2023 Fishing Reports | Fishing Report

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

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ALL IN THE FAMILY – 63 FISH @ STILLHOUSE

December 31st, 2023January 10th, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: On the morning of Saturday, December 30th, I welcomed family aboard for a bit of a fishing reunion. I chose Stillhouse, both for better quality fish, and to avoid the holiday weekend “boat show” which can develop over on Lake Belton now that birds have taken up residence there.

Joining me were my brother, Andy Maindelle, his son (my nephew), Trent Maindelle (both from Austin) my brother’s brother-in-law, Coby Davis (from Jonesboro, Georgia), and my brother’s son-in-law, Paul Stenstadvold (from Spring, TX).

Here is how the fishing went.

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Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php

Next available dates are Jan. 9-11 (mornings)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Paul Stenstadvold, Trent Maindelle, Coby Davis, and Andy Maindelle with a few of the white bass which fell for both slow-smoking and snap-jigging tactics this morning.

PHOTO CAPTION: My brother, Andy Maindelle, with a personal best 5.50-pound largemouth bass taken on a 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab (white) with a snap-jigging tactic.

PHOTO CAPTION: My nephew, Trent Maindelle with a freshwater drum taken from over 50′ on a white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab using a slow-smoking tactic.

Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Saturday, 30 Dec. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED:

With water temperature now just below 55F down to over 50′ deep (other than at the highly variable surface), I find we are teetering between tactics right now with slow-smoking taking fish consistently, especially 1) during the mid-morning once the winds have come up and the sun is shining brightly and illuminating the bottom in deep water, 2) when we first arrive at a new area and the slabs we are presenting are novel, and 3) when weather conditions have fish turned on to the point they are willing to leave bottom and stay up off bottom in a suspended mode.

Otherwise, snap-jigging is now entering into the picture especially 1) after we’ve caught fish at an area and the fish are no longer responding to a slow-smoking tactic, 2) during the first and final hours of a 4-hour trip, and/or 3) if the fish refuse to leave the bottom.

With fish routinely being found on well-tuned side-imaging in as much as 55′, I go prepared with each trip with both a set of rods with 5/8 oz. white Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs and a separate set of rods with 3/4 oz. white Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs.

This morning, I arrayed everyone on the starboard side, four abreast and had everyone looking on at one of two Garmin LiveScope monitors on that starboard side. We used a combination of snap-jigging and slow-smoking to piece together a 63 fish catch one fish at a time.

At no time did we get a frenzy to develop allowing us a prolonged catching streak, nor did we have multiple fish boated simultaneously.

Stillhouse winter fishing typically gives up a predictable mix of quality white bass up to or exceeding 15″, quality largemouth bass with multiple fish exceeding 4 pounds coming over the side routinely, and several bonus freshwater drum also exceeding 4 pounds on most every trip.

This morning was no exception as Andy landed a personal best largemouth weighing in at 5.50 pounds on a certified scale.

For those accustomed to the fairly easily read bird action on Lake Belton, Stillhouse bird activity is much, much more subtle, with a majority of the birds focused on loon activity.

Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ

TALLY: 63 fish caught and released.

OBSERVATIONS: The water temperature profile measured on 01 Jan. 2024 was:

0 feet 54.3F
5 feet 54.7F
10 feet, 54.9F
15 feet, 54.9F
20 feet, 54.9F

25 feet, 54.9F
30 feet, 54.9F
35 feet, 54.9F
40 feet, 54.7F
45 feet, 54.2F

50 feet, 53.6F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:30A

End Time: 11:35A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 39F

Elevation: 17.84 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 54.3F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW8 to 9 all morning through 11, then tapering down thereafter to NW6

Sky Condition: Cloudless, pale blue sky

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 89% illumination.

GT = N/A

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area 0133 – 12 fish

Area 1045 – 10 fish

Area 1952 – 28 fish (2 hops)

Area B0245G – 5 fish

Area B0255G – 4 fish

Area B0256G – 2 fish

Area B0257G – 2 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

LiveScope First-Timers — 39 Fish @ Lake Belton

December 31st, 2023December 31st, 2023 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: On the afternoon of Thursday, December 28, I fished with first time guest Mr. Bryan Jones, and his two boys, Ben, age 17, and Ethan, age 15. Also accompany us, but not fishing was Bryan‘s brother, Mark, in visiting from New Mexico.

Here is how the fishing went.

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Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php

Next available dates are Jan. 9-11 (mornings)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left, Mark, Bryan, Ethan, and Ben Jones with a portion of their afternoon catch of 100% white bass taken on Lake Belton, December 28th.

Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Thursday, 28 Dec. 2023 (PM)

HOW WE FISHED:

Bryan and crew arrived about 30 minutes early, so we went ahead and got going around 12:45 instead of 1:15 PM. The first hour of an afternoon trip is normally slow, and this afternoon was no exception. We had no issues finding fish, but the fish we found were very reluctant to come off bottom and strike the slabs we were using.

The middle two hours of the afternoon proved to be a bit better, although the fish never really got overly aggressive, nor was there any fish-related bird activity at all this afternoon. One of the things working against us was a decreasing wind from the NW. It was blowing around 14mph as we got going and slowly tapered down all afternoon. This typically never helps.

Those fish we caught we caught using the white, 5/8 ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slab. As the shadows began to get long and the atmosphere began to cool off around 4 PM, the fishing cooled right off with it.

Despite the fishing being less than stellar, one of Bryan’s hopes was to see how the various forms of sonar played into the fish-finding equation. All afternoon he got a real-world demo on how fish appeared on DI, SI, and 2D sonar as we searched for them, and then how Garmin LiveScope aided us in gauging fish response to our presentations after we found them.

The boys and their dad really seemed to enjoy their first on-the-water experience with bringing Garmin LiveScope to bear on the fishing. It truly helps folks stay more engaged and for longer periods of time when they can see with their own eyes that there are fish present to work for and to try to catch.

Our final tally for the afternoon was 39 fish, 100% of which were white bass.

Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ

TALLY: 39 fish caught and released.

OBSERVATIONS: The water temperature profile measured on 27 Dec. was:

0 feet 55.6F
5 feet 56.5F
10 feet, 57.1F
15 feet, 57.1F
20 feet, 57.1F

25 feet, 57.1F
30 feet, 57.1F
35 feet, 57.1F
40 feet, 57.1F
45 feet, 56.9F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 12:50P

End Time: 5:30P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 32F

Elevation: 15.48 feet low, 40 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 55.4F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW13-14 at trip’s start, dying back to NW7-8 by mid-afternoon

Sky Condition: 10% white clouds on pale blue sky

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 98% illumination.

GT = 55

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Areas 1679, 1678, B0184G, B0253G, 1743, B0013C

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

WILLINGLY COACHED — 117 FISH @ LAKE BELTON

December 31st, 2023December 31st, 2023 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH:

On Thursday, December 28, I fished with a crew of six. Mr. Clint Murphy had fished with me several times previously, and this time he brought with him Maureen, Ben, Natalie and Ellen Parker, and Calvin Lutz.

Only three of the six had prior fishing experience, but, the three which did not were very willingly coached, and everyone wound up catching plenty of fish by the time the morning was through.

Here is how the fishing went…

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Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php

Next available dates are Jan. 9-11 (mornings)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left, that’s Maureen Parker, Clint Murphy, and Natalie Parker with a trio of hybrid they landed within seconds of one another as a school moved beneath the boat and bit.

PHOTO CAPTION: That’s Calvin Lutz in the light blue jacket with both a healthy largemouth bass and a hybrid striped bass, and Ben Parker (red jacket) and Clint Murphy (dark blue jacket) with hybrid they landed simultaneously.

PHOTO CAPTION: From left, Clint Murphy, Maureen and Natalie Parker, Calvin Lutz, and Ellen and Ben Parker with a sampling of the white bass they took with a slow-smoking tactic on Lake Belton using Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs.

Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Thursday, 28 Dec. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED:

Once again, fishing followed a normal, bell-shaped curve, with a slow start in the first hour, a tapering off in the final hour, and peak conditions in the middle two hours.

We enjoyed a northwesterly winds all morning between 8 and 12 mph and approximately 10% white cloud cover on a pale blue sky. We used one technique very effectively all morning, and that was slow smoking with the 5/8 ounce, white Bladed Hazy Eye Slab used in conjunction with Garmin LiveScope. I also used my thumper to both bring fish in and to help everyone keep the correct cadence as they executed the slow-smoking tactic.

During those peak middle two hours, we enjoyed light bird activity, primarily engaged in by terns. While most of the fish the terns worked over were bottom-oriented, we encountered one situation where the fish were suspended and moving slowly over a submerged channel at between 20 and 30 feet over a bottom which was much deeper.

When all was said and done, this crew put together a catch of 117 fish which included 1 freshwater drum, 3 largemouth bass, 7 hybrid striped bass, of which 5 were legal, with a balance made up of 106 white bass of which only four were short.

Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ

TALLY: 117 fish caught and released.

OBSERVATIONS: The water temperature profile measured on 27 Dec. was:

0 feet 55.6F
5 feet 56.5F
10 feet, 57.1F
15 feet, 57.1F
20 feet, 57.1F

25 feet, 57.1F
30 feet, 57.1F
35 feet, 57.1F
40 feet, 57.1F
45 feet, 56.9F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:30A

End Time: 11:50A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 32F

Elevation: 15.48 feet low, 40 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 55.4F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW8-12

Sky Condition: 10% white clouds on pale blue sky

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 98% illumination.

GT = 105

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Areas vic 150, vic 098, B0246G, vic B0247G, vic 1152 (over the channel), B0004C (between pos and channel), B0251G, B0252G, 1544/B0239G

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

THANKS FOR TUNING INTO THE CARLEE BARRINGTON SHOW! — 50 FISH

December 27th, 2023December 27th, 2023 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Wednesday, December 27, I fished with first time guests Michael and Carlee Barrington, joined by Michael’s friend, John Arnold. Michael and John work together in the commercial tire business.

At 12 years of age, and in the eighth grade, Carlee competes in the Central Texas High School Tournament Trail bass fishing organization with her dad as her boat captain.

The tactics we used today were something new to Carlee, however, she relied on her fundamentals and had a personal best high catch today taking a majority of the fish landed. In summary, she really put on a show, catching the biggest fish and the most fish all while quietly occupying her spot in the back of the boat!

Here is how the fishing went…

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Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php

Next available dates are Jan. 9-11 (mornings)

PHOTO CAPTION: Miss Carlee Barrington of Troy, TX, put on a real show today. Whatever bait I rigged or tactic I had her employ, she caught fish with them!!

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Michael and Carlee Barrington, and John Arnold with a few of the 45 white bass they caught, in addition to largemouth bass and hybrid striped bass.

Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Wednesday, 27 Dec. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED:

After southwesterly winds warmed things up following a cold start yesterday, a reinforcing, mild, dry push of northerly wind dominated the weather today. I did not see that we got a real uptick in the fishing as we did on Christmas Day with a bona fide cold front moving in.

A fairly normal bell-shaped curve of fish feeding behavior was observed this morning, with a slow start, a slow end, and the best fishing coming at mid-morning. The majority of our fish were taken from off bottom as we used a slow smoking tactic with a very slow cadence to bring our white, 5/8 ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs and observed Garmin LiveScope to see fish chasing these baits.

Whenever a chase occurred, my crew would continue the retrieve until the fish either overtook the lure and got hooked, or broke off the chase and returned to bottom.

In our final hour, there was bird activity, but it was scattered over quite a large area, with fish broken into small, splintered, well-dispersed schools, and moving.

To contend with this, I tried to single out multiple small schools near one another, position the boat upwind of them, and had my crew array themselves abreast of one another across the stern and cast half-ounce jigs with white curl tail grubs directly downwind, and then work them back with a very slow sawtooth method. This accounted for our final 17 fish of the day including three keeper hybrid striped bass, and one short.

We wrapped up at 11:50 with exactly 50 fish landed including one largemouth bass, four hybrid, striped bass, and 45 white bass.

Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ

TALLY: 50 fish caught and released.

OBSERVATIONS: The water temperature profile measured on 27 Dec. was:

0 feet 55.6F
5 feet 56.5F
10 feet, 57.1F
15 feet, 57.1F
20 feet, 57.1F

25 feet, 57.1F
30 feet, 57.1F
35 feet, 57.1F
40 feet, 57.1F
45 feet, 56.9F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:30A

End Time: 11:50A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 32F

Elevation: 15.48 feet low, 40 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 55.6F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW13-15

Sky Condition: Bright blue, cloudless skies

Moon Phase: Full moon at 100% illumination.

GT = 15

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Areas 098, 187, vic B0159G, B0052G, 681 thru 152 (with birds), B0173G, and 086 thru 681 (with 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

2 Hours, 3 Girls, 26 Fish, 28 Degrees!! – Free SKIFF Trip for Military Kids

December 26th, 2023December 30th, 2023 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Tuesday, December 26, I conducted the 2023 season’s 12th SKIFF Trip just for military kids.

My young guests today were Hailey (age 11), Victoria (age 8), and Brooklyn (age 9) Garrett. The girls’ father, U.S. Army (retired) First Sergeant Aldrick Garrett is a bona fide disabled veteran and Purple Heart Medal recipient, having received severe injuries after his tank was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Iraq.

Mrs. Garrett found out about this fishing opportunity on the Fort Cavazos Area Facebook Page, courtesy of Mrs. Denise Igo.

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, and Austin Subaru. S.K.I.F.F. provides the children of military personnel separated from their families due to duty commitments with the opportunity to go fishing. 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.

Here is how the fishing went…

Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php

Next available dates are Jan. 9-11 (AMs)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Hailey (11), Victoria (8), and Brooklyn (7) Garrett with six of the twenty-six fish they landed before cold faces and stiff fingers and toes brought us back to the boat ramp a bit early this morning.

Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Tuesday, 26 Dec. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED:

Ooooweee, was it cold this morning! With an ambient air temperature of 28F and a heavy frost area wide, I was quite relieved to see the Garrett family heeded all of my advice on dressing appropriately for this trip as they arrived this morning.

What winds were blowing were light enough to keep wind chill from being a factor, and, after doing a bit of an introduction to the tackle and the tactics we’d be using, we got right down to the matter at hand — catching fish!!

None of these sisters had ever been fishing before, although it is something they have wanted to do, and were looking forward to doing today once their mom made the arrangements.

The fish were in a somewhat neutral mood today — neither turned off nor overly aggressive.

Despite dressing well, the girls were ready to head back in after about 2 hours’ worth of exposure to the elements allowed that cold to creep into their clothing.

During our time on the water, we hit three distinct areas, each indicated by light bird activity, catching fish at each one. Our approach was simple — the girls dropped their white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs down to bottom and reeled them back up while keeping in sync with the thump of the thumper which I have set at just the right speed to keep my clients from reeling too fast or too slow.

By around 9:30, the girls had landed 2 freshwater drum, 2 largemouth bass, and 22 white bass, of which 19 were of legal size.

Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ

TALLY: 26 fish caught and released.

OBSERVATIONS: The water temperature profile on Stillhouse Hollow measured on 18 Dec., was:

0 feet, 57.6F

5 feet, 57.5F

10 feet, 57.4F

15 feet, 57.2F

20 feet, 57.2F

25 feet, 57.2F

30 feet, 57.2F

35 feet, 57.1F

40 feet, 57.1F

45 feet, 56.9F

50 feet, 56.9F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:30A

End Time: 9:30A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 28F

Elevation: 17.71 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 55.6F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SSW2-6

Sky Condition: Clear, cloudless blue sky with a light, white haze.

Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 100% illumination (full moon tomorrow).

GT = N/A

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area SH0111C– 9 fish smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

Area vic 1625 – 4 fish smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

Area vic 1138 – 13 fish smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

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

A CHRISTMAS GIFT OF TOGETHERNESS — 105 FISH

December 25th, 2023December 25th, 2023 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This Christmas morning 2023, I fished with a party representing three generations –Mr. Jay Reynolds was joined by his two sons-in-law, Joe Miller, and Dave Weaver, and by his grandson, Alex Weaver, age 14.

Jay and his wife recently moved to this area from Lee, Florida, where they operated a church-affiliated thrift store.

The sons-in-law are both from the Russellville, Kentucky, area.

A combination of excellent weather conditions, zero boat traffic, and prior fishing expertise allowed for a catch this morning of over 100 fish.

Here is how the trip came together…

Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php

Next available dates are Jan. 9-11 (AMs)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Joe Miller, Dave and Alex Weaver, and Jay Reynolds with four hybrid taken just seconds apart and all landed in the same net at the same time!

PHOTO CAPTION: Grandpa Jay got the big one today. This hybrid went right at 6.00 pounds and came on the same 5/8 oz., white Bladed Hazy Eye Slab his crew used to catch the other 104 fish!

PHOTO CAPTION: White bass were the mainstay of our catch today with 89 of our 105 fish catch made up of whites.

Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Christmas morning, 2023

HOW WE FISHED:

We got going this morning around 7:20 AM, at which time I provided my four guests with instructions on the one and only technique we needed to employ today, which was slow-smoking the white, 5/8 ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slab.

We fished 12 areas this morning, finding fish at every single one of them. Only the first area fished and the last area fished did not have birds present. Otherwise, we were able to observe bird behavior, and have clues as to where to begin searching for fish. The trick was not necessarily to drive to the birds and fish beneath them, but, rather, to use the birds as an indicator as to the general location of bait and active fish feeding on that bait.

Once the fish were found, the fish displayed varying levels of interest through the course of the morning, with the peak interest coming from around 9:45 to 10:45 AM.

Each time we stopped, I got the Garmin LiveScope cranked up to make sure everyone had a clear view of the rise and fall of their lures, and fish response to those lures. I also turned on the thumper which served both to consolidate fish beneath the boat , and to help my four guests to use the correct retrieve speed (as I used the thumper as a metronome).

At some locations the fish were tightly glued to the bottom, and, at other locations, we found fish suspended, some active and moving briskly parallel to the bottom, and others nearly immobile.

By the time 11:45 rolled around we had taken exactly 105 fish. This included 11 hybrid striped bass of which 8 were legal, 2 legal largemouth bass, 3 freshwater drum, and 89 white bass, of which just 13 were short.

Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ

TALLY: 105 fish caught and released.

OBSERVATIONS: Fish activity was spurred on by NW winds with increasing velocity following a cold front’s passage overnight.

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:25A

End Time: 11:45A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 41F

Elevation: 15.58 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 56.4F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NNW13-16

Sky Condition: Cloudless “bluebird” skies

Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 98% illumination.

GT = 105

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Areas vic 150/1012, B0244G, vic 1055, B0246G, B0247G, B0248G, B0249G, vic B0239G, B0250G, vic B0152JWC, B0245G (2 hops), and B0173G/B0171G

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

A TROOPER’S TROOPERS — 68 FISH W/ THE SKIFF PROGRAM

December 21st, 2023December 21st, 2023 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Thursday, December 21, I welcomed aboard U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Michael Miller and his three kids: Xavier (16), Azaria (15) who goes by “Z”, and Javon (8). None of the kids had ever been fishing before.

CSM Miller has served for 19 years and has a 14Z MOS (military occupational specialty) in Air Defense Artillery, currently working with the Patriot Missile system.

I’ll tell you, these kids were pretty tough. They arrived well-dressed for the cold, but the constant rain eventually soaked through their clothes around the 3-hour mark. They all kept a great, can-do attitude the entire time, even on the long, chilly, damp ride back in after all the fishing was over.

CSM Miller is assigned to Fort Cavazos here in Texas, but his family resides back at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The Christmas break from school afforded the kids a chance to leave the chill of Kentucky behind for a few weeks to spend with their dad.

CSM Miller found out about the opportunity on the Fort Cavazos Area Facebook Page.

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 and other partner organizations, namely The McBride Foundation and Austin Subaru. S.K.I.F.F. provides the children of military personnel separated from their families due to duty commitments with the opportunity to go fishing. SKIFF trips are also provided to Gold Star families who have lost their service member while he/she was on active duty. 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.

Here is how the fishing went…

Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php

Next available dates are Dec. 25 (AM), Jan. 4 (PM), 9-11 (AMs)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Using a “slow-smoking” tactic with white, 5/8 oz. and 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs, Azaria, Xavier, Javon, and Michael Miller landed a total of 68 fish in a three hour trip shortened a bit by a soaking drizzle.

PHOTO CAPTION: Xavier had bragging rights to the trip’s biggest fish … until …

PHOTO CAPTION: … his dad came up with one even bigger!! This one went 4.25 pounds.

Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Wednesday, 21 Dec. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED:

I delayed the start of our trip due to very heavy cloud cover keeping the skies from brightening as early as they normally would. Even after beginning ~35 minutes later than normal, the fish still took a while to really get interested in feeding well.

We fished exactly five areas today in exactly the same way, save for the weight of the lures we used.

At each location we found fish holding tightly to the bottom with several dozen fish making up each school we found. We Spot-Locked atop the fish and used either 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs or the heavier, 3/4 oz. version (both white), depending on the depth. We used a “slow-smoking” tactic to tease these fish into chasing and overtaking these baits.

There was a very definite bell-shaped curve to the feeding activity this morning, with the peak running from 10 to 10:50 AM.

Our final tally of 68 fish included 1 freshwater drum, 4 largemouth bass, and 64 white bass, all taken on the same lures with the same tactic.

Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ

TALLY: 68 fish caught and released.

OBSERVATIONS: The water temperature profile on Stillhouse Hollow measured on 18 Dec., was:

0 feet, 57.6F

5 feet, 57.5F

10 feet, 57.4F

15 feet, 57.2F

20 feet, 57.2F

25 feet, 57.2F

30 feet, 57.2F

35 feet, 57.1F

40 feet, 57.1F

45 feet, 56.9F

50 feet, 56.9F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 8:10A

End Time: 11:00A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 60F, falling to 59F by trip’s end

Elevation: 18.18 feet low, 40 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 58.7F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SSE5-9

Sky Condition: About 100% heavy grey cloud cover all morning with a drizzle or light sprinkle falling the entire time thanks to a strong, Pacific low pressure system passing over now and for the next few days

Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 69% illumination.

GT = N/A

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area SH0111C – 1 fish smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

Area SH0240G – 2 fish smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

Area SH0239G – 2 fish smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

Area SH0245G – 9 fish smoking white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

Area SH0243G – 8 fish smoking white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

Area SH 0244G – 44 fish smoking white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

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

HE PASSED THE PRINGLES TEST! — 73 Fish w/ Robert & Ethan Bass

December 20th, 2023 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Wednesday, December 20, I welcomed aboard Mr. Robert Bass, owner of R.K. Bass Electric (https://basselectric.com/), accompanied by one of his eleven grandchildren.

12-year-old Ethan Bass very capably handled the spinning gear we employed today and was a pleasure to have aboard. There were just some little things I picked up on about Ethan which let me know he’s being raised well … he offered me some of his Pringles when it was snack time without anyone prompting him to share, he spoke very highly of his 14-year-old brother, and, whenever he reeled his fish in too close to the rod tip, he sincerely apologized.

Robert was referred my way by Mr. Steve Niemeier, and I appreciate it.

Here is how the fishing went…

Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php

Next available dates are Dec. 25 (AM), Jan. 4 (PM), 9-11 (AMs)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Robert Bass and his 12-year-old grandson, Ethan, took 73 fish on a balmy December morning on Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir.

PHOTO CAPTION: Ethan Bass holds a stocky, deep-water largemouth taken from 42 feet of water on a white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab.

PHOTO CAPTION: Quality freshwater drum in the 4-6 pound range were a welcome part of the catch this morning, as well. I did not have to tell Ethan to smile for this photo!!

Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Tuesday, 20 Dec. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED:

We enjoyed grey cloud cover all morning and some SSE breeze when we needed it most, during the last two hours of the morning.

With these conditions, the fish fed well from about 7:55AM, right up until around 10:50AM.

Stillhouse Hollow, despite being only about 5 miles away from Lake Belton as the crow flies, fished very differently from Lake Belton. Belton has higher number of smaller white bass; Stillhouse has fewer white bass, but the quality is much better. Also, the size of schools encountered on Stillhouse tend to be smaller, thus really requiring good sonar and interpretation skills. Finally, Stillhouse’s white bass tend to be generally deeper than Belton’s white bass population, something I attribute to the Stillhouse’s water clarity.

Fishing was pretty straightforward this morning. I found fish, primarily with well-tuned side-imaging. I marked the fish, then Spot-Locked atop them using the i-Pilot Link system. Once in a hover, I fired up both the thumper and the Garmin LiveScope.

The thumper helps consolidate the fish beneath the boat, and acts as a metronome to help my client reel their baits at just the right speed.

Before we stopped at our first area, I made a “demo stop” so that Robert and Ethan could see how everything would appear on the sonar. It was during that demo that I first told them that if they see fish chasing their bait they MUST keep a steady retrieve until the fish either overtakes the bait and gets hooked, or turns away. This is really the key to the slow-smoking tactic, and, it is much easier said, than done.

Nonetheless, once we encountered fish for the first time and Robert and Ethan began to witness on LiveScope how the fish chase the bait, they then understood my guidance.

The lion’s share of Robert and Ethan’s fishing involved “slow-smoking” with the white Bladed Hazy Eye Slab. Once the fish moved deeper than ~35 feet, I switched them away from the 5/8 oz. bait, in favor of the 3/4 oz. bait so as to reduce the wait time as the lures sank back to bottom after each iteration.

I tried something experimentally today which put several extra fish in the boat. I learned of this from Clay Lohse (formerly of Respect the Fish Guide Service). Once the white basses’ initial frenzy of interest in our vertically worked slabs began to ebb, I tossed a trimmed, 3″ white curl-tail grub on a 1/2 oz. jighead out and worked it slowly back “sawtooth style”. Clay and I have both observed with bladebaits, MAL Lures, and, now, with these soft plastics, that fish which are growing disinterested will still hit a lure with a bit or horizontal movement even after they give up on something going perfectly vertical.

I’m looking forward to toying with this more, but am already thankful to Clay for the tip.

We found fish at seven different areas today, and finished up with 73 fish. This catch included 3 largemouth bass, 5 freshwater drum, and 65 white bass. Of these white bass, seven went over 15 inches, one went over 16 inches, and 5 were short.

Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ

TALLY: 73 fish caught and released.

OBSERVATIONS: The water temperature profile on Stillhouse Hollow measured on 18 Dec., was:

0 feet, 57.6F

5 feet, 57.5F

10 feet, 57.4F

15 feet, 57.2F

20 feet, 57.2F

25 feet, 57.2F

30 feet, 57.2F

35 feet, 57.1F

40 feet, 57.1F

45 feet, 56.9F

50 feet, 56.9F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:25A

End Time: 11:45A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 50F

Elevation: 18.14 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 57.1F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SSE5-12

Sky Condition: About 80% grey cloud cover all morning

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 58% illumination.

GT = 25

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area SH0240G (2 hops) – 28 fish smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

Area SH0241G – 9 fish smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

Area SH0242G – 15 fish smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

Area SH0234G/872 – 14 fish smoking white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

Area SH0236G – 6 fish smoking white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

Area SH0234G – 1 fish smoking white, 3/4 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

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

SETTING TIME ASIDE FOR SOLDIERS’ KIDS — 38 FISH @ STILLHOUSE

December 18th, 2023 by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Monday, December 18th, I conducted the tenth SKIFF trip of the 2023 season, welcoming aboard siblings Tristan and Alice Ayres of Killeen.

The children’s father, Brennan Ayres, served 13 years in both the U.S. Army and in the National Guard as a tanker (MOS of 19K) and is a disabled veteran. Mrs. Elizabeth Ayres made the trip arrangements and got the kids to and from the boat ramp after finding out about the opportunity on the Fort Cavazos Area Facebook Page.

Here is how the fishing went…

Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php

Next available dates are Dec. 19, 20, 26

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Tristan and Alice Ayres with a nice take of white bass the siblings caught from out of ~32 feet of water using a “slow-smoking” tactic with white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs.

PHOTO CAPTION: Tristan took this nice freshwater drum in our first 15 minutes on the water as fish fed up in under 20′ under low-light conditions just after sunrise.

PHOTO CAPTION: Alice caught this nice 4.75-pound largemouth by correctly working her Hazy Eye Slab up off the bottom at just the right speed as she followed the beat of the thumper which I have doubling as a metronome just for the purpose of helping clients to avoid reeling too fast or too slow.

Find the Bladed Hazy Eye Slab here: https://whitebasstools.com/

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Monday, 18 Dec. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED:

With a majority of our local school districts which surround Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood) now out for Christmas break, I have set aside time from my normal guiding to offer free trips to kids of our local military families.

This morning I had Tristan and Alice working their white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs in conjunction with a thumper and Garmin LiveScope to catch white bass, largemouth bass, freshwater drum, and a single channel catfish.

I also had then keep an eye on the sky for me, looking out for any helpful bird action. Tristan told me he understood all about the bird because, in his favorite video game “Sea of Thieves”, the birds always fly over top of the loot.

Fishing was best from 8 to 10 AM, then fell off hard in the final hour. Helpful gulls did point the way to fish, but a lot of gull action is focused on the rising number of loons now migrating down.

Our final tally of 38 fish included 2 freshwater drum, 1 largemouth bass, 1 channel catfish, and 34 white bass, all taken on the same lure with the same tactic.

Here is a tutorial on the smoking tactic we used… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPopSLUYoQ

TALLY: 38 fish caught and released.

OBSERVATIONS: The water temperature profile on Stillhouse Hollow measured on 18 Dec., was:

0 feet, 57.6F

5 feet, 57.5F

10 feet, 57.4F

15 feet, 57.2F

20 feet, 57.2F

25 feet, 57.2F

30 feet, 57.2F

35 feet, 57.1F

40 feet, 57.1F

45 feet, 56.9F

50 feet, 56.9F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:30A

End Time: 11:00A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 43F

Elevation: 15.68 feet low, 40 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 58.7F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SSE10-13

Sky Condition: About 90% grey cloud cover all morning

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 29% illumination.

GT = N/A

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area 1205 thru 1275 – 44 fish downrigging #13/14 Pet Spoons, incl. 9 legal hybrid

Area 1549 – 26 white bass smoking white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs

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