WHO I FISHED WITH:
Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php
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 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:
5 feet 54.7F
10 feet, 54.9F
15 feet, 54.9F
20 feet, 54.9F
30 feet, 54.9F
35 feet, 54.9F
40 feet, 54.7F
45 feet, 54.2F
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:
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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