Day: November 28, 2024

Cold Front … Incoming!! — 73 Fish

by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS:  This afternoon, Monday, November 25, I fished with Mr. Max Jordan’s grandkids, Maeve (age 13) and A.J. Lanham (age 10).  Max lives in Morgan’s Point, TX, near Lake Belton, and was treating the kids to a fishing trip during their weeklong Thanksgiving break from their schools in Austin.

DATE: Monday, 25 November 2024 (PM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 November, 2, 3, 4, 6 December (weekday AMs).  Next Saturday opening: 21 December (AM)

 

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  From left: AJ Lantham, Max Jordan, and Maeve Lantham with a few of the mixed bag of white bass, largemouth bass, and freshwater drum they landed on an afternoon trip positively impacted by an incoming cold front.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

This afternoon, with only about two hours between the end of my morning trip and the start of this afternoon’s trip, I went right back to the area where I wrapped up my morning trip and found fish had perked back up, certainly aided by the fact that a cold front was incoming.
I have described many times in these reports how that period of time from the westerly wind shift up until the north wind reaches peak velocity during a cold front’s arrival and passage reliably produces well-above normal results, and today was no exception.
As the kids quickly got the hang of the smoking tactic employed with their MAL Dense Lures, the fishing kept getting better and better.  Any time the fishing waned, I just looked for another flock gulls/loons as these fish-eating birds were hyperactive during the incoming frontal conditions.
Thanks to volleyball practice in Austin at 6P, we had a hard deadline to be back to the boat ramp by 4:00P, but, by that time the kids had landed 77 fish, including white bass, largemouth bass, and freshwater drum.

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: 73 fish, all caught and released

 

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP:  We used MAL Dense Lures (w/ chartreuse tails) for 100% of our catch today.  Find all MAL Lures and White Tornados here: https://whitebasstools.com/

 

OBSERVATIONS:

1) Bird activity spiked sharply as a cold front came in

2) A moderately strong, dry cold front began to push in around noon.

2) We stayed on fish for the entire afternoon thanks to frontal conditions.

 

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Stillhouse Hollow, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Monday, 215 Nov….

0 feet 67.9F
5 feet 67.9F
10 feet 67.9F
15 feet 67.9F
20 feet 67.9F
25 feet 67.9F
30 feet 67.9F
35 feet 67.9F
40 feet 67.9F
45 feet 67.8F
50 feet 67.2F
55 feet 66.4F
60 feet 66.1F
65 feet 66.0F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 1:15P

End Time: 4:00P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 72F dropping over the course of the afternoon down to 64F

Elevation: 1.48′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 67.9F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW wind at 13-14 with higher gusts on an incoming cold front

Sky Condition: Cloudless, blue skies

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 26% illumination.

GT = 25

 

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area SH0291G – 60 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures (2 short hops)

Area 772 – 13 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

 

 

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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