This past Friday afternoon, June 17, I fished a Fort Hood SKIES program trip with three siblings: Greg, Aurea, and Chris Hughes. The Hughes are an Army family newly arrived here at Fort Hood after spending the past several years stationed in Germany.
Gregory Hughes III of Copperas Cove proudly displays his new Junior Angler Catch & Release category record-setting fish for Belton Lake. This fish measured 25 3/8″.
In addition to Greg’s new lake record, both Aurea (center) and Chris (right) landed the first fish of their lives on today’s trip, thus earning each a TPWD “First Fish Award”.
As I got acquainted with the kids, I discovered that only Greg had ever caught a fish before. So, Job #1 was to make sure that first Chris, the youngest, and then Aurea, the middle sister, caught the first fish of their lives. This afternoon breeze combined with recent severe flooding made panfishing for three kids simultaneously a bit of a challenge, so we went with a downrigger option and within the first 40 minutes on the lake, both younger kids had landed the first fish of their lives.
We downrigged for the first two hours, then used live shad to focus on larger, but fewer, hybrid striped bass, and by around 8:10, little Chris had about played out and we wrapped up our trip.
The highlight of today’s trip was Greg’s capture of a new Junior Angler category catch and release hybrid striped bass. This outsized hybrid weighed 8.25 pounds and measured 25 3/8 inches. This is the largest hybrid striper I’ve had come aboard my boat since May of 2011 when the current catch and release adult category hybrid striped bass was caught by Mrs. Lacey Sparkman.
Greg’s fish struck a 3 1/2 inch live shad fished within 3 feet of bottom in approximately 26 feet of water.
For our efforts today, the kids boated a total of 22 fish.
SKIES Unlimited stands for School of Knowledge, Inspiration, Exploration and Skills. SKIES Unlimited classes are open to children of active duty military personnel, retirees, Department of the Army civilians, and to Department of Defense contractors. To enroll in SKIES Unlimited activities, children must be registered with CYSS at Building 121 on 761st Tank Destroyer Avenue (right across from the Chili’s restaurant).
There is no charge for registration; parents must bring an ID that shows their affiliation with the military, the child’s shot records, and the report from a recent physical exam. While the SKIES Unlimited programs are not free, many military families are eligible for sizeable credits toward SKIES Unlimited activities. There is a $300 “Army Strong” credit available to each child when their parent is deployed.
TALLY = 22 Fish, all caught and released
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time: 4:30p
End Time: 8:00p
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 94F
Water Surface Temp: 85.1
Wind Speed & Direction: SSE7-9
Sky Conditions: 15% white cloud cover on a fair sky.
Water Level: Belton is over 22′ above full pool with an ongoing release of 5,500 to 5,700 cfs, causing a daily drop of .2 to.3 feet.
Other: GT= 0
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area 1577/1760/493 downrigging for short hybrids and whites
**Area 1763 steady hybrid bite on live shad
Bob Maindelle
Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service
254.368.7411 (call or text)
Website: www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com
E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle