CLIENTS: This past Saturday evening, September 27, I fished with a crew of six for about 2 1/2 hours as part of a larger family reunion organized by Anthony Vaughters and his family celebrating Anthony’s father‘s birthday.
Joining me were Anthony, A.J., Dasani, & Kiara Vaughters, and Atiya & Rick Hopkins.
Although Anthony, the Aquatics & Athletics Manager for the City of Killeen’s Parks and Recreation Department, has a home in Killeen, the family went in on an Air BnB property with five bedrooms and five bathrooms located right on Lake Belton for this family gathering which involved bringing his dad in from Connecticut.
TODAY’S DATE: Saturday, 27 September 2025 (PM)
NEXT OPEN DATE FOR FISHING: Friday, 03 October 2025 (PM)
PHOTO CAPTION: From left: A.J. Vaughters, Atiya Hopkins, Kiara Vaughters, Rick Hopkins, Dasani & Anthony Vaughters with a sampling of the white bass they landed as part of a bigger family reunion celebration.
FIND CORK RIGS, SANDY SANDWICHES & OTHER WHITE BASS/HYBRID LURES HERE: https://whitebasstools.com/
WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton
SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:
Although we explored several options for this trip, one of which included a trail boat, when everything was said and done, I wound up putting a crew of six on my boat for a shortened evening trip during which time we downrigged exclusively and wound up landing a total of 28 fish, including 5 hybrid striped bass and 23 white bass. All of these fish fell for a #12 Pet Spoon fished behind a weightless three-armed umbrella rig.
I let sonar dictate the depth we fished these rigs at, keeping the rigs 3 feet or so above the level at which I saw fish holding.
We initially planned the trip for three hours, and I backed our start time up from sunset, planning to be on the water just before, during, and after sunset when I normally see a short window of intense feeding, however, family plans trumped all that and we wound up heading in by 7P, before that low-light bite got underway.
Our first hour was slow, but the span from 5:30 to 7:00P provided steady action for singles and doubles.
RESULTS: 28 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 0.03′ high with a 0.03 fall in the last 24 hours with USACE releasing 43 CFS.
LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE: Taken on Lake Belton around 6:35AM, Friday, 26 September …
WEATHER DATA:
Start Time: 4:30P
End Time: 7:00P
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 88F
Elevation: Belton is 0.03′ high with a 0.03 fall in the last 24 hours with USACE releasing 43 CFS.
Water Surface Temp: 81.3F on the surface.
Wind Speed & Direction: Calm through 5:30, then we were blessed with a steady breeze at NNE7-8
Sky Condition: Post-frontal clear, bright blue skies
Moon Phase: Waxing crescent moon at 29% illumination.
GT = 100
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH MOST SUCCESS:
Area 1804 thru B0197C, Area 085 thru 488, and Area vic B0132C
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