Author: Bob Maindelle

Peak Season Participants — 145 Fish

by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS: On Wednesday morning, November 27, I welcomed back long time client, Mr. Steve Niemeier and his granddaughter, Zoey Haberer.

Joining the two was first-time guest, Adam Haberer, Steve’s son-in-law. Both Steve and Adam work at a Temple, Texas-based certified public accounting firm. Steve is a very plan-ahead kind of guy, and through the years has always looked ahead and tried to hand-pick fishing dates during peak times of year (Oct. to Dec., and mid-Mar. to late May) which coincided with his grandchildren’s days off from school.

As a result, he and they tend to do much better than average.

DATE: Wednesday, 27 November 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 6, 9-13 December (AM)

 

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Steve Niemeier, and Zoey & Adam Haberer with a few of the 145 fish they landed working MAL Dense Lures vertically up off bottom in deep, open water.

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  At this time of year, through mid-February, quality largemouth bass will become a regular part of the catch even though we are not specifically targeting them.

 

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:
This morning‘s conditions were ideal – – we had a southwesterly breeze which began before sunrise, along with thin, gray cloud cover,  and a warming trend, which would only last until yet another cold front entered into Texas airspace in the overnight hours following this trip.

As we began our trip, I spotted what I thought would be some helpful bird activity after seeing both loons and gulls working in a deep, windblown cove.  I headed to the commotion, but only found scattered and suspended white bass along with the shad these birds were eating.
Although Steve did just fine here, this was not the kind of fishing in which I would expect a nine year-old to do well, because this fishing required timing the rise of the lure to intersect with the horizontal travel path of the fish as they swam beneath the boat and could be observed doing so on the Garmin LiveScope.
We caught a few fish there and moved on in a search for a much larger congregation of more bottom-oriented, fish.
We were fortunate to find exactly that in the following two areas we would visit.
Once we found what we were after, the fishing was very straightforward. Just as with the five prior trips fished on Stillhouse on Saturday thru Tuesday, all that was required was to drop an MAL Dense Lure (silver body and chartreuse tail) to the bottom and crank it sufficiently fast to get the blade spinning. Once the blade was spinning after one good, hard, fast crank, I had everyone idle back on the speed to allow the lure to rise moderately quickly through the water column, while keeping the blades spinning.
Those fish hugging-bottom would chase it upward and grab it, and those fish which were suspended would take chase after it after the lure passed by their noses.
When all was said and done, this crew of three landed 145 fish, including a few largemouth bass, a few drum, and a lot of quality white bass with many in the 14 inch range and a handful exceeding 15 inches.
Zoey was a real trooper, staying engaged and maintaining her technique throughout the four hour trip and doing far better than she had on any of her previous trips out with her grandpa.

 

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: 145 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 was helpful in finding fish in the 2nd hour of this trip.

2) We stayed on fish for the entire morning thanks to decent winds and grey cloud cover.

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, 25 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: 7:20A

End Time: 11:20A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 40F

Elevation: 1.50′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 65.5F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: S10-12 with higher gusts on an incoming cold front

Sky Condition: Light grey skies with 100% cloud cover

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 11% illumination.

GT = 55

Wx SNAPSHOT:

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area vic SH0055G – 3 suspended fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area SH0297G – 132 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures (3 short hops)

Area SH0296G – 10 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

A “Thierry” About Why the Fishing Was So Good — 202 Fish

by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS:  On Tuesday afternoon, November 26, I fished with Mr. Larry Macie, his wife, Sabine, their daughter, Diana, and Diana’s 14-year-old son, Thierry.

Larry is a U.S. Army veteran now living in Nolanville, Texas. Sabine, originally from Germany, is retired from post-op nursing. Diana is a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force currently stationed in Los Angeles, California, and Thierry is working his way through school.
Larry and family were referred my way by Mark & Patty Cullison who fished with me earlier this month.

DATE: Tuesday, 26 November 2024 (PM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 6, 9-13 December (AM)

 

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  From left:  Thierry, Diana, Sabine, and Larry Macie with some of the 14-15+ inch long white bass they took from over 50 feet of water as the skies cleared and winds slowed following the passage of a cold front 24 hours before.

PHOTO CAPTION:  When a 5+ pound freshwater drum latches on to your MAL Lure and you’re fighting it with a rod, reel, and line intended for white bass, you’ve got a tussle on your hands.  The net comes out and we handle these carefully to be sure they make it into the boat for photos like these!

 

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

As was the case this morning, I was concerned about our winds going calm and bringing the excellent bite we have been experiencing to a temporary halt. I had lunch on the boat in the roughly 2 hour break between my a.m. and p.m. trips and did see the winds go flat during that time, but, as 1:15 PM rolled around, a gentle breeze from the ESE began and never stopped the entire time, although it never got very strong, either.
With the bright, low-wind conditions, my gut told me we needed to look for fish as deep as I could find them as that extra depth seems to serve as a buffer under less than ideal conditions.
Indeed, we fished most of this trip in 48 to 53 feet of water and did quite well.
Only one bait and one technique was required. We used the MAL Dense with a silver body and chartreuse tail to get deep quickly. Once these lures hit bottom, I had everyone crank them upward at a moderate cadence, while watching Garmin LiveScope to see if fish were pursuing from up off the bottom, and also to see if there were suspended fish they could work their lures past.
Using this tactic, Larry and his family managed a catch of 202 fish before we wrapped up a bit early and headed in before the sun set and the ride back in got too chilly.
This 202 fish catch consisted of a few largemouth bass, a few freshwater drum, with the lion’s share consisting of mature, quality white bass.

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: 202 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) No PM bird activity.

2) Fishing as deep as I could find fish took the edge off the low wind conditions we faced.

 

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, 25 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: 4:50P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 64F

Elevation: 1.50′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 67.7F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: ENE 3-6 all afternoon

Sky Condition: Cloudless, light blue skies

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 18% illumination.

GT = 55

 

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area SH0292G – 174 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area SH0294G – 24 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area SH0296G – 4 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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #austinsubaru

Hey, Brother, Let’s Go Fishing — 125 Fish

by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS:  On Tuesday morning, November 26, I conducted a Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun (SKIFF) fishing trip for brothers Nate and Evan Oakes of Killeen, Texas.

The boys’, father, Jesse Oakes, is a retired US Army noncommissioned officer and a disabled veteran. Mr. Oakes spent most of his time in the military as a SERE (Survival Escape Resistance Evasion) instructor.
The boys both came into the trip with substantially greater prior fishing experience than most kids do, thus allowing them to take full advantage of the excellent conditions we encountered this morning.
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.  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.  In mid-2019, SKIFF began providing trips to 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.

DATE: Tuesday, 26 November 2024 (AM)

 

NEXT OPEN DATES: 2, 3, 6, 9-13 December (AM)

 

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  From left: Evan and Nate Oakes with a few of the 125 fish they caught and released on Stillhouse using MAL Dense Lures worked vertically.

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  Without exception during the winter months, quality largemouth bass are caught as a bycatch as we work shad-imitating lures vertically near bottom.  Freshwater drum are also routinely landed.

 

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

Heading to bed the night before, I was a bit concerned that the north winds, which came in on a dry cold front in the afternoon the day before, might go flat, but, that did not happen. Thankfully, we enjoyed light winds out of the NNW all morning with a slight bit of cloud cover and a sunrise temperature around 40° with just a bit of wind chill.
As was the case the day before, the only thing we needed to do after finding fish was to drop MAL Dense Lures to the bottom and crank them upwards at a moderate cadence. As long as the blade was spinning, the lure was attractive to very aggressively feeding and heavily congregated white bass. We began looking for fish in water as shallow as 22 feet as the sun was rising, then moved out steadily deeper as sky conditions brightened.
We fished a number of areas. At some areas, the fish would clearly consolidate beneath the boat, thanks to the splasher and would suspend anywhere from 2 to 8 feet off the bottom. In other areas, the fish were more prone to stay on the bottom and crept in until they were centered beneath the boat.
In four hours’ time, the brothers landed exactly 125 fish, including a handful of largemouth bass and drum, with a vast majority of the fish being legal-sized white bass up to 15 inches.

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: 125 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 was helpful in finding fish in the 2nd hour of this trip.

2) A moderately strong, dry cold front began to push in around noon the day before and N winds persisted today.

2) We stayed on fish for the entire morning thanks to decent winds.

 

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, 25 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: 7:20A

End Time: 11:20A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 40F

Elevation: 1.50′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 67.5F on the surface.

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

Sky Condition: Cloudless, light blue skies

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 18% illumination.

GT = N/A

 

 

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area 034 – 4 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area vic 772 – 42 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures ( 2 hops)

Area vic 2015 – 57 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures (2 hops)

Area vic SH0299G – 22 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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #austinsubaru

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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #austinsubaru

Scouting Paid Off — 331 Fish

by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS:  This morning, Monday, November 25, I fished with a crew of six, all, but one of which had been with me numerous times before. I welcomed aboard the Slimp boys – Calvin (age 6), Townes (age 8), and Hudson (age 15), their dad, Guy, the boys’ cousin, Cam Miller (age 12), who traveled in from the New Orleans area for the holidays, and friend of the family Mr. Jerry Smith. Everything was set up by Don and Connie Bousquet of Belton.

DATE: Monday, 25 November 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 November, 2, 3, 4, 6 December (weekday AMs).  Next Saturday opening: 14 December (AM)

 

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  From left: Guy, Hudson, & Calvin Slimp, Cam Miller, Jerry Smith, and Townes Slimp

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

The scouting efforts I put in on Saturday paid off handsomely today. During that scouting effort, I identified 17 areas each of which very quickly provided at least a five fish catch. This morning, I fished  four of those areas and one area I had not scouted. In four hours’ time, the four boys landed exactly 331 fish with Guy and Jerry only joining on the fun now and then.
100% of our fish were caught using the MAL Dense Lures with chartreuse tail used with a smoking tactic.
The boys simply let their lures down to the bottom, spotted fish suspended up off the bottom on Garmin LiveScope, and endeavored to reel their lures up so as to intersect with the forward path those fish were swimming in. Thanks to an incoming cold front, the fish were in overdrive, and typically turned on the afterburners to chase after the kids’ lures .
I chose the MAL Dense because it is the heaviest of all MAL lures, featuring a lead body versus the brass body that all other MALs have. Because I anticipated fishing in as much as 50 feet of water, and because I wanted to be sure the boys could feel the bottom, I opted for this version of the MAL.
There were no helpful birds, and an abundance of bait at any given location just about guaranteed success. This is a very sonar intensive proposition on Stillhouse right now.

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: 331 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) No helpful bird activity this morning.

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

2) We stayed on fish for a full 4 hours thanks to excellent pre-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: 7:20A

End Time: 11:20A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 64F

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

Water Surface Temp: 67.9F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: Calm at sunrise, with a light SW breeze gradually shifting due W as a cold front pushed in just after the trip concluded.

Sky Condition: Cloudless, blue skies

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 26% illumination.

GT = 205

 

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area 034 –  7 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area vic SH0110C –  121 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area 789 – 92 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area SH0286G – 8 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area SH0133C – 103 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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #austinsubaru

Scouting – An Investment in the Month to Come – 88 Fish

by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS:  This morning, Saturday, 23 November, I welcomed Mr. Kelvin Gladden back aboard.  Kelvin has been with me quite a few times, sometimes with friends, and sometimes with family, but, until this morning, never by himself.

As we parted ways during our last trip, Kelvin told me he would like to join me the next time I did a scouting trip.  This morning, as I put some feelers out on Stillhouse Hollow, I conducted the trip as a scouting trip, and invited Kelvin along.

DATE: Saturday, 23 November 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 November, 2, 3, 4, 6 December (weekday AMs).  Next Saturday opening: 14 December (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION:  Kelvin Gladden joined me this morning on a scouting trip to Stillhouse.  I hadn’t fished this lake in a while and wanted to get a feel for the fishing before making any further plans on this body of water.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

Over the course of a year, I will spend about thirty percent of my time on Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir, and the balance of my time on Lake Belton.  Whenever I change over from one to the other, I will insert an intentional scouting effort before doing so.

The first thing I do when dedicating time to scouting is to get on the lake and fish over the same timespan which I will be fishing with my clients aboard.  Fish, like all animals, go through daily cycles of feeding and resting.  I want to take note of periods of low, moderate, and high activity levels during my scouting efforts.

So, since I encourage my clients to book morning trips and, lately, have been fishing with them from roughly 7:30AM to 11:30AM, that is the time during which I will also conduct my scouting efforts.

When I go scouting, I do not go back and fish areas I already have high confidence in, rather, I fish more marginal areas, areas I have not fished in a while, and areas which may be at the beginning or end of the seasonal timeframe during which they normally produce fish.

When scouting, I have already made up my mind that I will catch no more than five fish at a given area before moving on to seek out additional productive areas.  Now, that said, the species I am pursuing are typically white bass and hybrid striped bass.  If you are focused on a species of fish, like largemouth bass, which are not as abundant as white bass, you may cut that maximum catch number back to just one or two.

One of the reasons for limiting myself to catching no more than five fish at a given area is so while fish are in a feeding mode, I can cover as many potential areas as possible by not staying too long at an area at which I have already verified the presence of fish.

Once I successfully locate fish, I will take note of the wind direction, the depth, and the topography in play when those fish were found.  Most times, such information can be helpful in “patterning” other areas with similar orientation, depth, and topography.  This helps me prioritize which other areas I should search first with the limited time I have to accomplish my scouting efforts within the normal four-plus hours over which I would normally be conducting a guided trip with clients aboard.

This morning, Kelvin and I identified exactly 17 areas which gave up at least 5 fish.  As I noted the locations of these fish concentrations, I also noted how much effort was required to catch them, and the size of the fish.

100% of our 88 fish were taken with MAL Originals or MAL Dense Lures with chartreuse tails worked vertically with a smoking tactic aided by Garmin LiveScope and the fish-attracting noise of a splasher.

I noted that areas heavy with bait held greater numbers of white bass, and those white bass tended to be more aggressive (likely because they were competing with schoolmates).

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: 88 fish, all caught and released

 

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP:  We primarily used MAL Originals in under 30′ & MAL Dense Lures (w/ chartreuse tails) in over 30′ vertically today.  Find all MAL Lures and White Tornados here: https://whitebasstools.com/

 

OBSERVATIONS:

1) No helpful bird activity today.

2) Southerly winds returned today after two days of slack winds.

2) We found our first fish at 7:43A, and left fish biting at 11:40A

 

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Friday, 15 Nov….

0 feet 70.2F
5 feet 71.7F
10 feet 72.2F
15 feet 72.3F
20 feet 72.3F
25 feet 72.3F
30 feet 72.3F
35 feet 72.3F
40 feet 72.3F
45 feet 72.3F
50 feet 72.3F
55 feet 72.3F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:20A

End Time: 11:40A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 38F

Elevation: 1.41′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 68.9F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: Calm at sunrise, with a light SE breeze quickly shifting and increasing to SSW14 by trip’s end.

Sky Condition: Cloudless, blue skies

Moon Phase: Last quarter moon at 44% illumination.

GT = 15

 

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area 034 –  7 fish smoking MAL Original Lures & sawtoothing White Tornados (quality fish)

Area vic SH0110C –  5 fish fish smoking MAL Original Lures

Area 759  –  5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures

Area 789/790 – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures (all small)

Area SH0042C – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures (small keepers)

Area 778/805 – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures (small keepers)

Area 785/679 – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures (small keepers)

Area SH0286G to as far east as Area SH0070G in 39 to 41′- 6 fish smoking MAL Original Lures (quality fish)

Area SH0287G – 6 fish smoking MAL Original Lures in 50′

Area vic 259 – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures (quickly lost interest)

Area vic 927 – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures

Area SH0289G – 7  fish smoking MAL Dense Lures & sawtoothing White Tornados (quality fish)

Area SH0290G – 5 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area SH0049C – 6 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area vic 988 – 5 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area vic 0279 –  6 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures (all suspended in small groups; no heavy concentrations)

 

 

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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #austinsubaru

That Fish’ll Buy You Lunch — 37 Fish

by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS:  This morning, Wednesday, 20 November, I fished with returning guests Brandon and Wendy Hunt – a very outdoorsy couple heading toward their 25th year of marriage.

The Hunt’s first trip with me was back in June of 2023, so, this fall trip was very different so far as tactics were concerned.

DATE: Wednesday, 20 November 2024 (AM)

 

NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 November, 2, 3, 4, 6 December (weekday AMs).  Next Saturday opening: 14 December (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION:  This was the “lunch fish” — the largest of the trip — landed at our last stop of the day by Wendy.  That fish was worth a smoked chicken, cornbread, drinks, and more at Miller’s Smokehouse in Belton.

 

PHOTO CAPTION: Brandon took this Lake Belton hybrid on a 1 1/8 oz. White Tornado (white color) fished with a “sawtooth” retrieve.

 

 

PHOTO CAPTION:    Brandon and Wendy’s first two fish of the morning came simultaneously as side-imaging revealed a nice school of hybrid stripers out to our starboard side.  Their well-placed casts with White Tornados were instantly rewarded.

 

PHOTO CAPTION: Of course no trip would be complete without a few good ol’ white bass.  These were taken on a combination of MAL Dense Lures fished vertically and White Tornados fished horizontally.

 

PHOTO CAPTION: Wendy landed a bonus smallmouth — her first ever!

 

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

The fish were really hard to pin down today.  Although we enjoyed the arrival of a nice batch of birds with this most recent cold front, the birds were here and then there and then resting and then gone and then over there and then over here again.  As the fish fed sporadically, the bird action just mimicked that fish activity.

It was like a baby fighting sleep — the fish wanted to feed, but the impact of the dropping water temperature kept fighting them from going full bore.

So, we enjoyed better quality fish, but a lower quantity of fish caught versus recent trips with warmer water temperatures.

Side-imaging was indispensable today in helping to find small “wolfpacks” of fish here, there, and everywhere, allowing us to get to them and sit on them for at least a few minutes before we had to move on and find the next school.

When we found fish, we typically fished vertically with MAL Dense Lures (w/ chartreuse tails) for as long as the fish right beneath us stayed interested.  Then, once they dispersed or lost interest, Brandon and Wendy would sling White Tornados out to the port or starboard side of the boat if side-imaging revealed activity there.  If not, we’d idle along until we found more fish to target.

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: 37 fish, all caught and released

 

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP:  We primarily used MAL Originals (w/ chartreuse tails) vertically and  1 1/8 oz. White Tornados horizontally today.  Find all MAL Lures and White Tornados here: https://whitebasstools.com/

 

OBSERVATIONS:

1) I observed our first extended bout of bird activity today — it was widespread and sproadic, but began at sunrise and was still “trickling” at 1pm.

2) First loons of the fall were observed with this incoming cold front.

 

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Friday, 15 Nov….

0 feet 70.2F
5 feet 71.7F
10 feet 72.2F
15 feet 72.3F
20 feet 72.3F
25 feet 72.3F
30 feet 72.3F
35 feet 72.3F
40 feet 72.3F
45 feet 72.3F
50 feet 72.3F
55 feet 72.3F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:20A

End Time: 12:45P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 48F

Elevation: 2.54′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 68.9F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NNW 12-15 all morning.

Sky Condition: Cloudless, blue skies

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 73% illumination.

GT = 70

 

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area vic 302 thru 1933 – 14 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures & sawtoothing White Tornados

Area vic 1671 – 10 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area vic 1804 to B0159C – 13 fish sawtoothing White Tornados

 

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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #austinsubaru

“There’s a Fine Line Between …” — 51 Fish

by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS:  This morning, Tuesday, 19 November, I fished with first-time guests Vince Abram and Nate Murphree.  Vince moved back to the Central Texas area a bit more than a year ago and wanted to sample our local waters as he gears up to add fishing to his retirement to-do list, alongside gardening, cooking, golf, and grandparenting.  Nate is a Central Texas native who went to school in Copperas Cove.  He now works at Bates Nissan in Killeen and is dating Vince’s daughter.

Vince has previously fished a lot on the Texas coast.  He told of a saying one of his fishing buddies had which went something like, “There’s a fine line between being a fisherman and just standing in a boat looking stupid.”.  I had to chuckle at that one!

DATE: Tuesday, 19 November 2024 (AM)

 

NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 November, 2, 3, 4, 6 December (weekday AMs).  Next Saturday opening: 14 December (AM)

 

PHOTO CAPTION:    From left:  Nate Murphree and Vince Abram teamed up to land 51 fish on a morning with about an hour and a half’s worth of wind over a 5-hour span.  The fish they caught came mainly on MAL Originals worked vertically with Garmin LiveScope assisting.

 

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

We faced tough ‘between the fronts’ conditions today, as one cold front moved through yesterday and another comes in tomorrow.  I was hopeful that the westerly winds would be sufficient to keep the fish perky today, but, it was only from about 10:00 to 11:30A that the winds blew well.

Not surprisingly, most of the fish we landed (37 of 51) came during this time.

Even in areas heavily saturated with shad, active gamefish were hard to come by.

When we finally found fish, they were on the top of a breakline in about 32′.  At first even the fish on bottom responded well, but, soon after presenting baits and catching a few, those bottom-dwellers turned off.  We then focused on passing, suspended fish by singling them out and presenting baits so as to intersect with these fishes’ direction of travel as seen on Garmin LiveScope.

All but a handful of the fish taken were taken on MAL Originals with chartreuse tails.  The balance (~4 fish) were taken at one location when I saw a school of white bass on the starboard side-imaging.  These were taken on 1 1/8 oz. White Tornados in white color.

After two consecutive trips with some aid by birds, there was no helpful bird activity this morning.

We ended the morning with exactly 51 fish, including 2 largemouth bass, 6  hybrid stripers, and 43 white bass.

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: 51 fish, all caught and released

 

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) When fishing slowed, chances of a hookup greatly increased when targeted fish were in groups with multiple other fish, thus creating a “competition bite” or a “greed bite”.

 

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Friday, 15 Nov….

0 feet 70.2F
5 feet 71.7F
10 feet 72.2F
15 feet 72.3F
20 feet 72.3F
25 feet 72.3F
30 feet 72.3F
35 feet 72.3F
40 feet 72.3F
45 feet 72.3F
50 feet 72.3F
55 feet 72.3F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:20A

End Time: 12:30A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 53F

Elevation: 2.52′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 70.1F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: W6-7 then going slack until 10:30, then picking up W10-11 for about 75 minutes before going slack once again

Sky Condition: Cloudless, blue skies

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 82% illumination.

GT = 55

 

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area vic 1827 – 14 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area B0299G – 37 fish smoking MAL Originals (4 short hops)

 

 

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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #austinsubaru

Wife: I Want LiveScope for Christmas!! — 71 Fish

by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS:  This morning, Saturday, Nov. 16th, I fished with first-time guests Jimmie, Janet, and Kristina McCormack.  I met Jimmie and Janet back earlier this fall when all of us came out to support the Catch A Special Thrill (CAST) event coordinated by Randi Bingham.

Kristina works at a veterinary practice in Salado, so, once her days off aligned with my own openings, Jimmie booked a trip for all three of them.

 

DATE: Saturday, 16 November 2024 (AM)

 

NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 November, 2, 3, 4, 6 December (weekday AMs).  Next Saturday opening: 23 November (AM)

 

PHOTO CAPTION:    From left:  Kristina, Janet, and Jimmie McCormack with Lake Belton white bass caught working MAL Original lures vertically using a “smoking” tactic.

 

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

I was reassured as I kept an eye on the forecast for this morning’s trip in the days leading up to it by the wind speed, wind direction, and likelihood of cloud cover, all adding up to the kind of morning where you just know you will find and catch fish.

As I launched this morning, the SSE wind was already creating minor wave action and a bank of broken, grey clouds was moving in from the SSE.

After covering safety, equipment, and techniques, we prayed and then began the search for fish.

This morning bite was “front-loaded” with the majority of our catching taking place in the first two hours.  When the fish feed this strong for this long, they often tone down significantly and then stay somewhat apathetic for the remainder of the morning, and that is just what we saw today.

A few gulls have begun to camp out on Lake Belton, and a few of them plucked shad driven to the surface by hungry white bass below.  This helped shortcut the more time-consuming process of finding fish with sonar, but, the birds only stayed active for a short while, and only fed where fish were near the surface, NOT necessarily where larger schools of catchable fish were located.

My crew of three used MAL Originals to catch all but one of their 71 fish, with Jimmie picking up one white bass on a White Tornado at the very last location we fished as I saw a strong school of white show up on starboard side side-imaging.

Everyone fished their MALs using a smoking tactic, in conjunction with Garmin LiveScope.  Now, Jimmie has his own boat and has Garmin LiveScope on it, but, Janet normally fishes in the back of the boat without the benefit of Jimmie’s bow-mounted forward-facing sonar.

After having her “own personal” LiveScope unit all morning, she insisted that she needed one for Christmas!

In the last half of our trip, we continued to find fish rather readily, but, they were in small schools and were just not all that enthusiastic.  Unless multiple fish showed up simultaneously to create a bit of competition, most of the fish did not aggressively chase after the McCormacks’ baits.

We ended the morning with exactly 71 fish, including 5 largemouth bass, 1 blue catfish, and 65 white bass.

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: 71 fish, all caught and released

 

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) When fishing slowed, chances of a hookup greatly increased when targeted fish were in groups with multiple other fish, thus creating a “competition bite” or a “greed bite”.

 

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Friday, 15 Nov….

0 feet 70.2F
5 feet 71.7F
10 feet 72.2F
15 feet 72.3F
20 feet 72.3F
25 feet 72.3F
30 feet 72.3F
35 feet 72.3F
40 feet 72.3F
45 feet 72.3F
50 feet 72.3F
55 feet 72.3F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:15A

End Time: 11:30A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 55F

Elevation: 2.49′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 70.2F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SSE6 at trip’s start, increasing to SSE15 by trip’s end

Sky Condition: 70% grey cloud cover on a white, hazy sky

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 99% illumination.

GT = 55

 

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area B0194C thru B0026G – 42 fish smoking MAL Originals; minor bird activity

Area 1544 – 10 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area vic 1074 – 4 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area B0251G – 6 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area B0319G – 27 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area vic B0252G/966 –  9 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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #austinsubaru

As Go the Winds, So Goes the Fishing — 100 Fish

by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS:  This morning, Friday, Nov. 15th, I fished with returning guests Rob Ramey and Ricky Guenat, joined by first-time guests Robert Garza and Derek Brown — all business associates in land development and landscape/irrigation firms.

 

DATE: Friday, 15 November 2024 (AM)

 

NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 November, 2, 3, 4, 6 December (weekday AMs).  Next Saturday opening: 23 November (AM)

 

PHOTO CAPTION:    From left: Ricky Guenat, Rob Ramey, David Garza, and Derek Brown with 8 of the 100 fish they landed under tough conditions on Lake Belton this morning.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

As everyone boarded the boat and we got down to the business of fishing this morning, I told everyone the fishing would rise and fall with the wind, and that is exactly how it played out.

In our first hour, we enjoyed the remnant of a NW wind which came in with a dry cold front at midday this past Wednesday.  Despite having little experience with the tactics we’d be using all morning at this point, the 4-man crew landed 23 fish as the wind blew at a time which corresponded with the normal low-light feed white bass go on most days.

As the winds went calm, the fishing died and the handful of birds working in the same general area lighted on the water and rested.  This would usher in a period of about 70 minutes of calm conditions we just had to work through until the winds shifted and returned from the SE.

During the calm, we landed only 6 additional fish which came one at a time.  Finding fish to fish for was difficult, and, when we did find they, they were apathetic.

Finally, around 9:45, the surface of the lake began to ripple and, within 20 minutes, a steady, perceptible SE wind at 3-5 mph was blowing.  Things began to change for the better.

With just 29 fish landed up to this point, I began to see small schools of fish coalescing and patrolling, primarily by using well-tuned side-imaging.

We hit three additional areas before wrapping up at 12:40PM.  Each area produced steadily with fish showing both on bottom and suspended up as far as 1/3 of the way toward the surface as seen on Garmin LiveScope.  Everyone fished MAL Original Lures with chartreuse tails vertically, using a smoking tactic.

At 12:40, David brought in our 100th fish of the morning.  Everyone walked away with firsthand experience on exactly how important wind is to fishing success when pursuing white bass.

Our 100 fish catch consisted of two largemouth bass, three short hybrid striped bass, 1 blue catfish, 1 freshwater drum, and 93 white bass.

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: 100 fish, all caught and released

 

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) Intentionally timing the rise of the MAL Lure to intersect a fish’s direction of travel very positively impacted results, especially where suspended fish were concerned.

 

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Friday, 15 Nov….

0 feet 70.2F
5 feet 71.7F
10 feet 72.2F
15 feet 72.3F
20 feet 72.3F
25 feet 72.3F
30 feet 72.3F
35 feet 72.3F
40 feet 72.3F
45 feet 72.3F
50 feet 72.3F
55 feet 72.3F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:15A

End Time: 12:40P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 39F

Elevation: 2.47′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 70.2F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW8-9 thru 8:35A, then calm thru 9:45A, then SE5-6 thereafter

Sky Condition: Light blue, cloudless skies

Moon Phase: Full moon at 100% illumination.

GT = 155

 

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area B0025G – 23 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area vic 1740 – 3 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area 1658  – 3 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area B0185G/B0119C – 23 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area B0319G – 27 fish smoking MAL Originals (2 short hops)

Area vic B0312G – 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

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow #BeltonFishingGuide #LakeBeltonFishingGuide #BeltonLakeFishingGuide #stripers #stripedbassfishing #rockfish #sandbass #freshwaterfishing #fishing #bass #bassfishing #whitebass #panfish #crappie #fishingonaboat #fishingtackle #fishinglife #fishingsport #fishingaddict #fishingpicoftheday #fishingtime #fishinggear #fishingday #Fitec #austinsubaru