CLIENTS:  This morning, Thursday, Nov. 14, I met Dr. Dustin Marsh, a large animal vet specializing in dairy herd care, at Lake Somerville for an exploratory trip away from my “home” waters of Lake Belton and Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir.

Dustin lives in the Bryan, TX, area and so Lake Conroe and Lake Somerville are much more convenient for him to fish, but the learning curve has been steep.  He invited me to help take a fresh look and a fresh approach to fishing Lake Somerville where trolling and the use of Hell-Pet rigs seems to be commonplace.

DATE: Thursday, 14 November 2024 (AM)

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

PHOTO CAPTION:   Dustin Marsh with a pair of 14 1/8″ white bass — 2 of 77 taken from Somerville Lake on a combination of MAL Originals, White Tornados (white 1 1/8″ oz.), and 3/4 oz. white Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Somerville

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

As I prepared for this trip, I did a thorough map recon of the lake using Garmin advanced mapping.  I identified 29 potential fish-holding areas.  We met at 6:45A and were scanning for fish with side-imaging within 20 minutes.

At one of the areas I had identified, I saw a few cormorants in the water, as well as a handful of white pelicans.  I kept an eye on them and soon saw that a few gulls were entering the picture, as well.  We slipped into the midst of these birds and found fish in ~15-17′, tightly grouped together and glued tightly to the bottom.

What I observed next was something I’ve only witnessed at Lake Bardwell, but not to the extent I saw it today — that was how the white bass and hybrid striped bass would simply not rise more than ~2.5 feet up off the bottom to chase a vertical presentation.  These fish were aggressive, and moving very quickly horizontally, and they rocketed up off bottom, but, would only go so far.

We caught fish on the MAL Original, but had a lot of partial follows which did not result in a hookup.  So, I switched us over the white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs.  These have a small, willow-leaf spinner attached to the treble hook, so, they still offer some flash and vibration, but can be raised off bottom more slowly than an MAL, thus giving the willing fish a chance to catch up with it and still stay within that ~30″ window off bottom.

This lure also features a stinger hook opposite the treble hook.  Approximately 80% of the fish caught on the slab were hooked on the stinger hook.  I told Dustin I don’t care whose slab he uses, but he should make very sure he’s got one of my stinger hooks attached to it.  This hooking ratio for the stinger will only increase as the water temperature continues to drop.

We saw this repeat itself at 4 additional locations, 2 of which I had previously identified during my map recon, and the other two identified after we saw a pattern of behavior gained while fishing the other two areas.

We also observed (as is often the case with white bass found up shallow) that we would catch fish well right after achieving a Spot-Lock, but that the catching would end pretty soon thereafter.  This is where side-imaging came into play.  We kept SI running as we were Spot-Locked, and I checked it frequently to see if we had any schools of fish on the port or starboard side.  When they showed, we cast 1 1/8 oz. White Tornados (in white color) and worked them with a sawtooth method.

Over the course of 5.5 hours, we landed 77 fish which consisted of a 50/50 split of white bass and hybrid striped bass.  Of the hybrid, only 2 were legal, but of the white bass, only 2 were sub-legal with the best three going 14 1/8″.

Other than this, I was amazed at the lake’s fertility, with catfish and shad showing literally everywhere we searched.

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: 77 fish, all caught and released

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP:  We primarily used Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs (white, 3/4 oz.) vertically and white 1 3/8 oz. White Tornados today.  Find all MAL Lures, Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs and White Tornados here: https://whitebasstools.com/

OBSERVATIONS:

1) Despite being aggressive, whites and hybrid were reluctant to travel more than ~30″ off bottom.

2) Fish were in shallower water than I anticipated and in shallower water than I am accustomed to fishing; we did not catch a single fish in over 17′.

3) Wind enhanced our bite this morning as it blew N12-13 for the entire trip.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:  N/A

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7A

End Time: 12:30P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 48F

Elevation: 2.00′ low

Water Surface Temp: 71.6F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: N11-13 all morning

Sky Condition: Clear, blue, cloudless skies

Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 98% illumination.

GT = 255

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area SV011 – 54 fish smoking MAL Originals & Hazy Eye Slabs, and sawtoothing White Tornados

Area SV029  – 5 fish smoking MAL Originals and sawtoothing White Tornados

Area SV030 – 4 fish smoking MAL Originals and sawtoothing White Tornados

Area SV031- 14 fish smoking MAL Originals and sawtoothing White Tornados (2 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

CLIENTS:  This morning, Wednesday, Nov. 13, I welcomed aboard long-time railroadman Arlis “Bart” Luck for a morning of white bass fishing on Lake Belton.

Bart is now in his 60s and works as a conductor for the BNSF railroad, based out of Temple, TX.  As retirement nears, he has procured a boat and is in the process of feeling out how he might upgrade the various systems on it.  Part of that process was to come out with me and see for himself how some of the modern technologies he has read about actually perform in the field.

DATE: Wednesday, 13 November 2024 (AM)

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

PHOTO CAPTION:   Arlis “Bart” Luck of Temple took 56 white bass on a morning which was enhanced in the final portion of the trip by an incoming cold front.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

As will be the case from now until the stable weather of summer comes around again in June, we will be riding the “frontal rollercoaster” as cold fronts come and go and the fishing rises and falls with the winds and barometric pressure these fronts usher in.

This morning we missed out on the best fishing the frontal cycle can supply, as the mild, dry cold front which moved into Central Texas did so right around midday.  So, the fish were kind of apathetic before the front arrived and were on their normal downswing at midday as the “frontal bump” kicked in and re-energized them a bit.

Case in point:  Bart’s final total was 56 fish landed in 5.25 hours of effort.  21 of those 56 fish (37.5%) were landed in the last hour (representing 19% of the trip).  It was during this last hour that the winds, which had been under 10mph and S or SW all morning, changed quickly to WNW and ramped up to 14-15 mph.

The ideal scenario occurs when winds from the WNW or NW are on the rise throughout the morning hours, so the “frontal bump” synergizes with the normal bell-shaped feeding curve of a typical morning.  One can always hope!!

All but three of these 56 fish were taken on MAL Originals (with chartreuse tails) and from less than 32′.

During the slower portion of the trip, we found that by focusing on the few suspended fish presenting higher in the water column than the many lazy fish presenting on bottom, we could elicit more strikes for the time and effort invested.

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: 56 fish, all caught and released, including 4 largemouth bass, 2 hybrid stripers, 1 drum, and 49 white bass

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) By focusing on the few suspended fish presenting higher in the water column than the many lazier fish presenting on bottom, we could elicit more strikes for the time and effort invested.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Saturday, 10 Nov….

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:15A

End Time: 12:30P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 60F

Elevation: 2.39′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 71.9F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SW5-6 until ~11A, when frontal WNW winds pushed in suddenly at 13-15mph

Sky Condition: Light blue, cloudless skies

Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 86% illumination.

GT = 5

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area vic 1291 – 14 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area vic 1916  – 12 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area B0003G – 4 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area vic 409 – 5 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area B0314G – 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

CLIENTS:  This past Tuesday morning, Nov. 12, I welcomed aboard returning guest Frank Sumner, accompanied by first-time guest Mike Tracy for a morning of all catch-and-release white bass fishing on Lake Belton.

Frank is a retired U.S. Army veteran and a faithful member of, and volunteer at, New Beginnings Church, an Assembly of God church located in Harker Heights, Texas.

Due to the forecast for very low wind velocity following a cold front’s passage this past Friday/Saturday, I postponed my trip on Monday, and, about an hour into this trip, wondered if I should have done likewise.  Here’s how it went…

DATE: Tuesday, 12 November 2024 (AM)

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

PHOTO CAPTION:   From left: Frank Sumner and Pastor Mike Tracy with a few of the 93 fish they landed working shad-imitating baits vertically and horizontally on Lake Belton.

PHOTO CAPTION: This is what I am looking for before directing my clients to switch from vertical presentations over to a horizontal “sawtooth” method using White Tornados.  Literally hundreds of white bass were out to the portside of the boat within easy casting range.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

As the wind went, so went the fishing this morning.  We caught not a single fish in our first hour as the surface remained glassy and calm … I simply found no fish to fish for.  Entering into our second hour, the wind began to stir from the SE (it was forecast to be SE6-7 all morning).  We began to find fish in the 30′ range, and we began to catch them fishing MAL Originals vertically with a smoking tactic in conjunction with Garmin LiveScope.

As the winds built, the bite improved and we began to see more fish beneath us and out to our left and right as we remained in place.  Soon, the fish beneath us began to come up off bottom and feed throughout the water column, and large, roving schools could be seen on side-imaging.

As I saw these schools, and knew they were directly in-line with the transducer on my transom, I directed the fellows to cast White Tornados out into them and work them with a sawtooth method successfully.  These lures are designed to get to bottom VERY quickly (at 1 3/8 oz.) and have their blade spin reliably without too much effort on the angler’s part.

As the bite peaked in this area, about 4-5 gulls took notice of the occasional shad skipping out of the water as white bass chased them to the surface.

As the wind died down, the bite died down, but by this time Mike and Frank had landed 49 fish.

We moved on and found another, smaller, less aggressive school of fish on bottom, also in the 30′ range.  This yielded another 14 fish.

After this area settled, I noted the wind was picking up again, so, we revisited the first area which had produced so well.  It yielded another 30 fish, allowing these fellows to really make good on a day which started poorly.

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: 93 fish, all caught and released

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP:  We primarily used MAL Originals (w/ chartreuse tails) vertically, and White Tornados (white, 1 3/8 oz.) horizontally 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.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Saturday, 10 Nov….

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:15A

End Time: 11:40A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 54F

Elevation: 2.39′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 72.7F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: Calm at trip’s start & for 1 hour, then going quickly SE6-7 thereafter

Sky Condition: Light blue, cloudless skies

Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 86% illumination.

GT = 5

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area 1177/B0119C   – 49 fish smoking MAL Originals & sawtoothing White Tornados

Area vic B03119C/1506  – 14 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area 1177/B0119C (second visit)  – 30 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

CLIENTS:  This past Saturday afternoon, November 9th, I fished with a group of first time anglers – – Pam Elahi, her sister, Tammy Carter, and Tammy‘s adult kids, Alexandria Lopez and Isaiah Carter.

This afternoon’s fishing took place under less than ideal conditions following the passage of yet another cold front.  Read more about timing these fronts here:  Timing Fall Cold Fronts

DATE: Saturday, 08 November 2024 (PM)

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

PHOTO CAPTION:   From left: Tammy Carter, Alexanderia Lopez, Pam Elahi, and Isaiah Carter with a few of the fish they really had to work for under calm, bright post-frontal conditions.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pam Elahi landed our largest fish of the trip.  This largemouth bass inhaled her MAL Lure after mixing in with a group of white bass in about 28 feet of water.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

Although the weather for this trip was beautiful for being in the outdoors, it was not all that great where fishing was concerned. Although the morning’s conditions were great thanks to increasing north winds following the arrival of a cold front the night before, those winds peaked around 11:30 and then rapidly fell off.

We fished under calm to barely rippled conditions for all four hours this afternoon. We were able to locate fish in a number of areas, and got an initial response from most of those fish we located, but, none of the groups of fish we found stayed active very long, thus we managed a handful of fish at each location and then had to move on.

As the sun sank in the western sky in the last hour of daylight, the winds went absolutely calm and the bite flattened out with it.  

The fish we did catch were all landed on MAL Originals fished vertically using a smoking tactic in conjunction with Garmin LiveScope.   Although Pam grew up up north and fished during that time, she could not remember once fishing without bait on her hook, so, actually using the artificial lures I sell at her shop gave her greater insight in that style of fishing.

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: 42 fish, including 1 largemouth bass, and 41 white bass.

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.

2) Mornings are much more productive than evenings at this point in the fall.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Saturday, 10 Nov….

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 1:40P

End Time: 5:40P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 74F

Elevation: 2.31′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow; .02′ fall in last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 72.7F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW4 at trip’s start, falling to flat calm by sunset

Sky Condition: Clear, blue, cloudless skies

Moon Phase: First quarter moon at 56% illumination.

GT = 5

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area B0119G   – 14 fish in 3 short hops smoking MAL Originals

Area B0316G  – 11 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area 0154  – 13 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area 1659 – 4 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

CLIENTS: This morning, Saturday, November 9, I fished with a crew of four including Aaron Baggett, his dad, Kelly Baggett, Paul Funk, and Paul’s son-in-law, Jake Brown.

Aaron is a professor of psychology at University of Mary Hardin Baylor in Belton, Kelley is a retired public school superintendent who is currently serving as an interim superintendent out in West Texas, Paul is a retired army officer, and Jake supports the advertising company he works for with technology.

This morning’s fishing took place under ideal conditions following the passage of yet another cold front.  Read more about timing these fronts here:  Timing Fall Cold Fronts

DATE: Saturday, 08 November 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 November, 2-6 December (weekday AMs).  Next Saturday opening: 30 November (AM)

 PHOTO CAPTION:   From left: Paul Funk, Kelly and Aaron Baggett, and Jake Brown with a portion of their 122-fish haul taken just after the passage of a Pacific cold front hours before sunrise.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: 

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: 122 fish, including 1 largemouth bass, 1 hybrid striped bass, and 120 white bass.

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.

2) Mornings are much more productive than evenings at this point in the fall.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Saturday, 10 Nov….

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:15A

End Time: 11:35A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 56F

Elevation: 2.31′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow; .02′ fall in last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 72.7F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW8 at trip’s start, building to NW10 by mid-morning, then leveling off at NW6 the rest of the trip

Sky Condition: Clear, blue, cloudless skies

Moon Phase: First quarter moon at 56% illumination.

GT = 85

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area 1619 – low-light bite in 19′, 60 fish smoking MAL Originals and casting White Tornados (white, 1 1/8 oz.), 2 short hops

Area B0314G – 11 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area B0171G – 51 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

CLIENTS: This morning, Friday, November 8, I fished with first time guests — Vicky Le and Cody Lawrence, and their four kids: Brynn (age 7), Jude (age 5), Jack (almost 4), and Liv (10 months) — all from the Katy, TX, area.

This trip was in celebration of Jack’s birthday and took place on Lake Belton, very near the family’s get-away home near the Leon River on Lake Belton’s upper end.

DATE: Friday, 07 November 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 November, 2-6 December (weekday AMs).  Next Saturday opening: 30 November (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION:   From left:  Baby Liv (10 months), Vickie, Jack (~4), Cody, Jude (5), and Brynn (7) fished Lake Belton together in celebration of Jack’s birthday.  The three older kids landed 48 fish over a 3 hour span.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: 

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: 48 fish, including 1 largemouth bass, 10 sunfish, and 37 white bass.

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

OBSERVATIONS:

1) We are in a solid, classic autumn pattern now, which should hold up until the water temperature near bottom falls to around 60F

2) Mornings are much more productive than evenings at this point in the fall.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:30 AM on Friday, 01 Nov….

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:45A

End Time: 10:30A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 68F

Elevation: 2.25′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow; .02′ rise in last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 72.9F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SE6-8 all morning

Sky Condition: Grey skies with occasional light drizzle all morning

Moon Phase: Waxing crescent moon at 45% illumination.

GT = 0

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area vic 1658 – 6 fish downrigging with #13 Pet Spoons on 3-armed umbrella rigs

Area B0186C/B0005G – 7 fish downrigging with #13 Pet Spoons on 3-armed umbrella rigs

Area 1819 – 21 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area 815 – 10 sunfish on slipfloats and bait

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

CLIENTS: This morning, Thursday, November 7, I fished with first time guests, Mike Kasberg and Boyd Rowden. The two have been friends from high school and are now retired after careers as music educators and professional musicians.

DATE: Thursday, 07 November 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 November, 2-6 December (weekday AMs).  Next Saturday opening: 30 November (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION:   Fellow retired professional musicians Boyd Rowden (left) and Mike Kasberg have been friends since high school.  They took a little road trip in from Kerrville to check out the white bass action on Lake Belton.  That fish in Mike’s right hand went 15.25″.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: 

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: 70 fish, including 3 bass and 67 white bass.

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

OBSERVATIONS:

1) We are in a solid, classic autumn pattern now, which should hold up until the water temperature near bottom falls to around 60F

2) Mornings are much more productive than evenings at this point in the fall.

3) Post-frontal, near calm, heavily overcast conditions negatively impacted the bite this morning.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:30 AM on Friday, 01 Nov….

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:15A

End Time: 12P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 68F

Elevation: 2.25′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow; .02′ rise in last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 72.7F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NNE4-5 all morning

Sky Condition: Dark, heavily clouded grey skies through 10:50A

Moon Phase: Waxing crescent moon at 34% illumination.

GT =65

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area vic 1658 – 7 fish smoking MAL Originals & sawtoothing White Tornados

Area vic 1921 – 5 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area B0316G – 21 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area vic 138 – 3 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area 1819/1624 – 28 fish smoking MAL Originals & counting them down to suspended fish

Area vic 1827 – 6 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

CLIENTS: This morning, Wednesday, November 6th, I fished with first-time guests Mark and Patty Cullison.  The Cullisons are now both retired and are enjoying retirement being near their four kids, as well as grandkids and great-grandkids.

We were originally due to fish together in June, but both Stillhouse and Belton were shut down at that time due to flooding.  Although the fishing was tough today thanks to post-frontal conditions, we definitely enjoyed lower, more refreshing temperatures than any June trip would have granted us.

DATE: Wednesday, 06 November 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 Nov. November, 2-6 December (weekday AMs).  Next Saturday opening: 30 November (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION:  Mark and Patty Cullison caught 66 fish under tough, post-frontal conditions after postponing this trip from back in June due to flooding. They got the hang of working their MAL Lures effectively very early in the trip and maximized their potential despite dealing with reluctant fish all morning.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: 

One of the first things I shared with Mark and Patty was that the wind would make us or break us today.  After the passage of the season’s first strong cold front Monday night into Tuesday morning, this morning’s weather was classic post-frontal, complete with clear, bright skies, nearly calm winds, and cold temperatures (48F at the ramp as the sun was rising).

Finding fish was difficult; finding biting fish was even more difficult.  But, we persisted and in the end the two of them were able to land a total of 66 fish.

The first hour gave me some hope, as there was at least a NW ripple, and the light fog over the lake dimmed the light level just a bit.  Mark and Patty landed 7 fish at our first stop as they “picked off” mainly suspended white bass which were “driving by” to check out the commotion from the splasher.

As the fog cleared, the winds went calm, and we spent close to an hour searching for concentrations of fish to present to, finding little. Around 9:15, a still-light 2-3 mph ripple from the NW began and, in about 26-28′, I found a few fish.  As Mark and Patty presented MAL Originals to these fish, the breeze persisted, and the bite strengthened.  We stayed on those fish for 1.5 hours, taking their tally to 59 fish before the wind shifted and strengthened, just as these fish were about to give up.

I moved us to the most wind-exposed area I felt would hold fish at this time of the morning, and, in the final 25 minutes of the trip, the Cullisons landed another 7 fish to finish up with exactly 66 fish landed on the morning, every one of which came on a slowly smoked MAL Original with chartreuse tail.

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: 66 fish, including 6 hybrid striped bass and 60 white bass.

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

OBSERVATIONS:

1) We are in a solid, classic autumn pattern now, which should hold up until the water temperature near bottom falls to around 60F

2) Mornings are much more productive than evenings at this point in the fall.

3) Post-frontal clear, calm, cold conditions negatively impacted the bite this morning.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:30 AM on Friday, 01 Nov….

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:00A

End Time: 11:30P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 48F

Elevation: 2.26′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow; .03′ fall in last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 72.6F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW0-3 all morning until 10:45, then shifting N12

Sky Condition: Cloudless, bluebird skies

Moon Phase: Waxing crescent moon at 25% illumination.

GT = 5

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area vic 1740 – 7 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area B0315G – 52 fish smoking MAL Originals

Area 150 – 7 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

CLIENTS: This morning, Tuesday, November 5th, I fished with returning guests Ken Powell and Jay Florence.  Ken is a retired high school football coach now residing in Burnet, TX, and Jay runs his own lawn fertilization company in the Odessa area.

DATE: Tuesday, 05 November 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 29 & 30 Nov. November, 2-6 December (weekday AMs).  Next Saturday opening: 30 November (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION:  From left:  Jay Florence and Ken Powell took white bass up to 14 3/8″ using a “sawtooth” retrieve with 1 3/8 oz. White Tornados for fish feeding aggressively as winds increased following a cold front’s passage.

PHOTO CAPTION: Taking full advantage of side-imaging, I had my clients cast either to the port or starboard side as we watched aggressive schools of hundreds white bass chasing shad in ~22′ .  The 1 3/8 oz. White Tornado helped select for larger fish thanks to its profile closer to a gizzard shad than a threadfin shad.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: 

It looks like (and now feels like) autumn is finally here.  A strong cold front moved into Central Texas around 6P last night, and dropped about 1 to 1.5″ of rain area wide through around 10P.   Light showers and grey cloud cover persisted through our 7A start time, and the air temperature dropped to 61F.

The fishing got off to a later start today, but, once the fish began feeding, they fed hard for a full 3+ hours.

Deeper water did not produce well early on as the thick cloud cover kept it pretty dark in 30+ feet.  I moved shallower and we found our first fish of the morning in 24′.  We never moved off that location for 2.75 hours, taking a total of 109 fish there, all on the heaviest White Tornado (white color, 1 3/8 oz.).

Once that area played out as the clouds got a few holes and allowed some sun to come through, we found another group of fish in 31′, catching another 15 white bass there through 10:35.  All of these fish were taken on “smoked” MAL Originals (chartreuse tails) fished vertically.

We made one final move, this time finding fish (all small whites and small hybrid) scattered throughout the water column in 37′.  Once again, we smoked MAL Originals vertically with the aid of Garmin LiveScope to capitalize on this find, landing a final 26 fish before we wrapped up at 12:30p.

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: 151 fish, including 6 hybrid striped bass, 1 largemouth bass, and 91 white bass.

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP:  We used MAL Originals (w/ chartreuse tails) vertically & white, 1 3/8 oz. White Tornados today.  Find all MAL Lures and White Tornados here: https://whitebasstools.com/

TALLY: 101 fish, including 9 hybrid striped bass, 1 largemouth bass, and 91 white bass.

OBSERVATIONS:

1) We are in a solid, classic autumn pattern now, which should hold up until the water temperature near bottom falls to around 60F

2) Mornings are much more productive than evenings at this point in the fall.

3) As NW winds ramped up following a cold front’s passage, we saw light gull activity (the first of the fall), and some topwater action.  We also spotted a mature bald eagle and numerous osprey.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:30 AM on Friday, 01 Nov….

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:00A

End Time: 12:30P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 61F

Elevation: 2.20′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow; .00′ fall in last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 73.7F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW10-12 all morning

Sky Condition: 100% heavy grey cloud cover all morning, with short breaks in the clouds beginning around 10:30A

Moon Phase: Waxing crescent moon at 16% illumination.

GT = 55

Wx SNAPSHOT: 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area vic 1845 – 109 fish sawtoothing White Tornados

Area B0314G – 15 fish smoking MAL Originals
Area B0315G – 26 fish – 5 smoking MAL Originals; 10
 

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