2019 Fishing Reports | Fishing Report

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

OLD HIGH SCHOOL BUDDIES HIT BELTON – 75 FISH

March 10th, 2019March 10th, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This past Friday evening, March 8^th, I fished with high school buddies Steve Murphy and Ted Tilley. The men, now both retired, went to high school up in Wisconsin. Steve retired from the U.S. Army where he worked for over 20 years in food service, and then worked another 18 years for the Killeen Independent School District where he focused on nutrition. Ted, now residing in Colorado, retired from the paving/asphalt industry.

A big thanks to George Van Riper for referring these fellows my way.

ABOVE: From left: Steve Murphy and Ted Tilley managed to catch fish when they weren’t razzing one another about past peccadilloes.

ABOVE: Steve landed a “two-fer” out of a school of smaller white bass that fired up and bit as soon as we got our slabs down to bottom.

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip focused on white bass.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Friday, 08 Mar., 2019

HOW WE FISHED: After launching right at 2:00p, we found our first fish around 2:30pm and these were scattered, suspended fish over ~42 feet of water. We used the Garmin LiveScope to track our lures and fish movement simultaneously and successfully connected with white bass, hybrid striped bass, drum, largemouth and crappie holding about 12-15 feet off bottom and slowly meandering about in search of the shad also in this area.

The next three areas we fished found us probing progressively shallower water, finding fish on bottom in 34’, 27’, and as shallow as 17’. The last area at which we found fish on bottom saw us fishing in 32’. Each stop produced fish, but no area was really “on fire”, thanks to the still-low water temperature. Around 5:50p, we made a final move. Once again, in about 42’, we found abundant suspended fish in a horizontal band from 25-30 feet deep. Using the LiveScope, we zeroed in on these fish using a slow-smoking tactic with the 3/8 oz. Hazy Eye Slab/Stinger combination. We landed 20-25 of our total catch of 75 fish in this last 35 minute run.

OBSERVATIONS: We seem to be right on the cusp of the normally very productive spring fishing. There are currently no days on the extended forecast during which day or night temperatures are due to fall below the temperature of the water, thus, a net warming will take place over this time.

TALLY: 75 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 2:00p

End Time: 6:30p

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 78F

Elevation: 0.3 feet high, with a 0.05 foot drop over the last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 52.8-53.1

Wind Speed & Direction: Winds were SSW12 the entire trip

Sky Conditions: Light grey skies with 90% coverage and little direct sun showing through for the entirety of the trip.

GT = 30

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area B0136C

**Area B0137C

**Area vic 1736

**Area vic 097

**Area B0138C

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)

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

Wounded Warrior Project Comes to Stillhouse — 76 Fish

March 9th, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This past Friday morning, March 8^th, I fished with a crew of 6 members of the Wounded Warrior Project. This was the second such trip I’ve had the pleasure of conducting this year.

Joining me this morning for a half-day of chasing white bass were Hector Cuellar, Eric Haines, Brian Hammonds, Matt Hinds, and Frankie Silverio, all current or former members of the U.S. Army, and Kristin Taddeo, a Gold Star family member on WWP’s staff.

ABOVE: The six participants from this past Friday’s WWP fishing trip: (back row, from left) Brian Hammonds, Eric Haines, Matt Hinds, (front row, from left) Frankie Silverio, Kristin Taddeo, and Hector Cuellar.

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip focused on white bass.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow

WHEN WE FISHED: Friday, 08 Mar., 2019

HOW WE FISHED: Snap-jigging was the go-to method this morning as the water temperature, which recently dropped due to a 3-day cold snap, was still in the low 50’s. Hence, the fish were very sluggish and not willing to move very far nor very fast to get to a bait. We got into fish right away under birds, but, as has been the case lately, the birds seem focused on the relatively few fish which have moved up shallow and are feeding in 25 feet of water or less. Following and focusing fishing efforts on these birds has led to scant results. Additionally, the fish I have witnessed these birds grabbing off the surface have been sunfish, not shad. So, after seeing this play out, we looked for and found fish in deeper water (40-50’). These fish, although not any more active, were definitely more heavily schooled up, thus allowing for long stretches of catching without having to move and reignite a bite. Our third hour on the water was our most productive as the wind rose and the sun brightened the still-grey skies to “squint-level brightness”. During this time we encountered a single instance of fish willing to chase slowly smoked baits up off bottom after finding them postured from bottom up to 5-6 feet up off bottom.

Both methods involved the use of white, 3/8 oz. Hazy Eye Slabs with Hazy Eye Stinger Hooks.

TALLY: 76 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:00a

End Time: 11:30a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 68F

Elevation: 0.3 feet high, with a 0.05 foot drop over the last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 52.8-53.1

Wind Speed & Direction: Winds were SSW10-12 the entire trip

Sky Conditions: Light grey skies with 100% coverage and no direct sun showing through for the entirety of the trip.

GT = 0

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area vic SH0072C

**Area vic 1711/557

**Area vic 1895 (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)

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

SWEET ON BOTH ENDS, BUT SOFT IN THE MIDDLE – 51 FISH

March 6th, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Wednesday, March 6th, I fished with Dr. Linda Hankins and her friend, Tommy Hennessee. Linda operates the Belton Animal Clinic focusing mainly on pets and small animals, and Tommy, a U.S. Army retiree from the Quartermaster Corps, is a self-described “helper-outer” at the clinic.

Linda received a gift certificate for this trip from the Harrison family back during Christmas of 2017 and decided it was high time to cash it in.

ABOVE: Tommy Hennessee landed his personal best largemouth on this morning’s 24F start on Stillhouse Hollow. This fished pulled my certified scale down to 4 7/8 pounds. This fish was landed on a white, 3/8 oz. Hazy Eye Slab with Hazy Eye Stinger Hook attached from out of 27 feet of water.

ABOVE: White bass were the staple of our catch this morning, firing up right at sunrise, calming with the lessening of the wind, then firing right back up again once a sustained wind and some cloud cover moved in. We caught fish from between 22 and 42 feet, and all were within ~6 feet of the the bottom.

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip focused on white bass.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow

WHEN WE FISHED: Wednesday, 06 Mar., 2019

HOW WE FISHED: After losing two days on the water to cold and wind, today we saw a warmup take place, but not before enduring a few final hours of sub-freezing temperatures in advance of a wind shift from ENE to SSE. As I made pre-trip preparations at the boat ramp this morning before sunrise, the mercury fell to 24F. The past few days pushed the surface temperature down about 3.5 degrees to between 50.1 and 51.7F, depending on location.

As the title for this post implies, we enjoyed good fishing on the ends (start and finish) of the trip, but had a tough go of it from about 9am to 10:20am during which time our conditions were the brightest and calmest they would be all day. This temporary calm occurred as the winds shifted from ENE to SSE, and was not exactly forecast to take place, so, we had to take some lemons and make lemonade for a while.

Finally, some high, thin cloud cover built in and the winds did ramp up fairly quickly to SSE12 over a 30 minute span. As this played out, fish got noticeably more active, pulling up off the bottom to feed. We took our fish count from 22 landed fish at 10:20 to 51 landed fish by 11:30. This catch included mainly 2-year class white bass, accompanied by a handful of drum and 2 largemouth bass, one of which was a personal best for Tommy.

I really wanted to be on the water today when that wind shifted, and, in hindsight, I’m glad we were as that was the most productive spike of activity of the 4.5 hours we fished.

OBSERVATIONS: The fish were definitely impacted by the cold in that they were loathe to move very far to take a bait. Even when conditions improved with the increasing wind and cloud cover, we used a very slow smoking tactic to tempt fish which had suspended as much as 5-7 feet off bottom.

TALLY: 51 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:00a

End Time: 11:30a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 24F

Elevation: 0.42 feet high, with a 0.07 foot drop over the last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 50.1 to 51.7F

Wind Speed & Direction: Winds were variable at up to 5mph through 9am, then went slack until 10:20a, then ramped up quickly to SSE12 through our 11:30 departure.

Sky Conditions: Clear skies through 9a, then high, thin white cloud cover at 40% and building thereafter.

GT = 80

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area vic 984 – low light bite with bird assist

**Area vic 330 thru vic 052 – fair bite with bird assist

**Area v 069 wind-enhanced bite – no birds

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)

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

MOM LANDS THE MONSTER — 66 FISH @ BELTON

March 3rd, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This past Saturday afternoon, March 2nd, I fished with Mr. Kelly Hankins, his wife, Lizzy, and their 17-year-old son, Clayton, on a multi-species trip on Lake Belton. Due to the low water temperatures, our main focus was on white bass.

Kelly, an Army brat whose dad retired at Ft. Hood, makes his living as a home inspector in the Temple-Belton area. Lizzy, a native of Killeen, is a physician; and Clayton is a senior at Belton High School where he plays saxophone in the band and has his sights set on attending college at Tarleton where he desires to focus on bio-med studies. The Hankins’ 13-year-old daughter did not join us on this chilly, damp outing.

Lizzy Hankins landed this 5.00 pound Lake Belton largemouth on a 3/8 oz. white Hazy Eye Slab equipped with a Hazy Eye Stinger Hook from out of 33 feet of water. This fish was one of 4 largemouth bass we landed in a 15 minute span after putting the boat in SpotLock near isolated wood cover which happened to be near the group of bottom-oriented white bass we were targeting. The fish was weighed on a certified scale, photographed, and released with no signs of barotrauma.

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip focused on white bass.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Saturday, 02 Mar., 2019

HOW WE FISHED: Given the low water temperature and cold, damp conditions, today’s approach was necessarily nearly 100% snap-jigging, as it will likely be until we get our water temperatures to around 58 degrees (which, by the looks of the ‘polar vortex’ on its way to Texas, won’t be any time soon!). During the “low light bite”, which on this foggy evening occurred around 5:10 to 5:40, while working the thumper, we had a nice school of white bass suspend right beneath the boat about 8 feet off bottom. We S-L-O-W-L-Y smoked our slabs through these fish and got bit consistently. This was the most productive spurt of the trip, with all other efforts producing a steady pick of fish from start to finish.

OBSERVATIONS: The bite was definitely “front loaded” at each of the seven areas we found fish at this afternoon. By this, I mean we caught most of our fish, and caught them in quickest succession, immediately upon our arrival. After catching a few quick fish, the action would quickly taper to nil and we’d have to continue looking. A few times simply jogging a few boat lengths put us back in contact with the fish, but, with the water so chilly, the commotion we created by jigging and catching fish did not draw nearby fish to us. Rather, we had to go to them.

TALLY: 66 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 1:50p

End Time: 6:10p

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 48F

Water Surface Temp: 52.1F

Wind Speed & Direction: Winds were NNE7-9 the entire trip

Sky Conditions: 100% grey with about a 1.5 mile visibility through the fog.

Water Level: 0.29 feet above full pool with a 0.02 foot 24-hour rise

GT = 0

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area B0135 – snap-jigging

**Area vic area encompassed by 1077/1362/1000/826- snap-jigging

**Area vic 1827 – two short hops – snap-jigging

**Area vic 1919

**Area vic B0112C (suspended fish came to thumper well enough to allow for slow-smoking through them)

**Area 164/B0114C – three short hops

**Area vic B0116C

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)

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

ON THE OCCASION OF THEIR 43RD ANNIVERSARY – 48 FISH WITH THE ROBINSONS

February 26th, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Tuesday, February 26th, I fished Mr. Marcus Robinson and his wife, Kim. The two left their home near Austin to spend a few days at a cottage nestled along the banks of Lake Belton to celebrate their 43rd wedding anniversary. Over the years, Marcus has worked in industry, including stints with Nabisco and Texas Instruments, then at age 33, went into full time ministry from which he has recently retired. Kim, after raising two sons, now serves as a nanny. Marcus is transitioning from kayak angling to fishing from a boat and so had a keen interest in the sonar, trolling motor, battery, and flooring setup I have in my boat, as well as in the vertical tactics we used, which were very new to him.

Marcus landed this old gal in the opening minutes of this morning’s trip. This battle-scarred baby took a 3/8 oz. Hazy Eye Slab with Hazy Eye Stinger Hook in 30 feet of water and then gave a real good account of herself on the light spinning tackle we were pursuing white bass with.

Something is going on with Stillhouse bluecat. I’ve now had a blue cat over 5 pound come aboard on each of my last 4 trips, which is more blue cat than I’ve seen in the last decade! Either someone did some “midnight stocking”, or the zebra mussels are fueling a bluecat revival. Regardless, Kim was glad this rascal obliged!

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip focused on white bass.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Tuesday, 26 Feb., 2019

HOW WE FISHED: The Robinsons were limited to either Monday or Tuesday this week, so, come Saturday, I studied the weather closely and made my best estimate that today’s weather would produce better than yesterday morning’s bright, calm conditions. In hindsight, I feel that was a good call, as yesterday was, indeed, bright and calm and, as I scouted around the lake I saw no birds flying in search of bait during the most critical first 2.5 hours following sunrise. Additionally, Marcus had a concern about the impact of the cold and damp on Kim; today was 10 degrees warmer at sunrise than the day before.

All of that, however, still doesn’t mean today was a red-letter day. We had only a 6-7mph breeze through 9:50, which then died until around 11:50, and we also experienced a thin fog from around 8:00 until 10:00, so we did not have either the brightening of the sky or a sudden wind shift/increase to trigger the fish.

The fish and birds were both fairly lackadaisical this morning, forcing us to move routinely and permitting us to pick up just a few fish at each stop we made with no more than 8-10 caught at any one area. In general, the fish were in 27-32′ during the time the breeze blew, then we had to search deeper, 50+ foot water to get bit once the wind died.

All but 8 of our fish were landed on the Hazy Eye Slab with Hazy Eye Stinger hook attached, in color white and 3/8 oz. size. Those other 8 came on bladebaits.

OBSERVATIONS: We observed no suspended fish today, in fact, most all of the fish we observed were nearly flat to bottom. The fish really did not respond all that well to the thumper; I think it kept the resident fish resident, but didn’t draw other fish in. The bird action, though helpful, involved a lot more flying than feeding this morning.

TALLY: 48 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:00a

End Time: 1:00p

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 54F

Water Surface Temp: 53.8-54.5F

Wind Speed & Direction: Winds were ESE6-7 thru 9:50, calm from 9:50 thru 11:50, then E7 from 11:50 thru 1p

Sky Conditions: ~50% cloud cover at sunrise, clearing to under 10% cloud cover by 10am, then with a high, thin, grey layer of clouds moving in as the winds spiked around 10am.

Water Level: 622.68 ASL, with a 0.07′ rise in the last 24 hours.

GT = 40

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area vic 1518 first stop, low-light bite with moderate action on snapjigging

**Area vic 1892 moderate action on snapjigging

**Area vic 745 shallow fish on blades

**Area 1195 moderate action on snapjigging at edge of channel

**Area 1690-1302 – this expanse of water had small wolfpacks of whites and drum working in 50+ feet of water

**Area 052 – midday action for smaller whites

**Area 1195 moderate action on snapjigging at edge of channel (2nd stop here)

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)

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

WINDY … WITH A CHANCE OF MORE WIND — 42 FISH @ STILLHOUSE

February 23rd, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Saturday, February 23rd, I fished with Mr. Doug Streater, his son-in-law, Travis Anthony, and Travis’ son, Colby — three generations aboard for a white bass fishing trip on a balmy late-winter morning. Doug serves as the president of Extraco Bank and is headquartered in Temple, TX, Travis is a Scott & White orthopedic surgeon working at Metroplex in Killeen, and Colby is an about-to-turn-10 young man who enjoys playing baseball.

Doug was referred my way by both Steve Niemeier and James Caddell — thanks, fellows!!

From left: Travis Anthony, his son, Colby with a 5.25 pound largemouth, and Colby’s grandpa, Doug Streater. This fish looked as though it had just downed a large sunfish or small white bass. Colby did a great job of hanging on and bringing it to net from out of 44 feet of water.

From left: Doug Streater, Colby Anthony, and Travis Anthony with a sampling of the quality white bass we landed on our windy morning on Stillhouse Hollow. All of these fish were very wide, healthy fish.

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip focused on white bass.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Saturday, 23 Feb., 2019

HOW WE FISHED: I touched base with Doug back on Thursday when the NOAA forecast indicated the entire day Saturday would be a blowout due to high winds. We decided then to make a final call around 8:45pm on Friday evening after the forecast had been revised a number of times. As we compared notes on Friday evening, it looked like we’d get at least 3 good hours in with the winds under 18mph. As the sun rose, shrouded by a layer of grey clouds to the east, winds were right at W10. We did, indeed, get in exactly 3 hours of solid fishing. Nearly at the stroke of 10, the birds which had been feeding steadily and helping point the way to fish either lighted on the water or began doing a lot more looking than feeding, and our catch rate dropped off sharply at that point.

During those productive first three hours, we alternated between snapjigging and easing, with only one instance of slow smoking, all with 3/8 oz. slabs. Around 8:45am I spotted gulls working as shallow as we would find them all morning and threw bladebaits under them, but only wound up hooking and landing two fish with this approach.

Although we caught fish steadily, the bite never got on fire this morning — it was more of a steady pluck until 10am. Around 10:15, in addition to the morning feed wrapping up, we also saw a rapid ramp-up in wind speed to over 20mph with occasional higher gusts. Boat control became an issue and, despite consistently placing ourselves under the only remaining actively working gulls on the lake, we had difficulty seeing the gamefish driving the baitfish they were sipping off the surface, much less catching them.

The highlight of the trip came when Colby landed a 5.25 pound largemouth from out of 44 feet of water on his light spinning rod geared for white bass. The fish had an oddly distended belly — I suspect it had just swallowed a large sunfish or a small white bass.

All but two of our fish were landed on the Hazy Eye Slab with Hazy Eye Stinger hook attached, in color white and 3/8 oz. size.

OBSERVATIONS: This morning we observed the greatest number of actively feeding birds I’ve seen on Stillhouse all winter, since the first migrants arrived in mid-November.

TALLY: 42 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:00a

End Time: 11:00a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 55F

Water Surface Temp: 53.1-54.3F

Wind Speed & Direction: W10 at trip’s start, slowly ramping up to WNW18 by 10am, then sharply increasing to WNW20-24 by trip’s end

Sky Conditions: ~50% cloud cover at sunrise, clearing to under 10% cloud cover by 10am, then with a high, thin, grey layer of clouds moving in as the winds spiked around 10am.

Water Level: 622.39 ASL, with a 0.14′ rise in the last 24 hours.

GT = 80

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area 143/089/1060 – first stop, low-light bite with moderate action on snapjigging

**Area SH0093C to 052 (fish found throughout this area, well-spread, under birds) – snapjigging and easing for the most productive span of the morning

**Area 730 – blades up shallow for 2 fish

**Area Vic1439 – snapjigging and easing with fair success on a waning bite

**Area Vic1518 – snapjigging in deep water – one largemouth

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)

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

SEASON’S FIRST SKIFF TRIP YIELDS 82 FISH FOR SOLDIER & SON

February 2nd, 2019February 2nd, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Saturday, February 2nd, I fished with Austin Fly Fishers member Dave Bush. We welcomed aboard 8-year-old Jarrett Rowell for the first Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun (S.K.I.F.F.) trip of the 2019 season.

Jarrett had been patiently waiting for this trip since before Christmas, as foul weather forced two postponements. Jarrett’s mom, Lesa Rowell, initially contacted me after hearing of the S.K.I.F.F. program from another mom at her church.

SKIFF serves to put the kids of soldiers on the water at times when duty pulls parents away from their families. Begun in 2009, SKIFF offers trips free of charge to any military family wherein kids are separated from their parent due to that parent’s military obligations from short-term commitments like gunnery or field time at Ft. Hood, to lengthy deployments, and anything in between. Simply call me, Bob Maindelle, at 254.368.7411 to reserve a date.

From left: U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Matthew Rowell, his 8-year-old son, Jarrett, and Austin Fly Fishers’ Dave Bush landed 82 fish on the first SKIFF outing of 2019.

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip focused on white bass.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Saturday, 02 Feb., 2019

HOW WE FISHED: It just so happened that on Sunday, January 27^th, Jarrett’s dad, U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Matthew Rowell, redeployed to the United States from a split tour to Iraq and Kuwait as a field artilleryman. Therefore, he was able to join his son on this SKIFF trip!

The ambient temperature was about 55F as father and son stepped aboard my boat at 7:30am on Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir, just west of Salado. The reservoir stood at 4.79 feet above full pool and was dropping fairly quickly, with a 24-hour fall of 0.61 feet as the Corps of Engineers released 3,180 cubic feet per second of water through the dam.

After a safety talk, adjusting equipment for my guests, and a word of prayer, we headed to the fishing grounds strictly relying upon GPS to navigate in the thick fog.

As we reached a main lake point, we deployed a pair of crankbaits to attempt some flat-line trolling for white bass. In about 30 minutes of effort we got only one strike which resulted in a missed fish.

I had warned everyone that our first hour would likely be slow, as it typically is with foggy, calm conditions.

Around 8:20 am, our luck changed when the lightest of ESE winds began to ripple the surface. This kicked off the morning white bass feed. As white bass fed on threadfin shad from below, they drove bait toward the surface where ring-billed gulls dipped down to pick up dead and injured forage.

The white birds were tough to spot in the fog, but we got to them and confirmed the presence of fish with sonar. The fish were tight to the bottom, but were ready to feed.

We all dropped 3/8 oz. slabs of my own design, equipped with a Hazy Eye Stinger Hook, to the bottom and used a “smoking” retrieve to tempt these active fish. Young Jarrett went 5 for 5 on his first several attempts at the technique, each time landing a white bass between 12-13 inches.

As we three adults also hooked fish, we passed them off to Jarrett to reel in if he wasn’t already engaged with a fish of his own.

We fished three distinct locations over the 4 hour span of the trip, amassing a catch of 82 fish including approximately 4 drum, 1 blue catfish, and the balance consisting of white bass.

One of these fish is a pending lake record … but more on that when TPWD certifies the catch!!

As the trip concluded, we presented Jarrett with his own red tacklebox with an assortment of gear inside, a closed-faced rod and reel, and a red, logoed S.K.I.F.F. ballcap, all provided by Dave Hill and Manuel Pena.

OBSERVATIONS: Calm, foggy conditions (as usual) produced poor results; once the slightest of breezes began and the light level rose a bit, the fish turned on and stayed actively biting from about 8:20 through to around 11:30.

TALLY: 82 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:30a

End Time: 11:30a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 55F

Water Surface Temp: 53.8F

Wind Speed & Direction: Winds were calm through 8:20, then began out of the ESE at 3-4, slowly increasing to 7-9 and turning SE.

Sky Conditions: Grey, overcast conditions the entire trip.

Water Level: 4.79′ high with 24-hour drop of 0.61 feet; slowly falling water flowing @ 3180 CFS

GT = 0

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area SH0063C to 1697 to SH0092C – snap-jigging/smoking/easing for~65 fish

**Area vic 1195- snap-jigging and easing for 6 fish

**Area vic 1309 – snap-jigging and easing for 11 fish

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)

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

Great Trip, Eh? — 107 Fish on Belton

January 30th, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This past Monday morning, January 28th, I fished with Mr. Dave Hill, a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, and two buddies of his, George Godfrey from east of Austin, and Barrie Welch, originally from South Africa, who now resides in Ontario, Canada, near the Bay of Quinte.

Dave has, since 2009, been leading the charge for the Austin Fly Fishers fund-raising efforts to support the Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun (SKIFF) program, along with Mr. Manuel Pena. But, today was Dave’s day to bend a rod, and that is exactly what we did.

NOTE: In fairness, despite my blog entry title, not once did Barrie say “eh”.

From left: Dave Hill, George Godfrey, and Barrie Welch with a sampling of the white bass action from today’s trip. Take a look at that bluebird sky; that always means tough fishing, but, thanks to their experience level and willingness to be coached, we missed very few bites and pulled out a good sack this morning.

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip focused on white bass.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Monday, January 28th, 2019

HOW WE FISHED: Today’s weather indicated average or below-average fishing in that we had bright, nearly cloud-free skies and a light breeze. The early going was slow, but, as the breeze built, the fishing improved right up to around 10:30, when it began to drop off once again, as it often does on days with such weather. Nearly 100% of the 107 fish we landed today came via snap-jigging, save for a handful of fish taken right around 9am when the school of fish we had teased up below the boat were active and joined by a new school of fish that moved into the area. During this short span (maybe 12 minutes or so) we were able to use a slightly more aggressive easing tactic, but went right back to snap-jigging after that flurry ended.

We fished 5 distinct locations and caught fish at the middle 3 stops, stopping just once at the first two of these productive areas in 32-36 feet, and taking 2 short hops at the last productive location in about 48-50 feet of water.

The diminutive 3/8 oz. white Hazy Eye Slab with Hazy Eye Stinger Hook did the trick all morning long.

We landed 2 largemouth, 1 short hybrid, approx. 15 drum, with the balance of our 107 fish consisting of white bass. We hit 100 fish by 10:40a, then put just another 7 in the boat between that time and our wrap-up at 11:30a after the bite had fully run its course.

OBSERVATIONS: No helpful bird activity this morning.

TALLY: 107 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:20a

End Time: 11:30a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 43F

Water Surface Temp: 51.8F

Wind Speed & Direction: Winds were SSE3 at trip’s start, slowly building to SSE7-8, then tapering back down around 10:30.

Sky Conditions: The wispiest of white cloud cover at about 30% on a blue sky.

Water Level: 7.08′ high with 24-hour drop of 0.31 feet; slowly falling water flowing @ 3156 CFS

GT = 40

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT: N/A

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area B0133C – snap-jigging for moderately interested fish

**Area B0134C – snap-jigging for moderately interested fish

**Area vic 1291 – snap-jigging for moderately interested fish

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)

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

WOUNDED WARRIORS WHOOPED ‘EM — 184 FISH @ BELTON

January 19th, 2019January 19th, 2019 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This past Friday morning, January 18th, I was honored to be invited by the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) to provide a guided fishing trip for six of their members. Planning for this began back in early December when I met with WWP’s San Antonio-based outreach specialist over lunch and we ironed out the logistics paving the way for this morning’s successful trip.

The WWP believes every warrior has a next mission. WWP knows that the transition to civilian life is a journey. And for every warrior, family member, and caregiver, that journey looks different. WWP is there for their first step, and each step that follows because they believe that every warrior should have a positive future to look forward to. There’s always another goal to achieve, another mission to discover — WWP is their partner in that mission.

More than 52,000 servicemen and women physically injured in recent military conflicts. 500,000 are living with invisible wounds from depression to post-traumatic stress disorder. 320,000 experience debilitating brain trauma. WWP helps these men and women.

————————–

By our 7:30 a.m. start, I had the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines all represented and ready to go. I suppose I’ve never felt safer on a fishing trip before!! Joining me were Hector Licon (Army), Tito Cortez (Army), Antonio Oquendo (Army), Devon Wikstrom (Air Force), Doc Richardson (Navy), and Carlos Espinosa (Marine Corps).

Carlos got the award for most enthusiastic. Devon got the big fish award for his 6.75 pound drum. Hector got the early-bird award for showing up first. Doc got the best beard award; Antonio got the award for most persistent angler; and Tito earned the best story-teller award. There is still much debate about who caught the most fish. We expect this will be figured out about the same time that the government shutdown is resolved!

THE WARRIORS: from left — Antonio Oquendo, Doc Richardson, Tito Cortez, Devon Wikstrom, Carlos Espinosa, and Hector Licon, each with one of the 2-year class white bass we landed this morning.

Air Force veteran Devon Wikstrom with the trip’s largest fish landed — a 6.75 pound freshwater drum, nicknamed “gasper gou”. All five other participants claimed to have hooked and lost larger fish!!

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip focused on white bass.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Friday, January 18th, 2019

HOW WE FISHED: Today’s approach involved a mix-and-match of snap-jigging, easing, and smoking, all depending upon how the fish presented on sonar. During the time the fog persisted, the bite was slower, and the fish were glued to the bottom; we used a snap-jigging tactic and pulled fish steadily during this time. Once the fog cleared, we were treated to two distinct episodes of helpful bird activity, each of which lasted about and hour with about a 30-minute pause in between. When we first arrived in the vicinity of the birds, a more aggressive approach worked, then, as the frenzy died (as witnessed on sonar) and the fish settled, we changed up our tactics accordingly to continue to boat fish. The white, 3/8 oz. slabs I make, rigged with my Hazy Eye Stinger hooks, caught every last one of our fish today. No 3/4 oz. slabs, no soft plastic.

OBSERVATIONS: Due to the amount of time we focused on suspended fish this morning, the number of drum we caught relative to our total catch was much lower. When we have to rely on snap-jigging more heavily, the drum count seems to increase.

TALLY: 184 fish caught and released

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:30a

End Time: 11:30a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 49F

Water Surface Temp: 49.9 – 52.5F

Wind Speed & Direction: Winds were SSE7 from trip’s start through about 10:30a, then quickly tapered up to SSE13 by 11:30a

Sky Conditions: A moderate fog until 9:06a, then 100% coverage of light grey clouds.

Water Level: 10.21′ high with 24-hour drop of 0.23 feet; slowly falling water flowing @ 2,978 CFS

GT = 0

#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area B0132C – bottom-hugging juvenile hybrid in 38′ under a blanket of fog

**Area B0130C – fast action under birds

**Area B0131C- fast action under birds

**Area vic 1861 – fast action under birds

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)

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com