CLIENTS: This morning, Monday, October 20, I conducted the seasons 11th SKIFF trip for Jackson Huffman. Jackson is the 16-year-old son (and oldest of 4 children) of U.S. Army Captain Steve Huffman and his wife.
Captain Huffman is currently a company commander over an explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) company at Fort Hood. Captain Huffman served two tours in Afghanistan, and was most recently separated from his family by a temporary duty (TDY) assignment to Colorado. CPT Huffman has been in the military for a total of 19 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, and VFW Post 4008 in Belton, TX. S.K.I.F.F. provides kids of military members 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, and 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 to make your reservation.
TODAY’S DATE: Monday, 20 October 2025 (AM)
NEXT OPEN DATE FOR FISHING: Tuesday, 28 October 2025 (AM or PM)
PHOTO CAPTION: Jackson Huffman with two of the seventy fish landed on Lake Belton as fishing conditions slowly but steadily improve with each passing cold front.
FIND THE LURES WE USED HERE: https://whitebasstools.com/
WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton
SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:
After Sunday’s very stiff, dry winds out of the north following the passage of a mild cold front which came through late Saturday, the winds shifted overnight to southerly and, by 11 AM, we’re blowing over 20 mph from the southeast.
This wind shift forced a change in my game plan as some of the areas I had been fishing successfully of late were no longer accessible due to high winds.
The surface temperature this morning was 77.1, which is the lowest surface temperature reading I’ve observed since the spring.
There was definitely more enthusiasm amongst the white bass population thanks to that additional cooldown.
We used the MAL Heavy with silver blade and chartreuse tail 100% of the time today. The vast majority of that time we fished vertically using the smoking tactic in conjunction with Garmin LiveScope. At one area, we used the sawtooth method and picked up about seven fish as I could see roaming schools out to the starboard side of the boat using side imaging.
In four hours’ time we had landed 70 fish including 67 white bass, one blue catfish, and two hybrid striped bass.
Tomorrow’s forecast calls for another cold front’s arrival with high winds from the north northwest accompanying it followed by a series of cool mornings which should continue to drive an improvement in the fishery.
RESULTS: 70 fish, all caught and released
TUTORIAL VIDEO ON HOW “SMOKE” AN MAL LURE VERTICALLY: Click here for tutorial
TUTORIAL VIDEO ON HOW TO FISH AN MAL LURE HORIZONTALLY USING THE SAWTOOTH METHOD: Click here for tutorial
OBSERVATIONS:
- Belton is 0.61′ low with a 0.06 fall in the last 24 hours with USACE releasing 43 CFS.
- Thanks to additional cooling over the weekend, the fish were as aggressive as I have seen then thus far this fall
- The water temperature (surface) was at 77.1F.
LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE: Taken on Lake Belton around 6:40AM, Saturday, 18 October…
Compare to 2 PM, Sunday, 12 October …
WEATHER DATA:
Start Time: 7:30A
End Time: 11:45A
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 64F
Elevation: Belton is 0.61′ low with a 0.01 fall in the last 24 hours with USACE releasing 43 CFS
Water Surface Temp: 77.1F on the surface.
Wind Speed & Direction: SE10 at trip’s start, increasing steadily to SE20 by trip’s end
Sky Condition: 85% light grey cloud cover on a hazy white sky
Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 1% illumination.
GT = N/A
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH MOST 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