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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #austinsubaru

Wacky Winter Weather Whiplash — 54 Fish @ Stillhouse

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Thursday, January 18, I fished with first-time guests Mike Henry, David Rogers, Nick Sukup, and Brian Mascho.

The fellows all first got acquainted while “working dirt” doing earthmoving construction projects during that time of year in which the soil is thawed enough to be moved up in Alaska.

Our date to fish was a bit of a moving target due to all four fellows’ travel schedules and this crazy Texas winter weather.

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 Jan. 22-25 (AMs)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Mike Henry, Nick Sukup, David Rogers, and Brian Mascho relied primarily on slow-smoking a Bladed Hazy Eye Slab to put 54 fish in the boat this morning between polar weather systems.

 

PHOTO CAPTION: Brian took this 6.25-pound largemouth from 41 feet of water on a slow-smoked 3/4 oz. white Bladed Hazy Eye Slab at mid-morning just after the SW wind began to pick up noticeably.

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  Nick picked this 4-pound class largemouth up by slow-smoking with a 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab from out of 31 feet of water just after noon.

 

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Thursday, 18 Jan. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

Most notable of this entire report is the rapid temperature drop Stillhouse experienced since this most recent polar air mass moved in late on Saturday, Jan. 13.  Here is a comparison of water temperatures down to 50 feet, taken at 5-foot increments on the morning of 13 Jan., and again this morning, 18 Jan.

That much environmental change in a short period of time never bodes well for the fishing.

I observed several things this morning, some expected, and some not.  First, I noted that the areas where I found fish were essentially the same areas where I was finding fish prior to this prolonged freeze.

Next, I found the fish much more reluctant to hit our baits, even when we snap-jigged and kept the lure motionless just off bottom, and even when an abundance of fish were present.

Next, I found that whatever bird action we witnessed involving gulls (not terns) was oriented on fish, whereas much of the bird action by gulls prior to this cold snap was oriented on loons.

Next, I noted that most of our fish came soon after we stopped at an area while the fish found our presentations novel; it did not take the long to tire of our baits and ignore them.

Finally, I noted that the deeper we fish, the more likely fish were to pull up off bottom and suspend or move parallel to bottom in a horizontal band, and, those fish which pulled up off bottom were more easily fooled with a slow-smoking tactic.

We employed three tactics this morning: snap-jigging, slow-smoking, and working curl-tail grubs with a sawtooth method.  The snap-jigging was all done with 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs, the slow-smoking was done with a combination of 5/8 and 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs, and the sawtooth work was done with a pinched down 3″ grub on a 1/2 oz. head.

The sawtooth method produced best under low-light conditions before the wind began.  The slow-smoking put the most fish in the boat after the first hour had passed, and the snap-jigging only added a few fish to the count, typically after fish “cooled off” and headed back to bottom, after rising up off bottom and going for a slow-smoking tactic for a while.

Fishing was steady, but slow, so, I extend the trip about 90 minutes.  At our last area, and as we were, literally, wrapping up at the 5 hour mark, I graphed some fish — the single largest group of fish I’d seen all morning.  We quickly got on them and found these fish would follow a slow-smoked slab up from directly off bottom — something we’d not seen the rest of the morning.

We caught more fish in that final 30 minutes than at any other location fished all morning, taking our tally from 33 fish, up to 54 fish.

That 54-fish count included 4 largemouth bass (best was 6.25 pounds by Brian), and 3 freshwater drum, with the balance of 47 fish being white bass, 100% of which were legal with the top 3 or 4 fish surpassing 14 inches.  All fish were caught and released.

 

Here is a tutorial on the snap-jigging method we used … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtrnAQ_T94&t=55s

 

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

TALLY: 71 fish caught and released.

 

OBSERVATIONS: See water temperature comparison for pre- and post-freeze above.

 

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:35A

End Time: 1:00P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 32F

Elevation: 18.02feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 45.0F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SW winds varying from 4-9 all morning

Sky Condition: Pale blue, cloudless sky.

Moon Phase: First quarter moon at 54% illumination.

GT = 5

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area SH0023G – 6 fish snap-jigging white 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs & casting grubs
Area SH0239G – 2 fish snap-jigging white 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area SH0269G – 13 smoking white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs ( two hops )
Area SH0270G – 9 fish smoking white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area vic 239 – 3 fish smoking white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area vic 1185 on shoulder – 21 fish slow-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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #SubaruAustin

When Daddies are Away — 50 Fish w/ the SKIFF Program

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: On Saturday, January 13, I conducted the fifth SKIFF trip of the 2024 season. Joining me was 13-year-old Nariyah Cox, accompanied by her mom, Brittany Cox.

Nariyah’s dad, U.S. Army Sergeant (E-5) Rodrick Crowder, is currently stationed in South Korea where he serves as a satellite technician. SGT Crowder has been in the military for 12 years.

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, & Austin Subaru.  S.K.I.F.F. provides children of military personnel separated from their families by duty commitments with the opportunity to fish.  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

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

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  In addition to 47 white bass, Nariyah also landed this quality largemouth bass.

 

PHOTO CAPTION: Nariyah landed two freshwater drum.  This one stretched to 23 7/8 inches and weighed 6.25 pounds.

 

PHOTO CAPTION: Our target species this morning was white bass.  Nariyah used two vertical tactics to land 47 of these, only one of which was sub-legal.

 

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Saturday, 13 Jan. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

As a polar air mass bore down on Central Texas, we got on and off before the pre-frontal wind increase and the wind shift to northerly rolled in.

 

We fished this morning with manageable SW winds with light cloud cover and a slowly warming atmosphere which would hit 62F before crashing around 7:30PM.

 

We fished four areas, and found/caught fish well at three of them.  The first and last areas were indicated by the presence of birds.

 

I coached Nariyah on using a combination of snap-jigging and slow-smoking as the attitude of the white bass we found required.  Under low light in our first hour on the water, the fish would not leave bottom, and snap-jigging got the nod.

 

As the winds picked up and the sun rose higher and brightened the sky, the bite shifted deeper and the fish grew more willing to chase, hence, the slow-smoking tactic came on strong at that time.

 

100% of the fish Nariyah landed came on the white Bladed Hazy Eye Slab.  I had her using a 5/8 oz. as we snap-jigged early on, then changed her over to a 3/4 oz. version once the fishing moved deeper and the whites began to chase.

 

By around 10:20, the bite started to wane, and Nariyah mentioned more than once that her toes were starting to hurt.  We had 45 fish in the boat at that time.  I challenged her to catch another 5 fish before 10:30 and then we’d head in.  She accepted the challenge, rose to the occasion, and landed her 50th fish right at 10:30AM.  She and mom hunkered down and we made a beeline to the boat ramp.

Here is a tutorial on the snap-jigging method we used … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtrnAQ_T94&t=55s

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

TALLY: 50 fish caught and released.

 

OBSERVATIONS: 

The water temperature profile measured on Stillhouse Hollow on 13 Jan. 2024 was:

0 feet, 50.5F
5 feet, 51.4F
10 feet, 51.7F
15 feet, 51.7F
20 feet, 51.9F
25 feet, 51.9F
35 feet, 51.7F
35 feet, 51.7F
40 feet, 51.7F
45 feet, 51.7F
50 feet, 51.7F

 

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:35A

End Time: 10:35A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 39F

Elevation: 17.92 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 50.5F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SW6 building to SW11

Sky Condition: Pale blue sky with 15-20% thin, white cloud cover

Moon Phase: Waxing crescent moon at 6% illumination.

GT = N/A

 

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area SH0023G – 14 fish snap-jigging & smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area SH0267G – 3 fish smoking white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area SH0268G – 33 fish smoking white, 3/4 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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #austinsubaru

Pre-Frontal Warming is a Tough Nut to Crack — 12 Fish @ Belton

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH:

On the afternoon of Thursday, January 11, I fished with Shawnee Tallman, and her nephew, Pat Hartman.
Shawnee is a registered nurse who has worked in quite a breadth of specialty areas throughout her nursing career.
Pat is a camp manager for the Log Cabin Resort located within the Colville Reservation in northeastern Washington, near the town of Inchelium.  The reservation is inhabited by members of twelve tribes: the Colville, Ivenatchee, Entiate, Chelan, Methow, Okanogan, Nespelem, San Poil, Lakes, Moses-Columbia, Palus, and Nez Perce tribes.
The campground is situated on Twin Lakes which offers a fishery for rainbow trout, brook trout, largemouth, bass, and crappie (https://www.3-dresorts.com/).
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 Jan. 22-25 (AMs)

 

PHOTO CAPTION: Given the weather we are to experience here for the next few days, and the weather Pat is returning to in NE Washington for the next few months, we were all happy to be outdoors with air temps in the 60’s in January!

 

PHOTO CAPTION: If you find yourself making plans to go on vacation in the evergreen forests of NE Washington, tell Pat “you know a guy”!!

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Thursday, 11 Jan. 2023 (PM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

This afternoon proved difficult to find fish, and that yielded a rather low catch.

 

There are a few scenarios in fishing that run the risk of a yielding a below average trip. Those are 1) a dense fog, 2) cold, clear, calm, post-frontal conditions, and 3) the conditions we had today which is warm, high-wind conditions, experienced well in advance of a front’s arrival , in which the atmosphere is squeezed, leading to compressional warming.

 

This trip was a “now or never” trip, as Pat has a flight back to Washington just a few hours after our trip concluded.  So, we pressed on despite the unfavorable weather scenario which very much limited where we could safely go.

 

Long story short, we covered a lot of ground, found scattered fish here and there, but not a single group which we Spot-Locked on top of got remotely interested, nor acted aggressively, towards our presentations.

 

The fish we caught were all caught on the 5/8-ounce, white Bladed Hazy Eye Slab worked with a slow smoking tactic. Most of the fish followed the lure upward after originating on the bottom. The final four fish landed came as Shawnee and Pat smoked the lure past suspended fish seen on sonar after birds, which were primarily feeding over top of a large flock of cormorants, drew us to an area for a closer look.

 

Our final tally today was an even dozen fish, all of which were white bass.

 

Here is a tutorial on the snap-jigging method we used … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtrnAQ_T94&t=55s

 

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

TALLY: 71 fish caught and released.

 

OBSERVATIONS: 

The water temperature profile measured on Stillhouse Hollow on 01 Jan. 2024 was:

0 feet 54.3F
5 feet 54.7F
10 feet, 54.9F
15 feet, 54.9F
20 feet, 54.9F
25 feet, 54.9F
30 feet, 54.9F
35 feet, 54.9F
40 feet, 54.7F
45 feet, 54.2F
50 feet, 53.6F

 

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 1:15P

End Time: 5:40P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 62F

Elevation: 15.38 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 53.8F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: High winds at 17-18 gusting higher until about 40 minutes prior to sunset

Sky Condition: Light blue, cloudless sky.

Moon Phase: New moon at 0% illumination.

GT = N/A

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area B0003G – 1 fish slow-smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area 1815 – 2 fish slow-smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area 2027 – 2 fish slow-smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area 3116 – 3 fish slow-smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area B0116G – 4 fish slow-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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #SubaruAustin

LOOKING FOR WINDOWS OF WEATHER — 71 FISH

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Thursday, January 11, I fished with returning guest Mike Hall, a fellow small business owner from Round Rock, TX.

Mike does home remodeling, including windows, roofing, and siding doing business as Heritage Home Services (https://heritage-homeservices.com/). Although Mike has a boat of his own, he likes to fish with me from time to time to get a feel for what is taking place in the fishery at various points along the way through the annual cycle so he can make the most of his own fishing trips in his limited downtime.

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 Jan. 22-25 (AMs)

 

PHOTO CAPTION: Stillhouse reliably produces quality white bass.  These fish, both taken by Mike Hall early in the trip, both exceeded 14″.  All fish today came on a white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab.

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Thursday, 11 Jan. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

Today looked to be the last decent day of weather for the foreseeable future with two arctic cold fronts approaching Central Texas  Just a day and a half apart this coming Friday and then again on late Saturday. We started off at 39° with nearly calm winds this morning.

 

Paying very close attention to bird activity, mainly by ring-billed gulls, we found our first catchable fish of the morning in just under 30 feet of water. Although active, patrolling after shad, and quite willing to strike, these fish would not rise off the bottom.

 

For that reason, we stuck with a snap-jigging tactic through about 9:10 AM. The two things I emphasized on the snap-jigging to Mike was the initial adjustment  of the slab, making sure it was truly suspended inches off the bottom (not hitting the bottom every stroke), and actually snapping the rod up and immediately placing it back where it started so that the lure achieved a freefall (instead of just lowering it).

 

After the birds left and the fish slowed down in this location, we moved progressively deeper and continued to encounter active fish through about 10 AM when we noticed some hesitancy beginning to kick in. Observing this, I moved us to the deepest water I could still find fish in, and we were able to stay in biting fish willing to pursue a slowly smoked slab through about 11 AM.  At 11 AM, we observed what I often refer to as the “beginning of the end”, where fish begin to wrap up their morning feed with little an angler can do to get them re-ignited.

 

All fish this morning came on the white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab.

 

We closed out the trip with a total of 71 fish, 100% of which were white bass , and about 60% of which were legal fish with our several largest right at the 14 inch mark.

 

Here is a tutorial on the snap-jigging method we used … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtrnAQ_T94&t=55s

 

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

TALLY: 71 fish caught and released.

 

OBSERVATIONS: 

The water temperature profile measured on Stillhouse Hollow on 01 Jan. 2024 was:

0 feet 54.3F
5 feet 54.7F
10 feet, 54.9F
15 feet, 54.9F
20 feet, 54.9F
25 feet, 54.9F
30 feet, 54.9F
35 feet, 54.9F
40 feet, 54.7F
45 feet, 54.2F
50 feet, 53.6F

 

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:35A

End Time: 11:45A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 39F

Elevation: 17.86 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 53.8F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: Calm winds for first 45 minutes, then a building SE wind getting up to 12 by end time.

Sky Condition: Bluebird, cloudless sky.

Moon Phase: New moon at 0% illumination.

GT = 25

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area SH0023G – 10 fish snap-jigging and smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area SH0266G – 18 fish snap-jigging and smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area SH0014G – 14 fish snap-jigging and smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area 0250 – 6 small fish snap-jigging and smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area vic SH0241G – 4 fish from a suspended, motionless school which had already turned off
Area vic SH0254G – 18 fish snap-jigging and smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area vic 1038 – 1fish snap-jigging and 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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #SubaruAustin

YOUNG MAN LANDS NEW STILLHOUSE LAKE RECORD WHITE BASS – 44 FISH

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Saturday, January 6, I conducted the fourth SKIFF trip of the 2024 season. Joining me this morning was Zayden Bush, son of U.S. Army Sergeant First Class (E7) Christopher Bush and his wife, Trista.

Zayden, a sharp, cheerful kid and fast learner, is facing about nine weeks of separation from his father as he goes through the US Army drill instructor training course.

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, & Austin Subaru.  S.K.I.F.F. provides children of military personnel separated from their families by duty commitments with the opportunity to fish.  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

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

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  Zayden Bush used a slow-smoking tactic in combination with Garmin LiveScope to capture this 17.25-inch white bass — a pending Junior Angler lake record in the Junior Angler category.

 

PHOTO CAPTION: Most every winter trip targeting white bass is now producing both largemouth bass and freshwater drum as a welcome bycatch.  This fellow went 4.00 pounds.

 

PHOTO CAPTION: This freshwater drum slurped Zayden’s slab up off the bottom as he was using a snap-jigging tactic.

 

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Saturday, 06 Jan. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

A mild, dry Pacific cold front pushed through overnight, leaving the morning air significantly dryer and cooler, and our winds out of the north west. Although the impact of a mild front is always a tossup, this front definitely  benefited our efforts this morning.
As I waited for Zayden and his mom to arrive, birds were working aggressively, and once we covered the preliminary safety and gear issues, we got right under these birds and went to catching.
Zayden landed 16 fish including 15 white bass, and a freshwater drum  as we made three short hops under this first flock of birds.  We used a combination of snap-jigging and slow-smoking.
When this bird action dissipated, I ran sonar, found a group of fish which were not under birds and fished for them. They were not nearly as aggressive. We left them after catching just two.  I used my spotting scope to identify another group of birds working over top of fish. We arrived beneath them and finished out the trip on that location.
In this situation the fish were on, and suspended as much as 8 feet up off, bottom in about 42 feet of water . The fish highest up in the water column were the most active. The thumper served to consolidate the fish and kept them interested while the LiveScope allowed us to present our baits to individual fish right up beneath the boat as we employed a smoking tactic.
Zayden landed a total of 26 fish here, including four largemouth bass . As I watched him get increasingly better at working his slab using the smoking tactic, I watched his bait approach a large fish showing on Garmin LiveScope from beneath. As his lure cruised by that fish, it took his bait, and the fight was on. Judging by the bend in the rod, I assumed this was yet another quality largemouth, however, when it got to the surface, I saw that it was a truly large white bass.
I netted the fish got it right into the livewell to make sure it stayed healthy, and then placed it on a measuring board to check it. It was exactly 17.25 inches, thus beating the current Junior Angler lake record white bass by a half inch.
Zayden landed a total of 44 fish this morning with his last fish coming on the third technique I introduced him to, which was casting with a jig head and curl tail grub. His last fish of the morning, an 11 inch white bass. was the one and only fish he landed on that method.  With that, we called it a good morning and headed in around 10:30 AM.
All fish were taken on a white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab this morning.

Here is a tutorial on the snap-jigging method we used … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtrnAQ_T94&t=55s

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

TALLY: 44 fish caught and released.

 

OBSERVATIONS: 

The water temperature profile measured on Stillhouse Hollow on 01 Jan. 2024 was:

0 feet 54.3F
5 feet 54.7F
10 feet, 54.9F
15 feet, 54.9F
20 feet, 54.9F
25 feet, 54.9F
30 feet, 54.9F
35 feet, 54.9F
40 feet, 54.7F
45 feet, 54.2F
50 feet, 53.6F

 

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:45A

End Time: 10:30A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 8F

Elevation: 17.78 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 54.3F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NNW wind at 6-8

Sky Condition: Clear, bluebird sky

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 28% illumination.

GT = N/A

 

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area SH0016C/SH0002C – 16  fish snap-jigging & smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area 0133 – 2  fish snap-jigging white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area vic SH0241 – 26 fish 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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #SubaruAustin

EQUAL PARTS COACHING & CATCHING — 85 FISH

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: On Thursday, January 4, I fished with first time guest, Mr. Bill D., a retiree who spent his working life in both the onshore and offshore oil industry.

 

Bill found me through a Google search on the Internet and booked a trip with me while he and his wife were staying in their travel trailer in the Waco area on a little getaway from their home outside of Houston.

 

Bill has his own 17-foot Express center console with basic sonar and trolling motor equipment aboard, and wanted to experience more about white bass fishing than simply pulling a slab up and down off the bottom.  He told me, “I’m just a retired engineer who is looking to improve his self-taught fishing methods.”.
Here’s 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 Jan. 9-11 (AMs)

 

PHOTO CAPTION: Bill’s primary interest was in exploring tactics beyond just bouncing a slab up and down at “spots” that may have produced in the past.  I exposed him to four cool water tactics, and provided him with a practical, successful experience with three of them.

 

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  Just about every half-day trip is producing multiple largemouth bass with a least a few surpassing four pounds.  This morning, the first five fish we landed were largemouth!  This was Bill’s largest of the trip; it weighed 4.25 pounds on a certified scale.

 

 

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Thursday, 04 Jan. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

We had a dense fog all across Central Texas this morning, so I pushed us back 15 minutes and, with fog still in place as we began our trip, provided Bill with a thorough explanation of why I brought the tackle I brought. I brought  slabs for snap-jigging, I brought slabs for smoking, I brought jig heads with soft plastics for fishing horizontally, and I brought jig heads with soft,plastics rigged for deadstick fishing for suspended fish. So, however we found the fish presenting themselves, we were prepared with a presentation to approach that scenario with.

 

We found that while the fog persisted, the fish were very sluggish, therefore, we used snap-jigging to target these fish which were so close to the bottom, there was no target separation between them and the bottom as viewed on Garmin LiveScope.

 

As I observed Bill‘s technique, I found that he, like many folks, was essentially lifting and lowering his slab, instead of snapping it upwards, and allowing it to freefall to a sudden, jolting stop.  I have done a lot of experimentation with this and found that the latter is much, much more productive. Using Garmin LiveScope to help guide our efforts, I worked with Bill on the fine points of his jigging stroke, and he almost instantly began to improve his results.

 

With the fog still in place, but with the orb of the sun now visible through the thinning fog, fish began to get more active to the point where we saw that a slow-smoking tactic would begin to out-produce snap-jigging. We rode that slow-smoking horse as long as practical , using the thumper as a metronome and using Garmin LiveScope as our guide as to when to engage in the slow-smoking tactic, and how far up off the bottom to bring the lures with that tactic.

 

As we begin slow-smoking, we started off with white, 5/8 ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs.  As the fog cleared and the sun brightened, we found fish deeper and changed over to a 3/4 oz. slab to get to bottom more quickly.

 

Right around 11 AM, we observed a noticeable slowdown in fish activity. Fish were still suspended, but nearly immobile. This allowed me to bring on the third tactic to introduce Bill to, which was dead sticking with a soft plastic  on a 3/8 oz. jighead tied so as to hang perfectly horizontal.

 

Once again, using LiveScope to focus on fish highest up in the water column, we continue adding fish, albeit at a slower pace, right up until they quit around noon.  If you’re a detail oriented person, note this detail:  Over 70% of the fish we caught on the deadsticking tactic were hooked on the stinger hook tied to the line tie of the jighead, NOT on the jig’s single hook.  That is statistically significant!

 

We wound up with 85 fish in the boat, including 4 freshwater drum, 7 largemouth bass, and 74 white bass.

 

Here is a tutorial on the snap-jigging method we used … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtrnAQ_T94&t=55s

 

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

TALLY: 85 fish caught and released.

 

OBSERVATIONS: 

The water temperature profile measured on Stillhouse Hollow on 01 Jan. 2024 was:

0 feet 54.3F
5 feet 54.7F
10 feet, 54.9F
15 feet, 54.9F
20 feet, 54.9F
25 feet, 54.9F
30 feet, 54.9F
35 feet, 54.9F
40 feet, 54.7F
45 feet, 54.2F
50 feet, 53.6F

 

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:45A

End Time: 11:50A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 41F

Elevation: 17.77 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 54.3F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SE wind at under 3mph while foggy, then SE6-8 thereafter

Sky Condition: Heavy fog through 9:45A, then clearing rapidly

Moon Phase: Last quarter moon at 47% illumination.

GT = 65

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area  SH0225G – 5 largemouth snap-jigging white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area  SH0262G  – 20 fish snap-jigging and smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area SH0234G – 25 fish snap-jigging and smoking white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area SH0261G – 35 fish snap-jigging and smoking white, 3/4 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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #SubaruAustin

IT WAS NOW OR NEVER — A FREE SKIFF TRIP FOR ARMY KIDS

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH:  On Wednesday morning, January 3, I conducted the third SKIFF trip of the 2024 season. My young guest this morning was Lohann Ngounou. Lohann turns 10 in February and had never fished nor been aboard a boat before.

 Lohann‘s father, Stephane Ngounou is what is known in the military as a “geographical bachelor“. This means that he, for the sake of family stability, has left his family in one place, while stationed at another. In this case, Sergeant Ngounou’s family is in the Orlando, Florida, area  for continuity’s sake in schooling, jobs, healthcare, etc., while he is here at Fort Cavazos. He knew upon receiving orders to Fort Cavazos that it would not be long after his arrival that he would be headed overseas on a deployment.  Sergeant Ngounou, originally from Cameroon, came to the U.S. in 2019 and has served for three years as a mechanic in the U.S. Army.
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, & Austin Subaru.  S.K.I.F.F. provides children of military personnel separated from their families by duty commitments with the opportunity to fish.  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

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

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  When you are REALLY cold, and still trying to smile because you just caught the first fish of your life!!  That’s young Lohann Ngounou (age 10), son of U.S. Army Sergeant Stephane Ngounou, originally from Cameroon.

 

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Wednesday, 03 Jan. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

We had a raw, cold, damp, north wind with gray cloud cover, preventing any kind of a warm-up this morning.  Under normal circumstances, I would have recommended postponing this trip, however, Lohann was only in Texas for a short window while on holiday break, and I had no other open dates to offer before his scheduled return to Florida, so, we pressed on.
Unfortunately, although they attempted to follow my clothing recommendations, both father and son arrived underdressed without gloves, hood, or neck wrap, and only light clothing, albeit layered.
Anyone reading this who has done likewise will recall that you can only get so cold before that cold  completely commands your attention. Before wrapping up the trip early due to cold, both fellows were shivering pretty hard as they held up the fish Lohann landed as a memento of this father and son time spent together.
On top of all of this, the fishing was pretty difficult . Although birds did materialize, they only stayed active for minutes at a time chasing fast moving schools of hybrid as they turned on and turned off just about as quickly.
Lohann landed a mix of white bass, largemouth, bass, freshwater, drum, and hybrid stripers, with an unusually heavy stringer when it came to hybrid stripers. 6 of the 17 fish Lohann landed were legal sized hybrid.
With his pair of loaner gloves on, I had Lohann using the three-quarter ounce slab just so he could feel it strike the bottom, and so it could pull line off the spinning reel spool, even when his gloved fingers  added some resistance over top of the reel’s spool.
I found that observing the bird behavior closely allowed me to get in front of the direction of the fast moving hybrid stripers. I would simply leapfrog with these flock of birds, allow Lohann to fish for the hybrid as they passed under and around the boat , and until they had completely moved upwind of us, then I moved the boat upwind of the birds once again, and so on, until the birds finally dissipated.
This is one of those trips that I am sure neither father nor son will ever forget; it wasn’t too much fun living through the cold, but it will be much more fun to talk about in years to come!!  Adversity builds character.

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

TALLY: 17 fish caught and released.

 

OBSERVATIONS: 

The water temperature profile measured on Lake Belton on 03 Jan. 2024 was:

0 feet 54.2F
5 feet 54.9F
10 feet, 55.2F
15 feet, 55.2F
20 feet, 55.2F
25 feet, 55.2F
30 feet, 55.2F
35 feet, 55.2F
40 feet, 55.2F
45 feet, 55.2F
50 feet, 55.2F

 

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:45A

End Time: 10:30A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 41F

Elevation: 15.43 feet low, 40 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 54.2F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: N12 all morning

Sky Condition: Heavy grey, damp cloud cover all morning

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 56% illumination.

GT = N/A

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area  1151, B0088G, B0100C, 1543 – all fish taken smoking white, 3/4 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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #SubaruAustin

WE THREADED THE WEATHER NEEDLE — 105 FISH

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH:  On Tuesday morning, January 2, I conducted the second SKIFF trip of the 2024 season, welcoming aboard Miss Aaliyah Smith, age 10, and her friend, Nevaeh Ponce, age 6.

Aaliyah‘s uncle and father figure, US Army Staff Sergeant (E6) Danny Roybal recently left active duty where he served as a cavalry scout, and joined the Texas National Guard.  He is bound for the El Paso/Juarez area to help secure our nation’s southern border there.
Nevaeh’s dad, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant (E6) Leo Escadero, is an infantryman currently on active duty at Fort Cavazos, and is away from home participating in field training exercises prior to deploying to Eastern Europe later this year.
The two men served together both a Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, and now here at Ft. Cavazos.

 

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, & Austin Subaru.  S.K.I.F.F. provides children of military personnel separated from their families by duty commitments with the opportunity to fish.  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

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

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  From left: Nevaeh Ponce (age 6) and Aaliyah Smith (age 10) with a few of the white bass they caught using a slow-smoking tactic with Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs.

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  Most every trip on Stillhouse sees quality largemouth coming aboard as bycatch, despite focusing strictly on white bass. This bass landed by Nevaeh Ponce weighed 4.25 pounds.

 

 

PHOTO CAPTION: Beginner’s luck was with Miss Nevaeh this morning!  This freshwater drum was more than half her size!

 

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Tuesday, 02 Jan. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

We really threaded the eye of the needle today weatherwise. We began the morning with chilly conditions, but avoided the calm, clear, post-frontal scenario that hit us in the overnight hours.  We got to fish with some scattered clouds, slowly warming temperatures, and an easterly wind, which, only hours later would usher in a cool rain event of about seven hours in duration.  This storm system would drop about an inch and a half of rain area wide.
Our fishing took place in the relatively balmy temperatures and easterly winds in advance of that rain, and the fish really responded well to it.
Aaliyah had limited prior fishing experience from a previous trip with me when her dad was away at a school toward the end of his time on active duty, and Neveah had no prior experience. Despite that, the girls landed a total of 105 fish with a majority of those fish coming in the last 90 minutes as the easterly winds peaked.
With my two young, inexperienced anglers aboard, I kept it as simple as possible and focused only on using the slow smoking tactic with Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs (5/8 oz. & 3/4 oz. in white) complemented by Garmin LiveScope. Whenever the fish slowed down, instead of transitioning to snap-jigging as I would have experienced anglers do, I simply moved the boat, and tried to find fresh fish and get an initial, aggressive reaction to the novelty of our lures appearing amongst them.
One interesting observation over the past several trips on Stillhouse… I’ve noted that the deeper the water I fish in, the higher the fish are to rise up off bottom and suspend above it. I’m going to continue to observe this and see if there appears to be a trend here.

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

TALLY: 105 fish caught and released.

 

OBSERVATIONS: 

The water temperature profile measured on Stillhouse Hollow on 01 Jan. 2024 was:

0 feet 54.3F
5 feet 54.7F
10 feet, 54.9F
15 feet, 54.9F
20 feet, 54.9F
25 feet, 54.9F
30 feet, 54.9F
35 feet, 54.9F
40 feet, 54.7F
45 feet, 54.2F
50 feet, 53.6F

 

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:45A

End Time: 11:15A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 39F

Elevation: 17.78 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 54.3F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: ESE wind at 6-8, increasing to ESE11-12 at 9:45

Sky Condition: ~60% coverage of off-white/light grey clouds on a pale blue sky

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 65% illumination.

GT = N/A

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area  02013/1047 – 7 fish smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area  1047  – 7 fish smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area SH0260G – 18 fish smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs
Area SH0261G – 73 fish smoking white, 3/4 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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #SubaruAustin