CLIENTS: This morning, Wednesday, Nov. 13, I welcomed aboard long-time railroadman Arlis “Bart” Luck for a morning of white bass fishing on Lake Belton.
Bart is now in his 60s and works as a conductor for the BNSF railroad, based out of Temple, TX. As retirement nears, he has procured a boat and is in the process of feeling out how he might upgrade the various systems on it. Part of that process was to come out with me and see for himself how some of the modern technologies he has read about actually perform in the field.
DATE: Wednesday, 13 November 2024 (AM)
NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 November, 2-6 December (weekday AMs). Next Saturday opening: 14 December (AM)
PHOTO CAPTION: Arlis “Bart” Luck of Temple took 56 white bass on a morning which was enhanced in the final portion of the trip by an incoming cold front.
WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton
SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:
As will be the case from now until the stable weather of summer comes around again in June, we will be riding the “frontal rollercoaster” as cold fronts come and go and the fishing rises and falls with the winds and barometric pressure these fronts usher in.
This morning we missed out on the best fishing the frontal cycle can supply, as the mild, dry cold front which moved into Central Texas did so right around midday. So, the fish were kind of apathetic before the front arrived and were on their normal downswing at midday as the “frontal bump” kicked in and re-energized them a bit.
Case in point: Bart’s final total was 56 fish landed in 5.25 hours of effort. 21 of those 56 fish (37.5%) were landed in the last hour (representing 19% of the trip). It was during this last hour that the winds, which had been under 10mph and S or SW all morning, changed quickly to WNW and ramped up to 14-15 mph.
The ideal scenario occurs when winds from the WNW or NW are on the rise throughout the morning hours, so the “frontal bump” synergizes with the normal bell-shaped feeding curve of a typical morning. One can always hope!!
All but three of these 56 fish were taken on MAL Originals (with chartreuse tails) and from less than 32′.
During the slower portion of the trip, we found that by focusing on the few suspended fish presenting higher in the water column than the many lazy fish presenting on bottom, we could elicit more strikes for the time and effort invested.
Here is a tutorial on vertically smoking the MAL Lure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDSvfXgrAUE
Here is a tutorial on horizontally “sawtoothing” with the MAL Lure or White Tornado: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3FMEQHOMQ
RESULTS: 56 fish, all caught and released, including 4 largemouth bass, 2 hybrid stripers, 1 drum, and 49 white bass
LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: We primarily used MAL Originals (w/ chartreuse tails) vertically today. Find all MAL Lures and White Tornados here: https://whitebasstools.com/
OBSERVATIONS:
1) The long run of fantastic fall fishing which began in early September has now begun to be impacted by increased frontal activity. The fishing has now become cyclical, following the arrival and departure of cold fronts. The more wind, the better. Fishing will be poor with calm conditions.
2) Mornings are much more productive than evenings at this point in the fall.
3) By focusing on the few suspended fish presenting higher in the water column than the many lazier fish presenting on bottom, we could elicit more strikes for the time and effort invested.
LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:
Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Saturday, 10 Nov….
WEATHER DATA:
Start Time: 7:15A
End Time: 12:30P
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 60F
Elevation: 2.39′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow
Water Surface Temp: 71.9F on the surface.
Wind Speed & Direction: SW5-6 until ~11A, when frontal WNW winds pushed in suddenly at 13-15mph
Sky Condition: Light blue, cloudless skies
Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 86% illumination.
GT = 5
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
Area vic 1291 – 14 fish smoking MAL Originals
Area vic 1916 – 12 fish smoking MAL Originals
Area B0003G – 4 fish smoking MAL Originals
Area vic 409 – 5 fish smoking MAL Originals
Area B0314G – 21 fish smoking MAL Originals
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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