Fishing Report

We Threaded the Eye of the Weather Needle — 66 Fish

July 22nd, 2024July 22nd, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS: This morning I was joined by the Mann family from the Georgetown, TX, area. Mark and Caitlyn Mann chaperoned their three kids, Bruce (9), Evelyn (7), and Bryant (5), but did not fish themselves, as this was a “Kids Fish, Too!” trip, intended just for the children. Such trips are both less expensive and of a shorter duration than my standard adult trips.

DATE: 22 July 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATE: Thursday, 01 Aug. (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Bryant, Mark, Bruce, Caitlyn, and Evelyn Mann with a portion of their summer morning catch of 66 fish in celebration of Bruce’s 9th birthday today.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: Our approach today remained the same as it has been since the high flow of water out of Lake Belton slowed and the fishing began to improve. We began the morning downrigging for fish which began up shallow and gradually moved deeper in the water column, further from shore, and grew increasingly disinterested. By 8:20 the fishing for quality white bass was over (which was about 20-30 minutes more than last week, thanks to today’s cloud cover extending the low-light period). After downrigging, we headed up into shallow brush and targeted panfish, leaving about 30 minutes at the end of the trip for a final round of downrigging which resulted in additional white bass, most of which were small.

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: The white bass we landed on downriggers all struck #12 Pet Spoons attached to 3-armed umbrella rigs fished precisely with downriggers to control the depth they were presented at. Panfish were all taken under floats on bait. Find umbrella rigs and MAL Lures here: https://whitebasstools.com/

TALLY: 66 fish caught and released, including 54 white bass (11 short, 43 legal), 1 hybrid striped bass, and 11 panfish

OBSERVATIONS:

1) With multiple, mild cold fronts having just passed, and a low pressure system controlling the weather for the next several days, I found the morning low-light bite was not as aggressive or as lengthy today as it was Mon. – Thurs. last week with high pressure conditions.

2) All fish were taken in under 21′.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 10AM on July 17 …

0 feet – 86.4F

5 feet – 86.4F

10 feet – 86.4F

15 feet – 86.1F

20 feet – 86.1F

25 feet – 85.9F

30 feet – 85.5F

35 feet – 84.5F

40 feet – 83.4F

45 feet – 81.9F

50 feet – 81.2F

55 feet – 80.3F

60 feet – 79.7F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 6:25A

End Time: 9:50A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 75F

Elevation: 0.93 feet high and falling with a 325cfs flow, resulting in a 0.09′ fall over the last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 85.6F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: Variable winds puffing up to 4 mph all morning from both N and S.

Sky Condition: Moderately dark grey cloud cover all morning at 100% coverage. A light rain fell on the lake just before first light.

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 98% illumination.

GT = 100

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area 811, scant results during low-light downrigging
Area 1656 to B0019G – best area for legal whites just after sunrise in 20+ feet via downrigging
Area 1118-1591 – small whites via downrigging

Area B0291G – sunfish on bait under floats

Area 1041 to 687 – small whites via downrigging

Bob MaindelleFull-time, Professional Fishing Guide and Owner of Holding the Line Guide ServiceBelton Lake Fishing Guide, Stillhouse Hollow Fishing Guide254.368.7411 (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

The Command Sergeant Major “Coined” Me!! — 90 Fish

July 20th, 2024July 20th, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS: This S.K.I.F.F. (Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun) trip was provided, free of charge, to Javon Miller, the son of Command Sergeant Major Michael Miller. CSM Miller is assigned to Fort Cavazos here in Texas, but his family resides back at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The summer break from school afforded Javon a chance to visit with his dad before heading back to Kentucky at the end of July.

DATE: 18 July 2024 (PM)

NEXT OPEN DATE: Thursday, 01 Aug. (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Command Sergeant Major Michael Miller and his son, Javon, with a portion of their 90-fish evening catch from Lake Belton during Javon’s visit with his dad from Fort Knox.

PHOTO CAPTION: CSM Miller kindly presented me with this beautiful unit coin on behalf of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club for community service to the families of Fort Cavazos.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: I have not fished an evening trip in a long while, but, with a full schedule thanks to many parties rescheduling after 7 weeks of our local lakes being shut down, I did what I could to fit CSM Miller and his son in before Javon heads back to Kentucky. We downrigged for the first 90 minutes, then, as the light level began to fade and fish began to move up off bottom and move toward shallower water, we began to Spot Lock and work MAL Dense Lures with silver bodies using the sawtooth method. Eventually, just before sunset, fairly consistent topwater action began, and the pair was able to sight-cast to nearby schools using MAL Minis. They took 44 fish prior to the topwater action beginning, and 46 fish thereafter.

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: The white bass we landed on downriggers all struck #12 Pet Spoons attached to 3-armed umbrella rigs fished precisely with downriggers to control the depth they were presented at. Active bottom-oriented fish were taken on the MAL Dense with silver body using a sawtooth method. Topwater fish were all taken on the MAL Mini. Find umbrella rigs and MAL Lures here: https://whitebasstools.com/

TALLY: 90 white bass caught and released

OBSERVATIONS:

1) The lake is still 1.28′ high, but the flow of water through the dam has decreased substantially.

2) The water looks like green/brown tea and is darker than usual.

3) All fish were taken in under 21′.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 10AM on July 17 …

0 feet – 86.4F

5 feet – 86.4F

10 feet – 86.4F

15 feet – 86.1F

20 feet – 86.1F

25 feet – 85.9F

30 feet – 85.5F

35 feet – 84.5F

40 feet – 83.4F

45 feet – 81.9F

50 feet – 81.2F

55 feet – 80.3F

60 feet – 79.7F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 6:10P

End Time: 8:55P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 94F

Elevation: 1.28 feet high and falling with a 541cfs flow, resulting in a 0.14′ fall over the last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 89.6F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NNW breeze all evening starting around 8mph at trip’s start, tapering down to 3 by dark.

Sky Condition: High, thin white cloud cover by trip’s end with grey clouds in the western sky which partially obscured the setting sun.

Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 90% illumination.

GT = N/A

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area 1604 to 1041 – downrigging
Area vic B0018G to B0154C – downrigging leading to sawtoothing with MALs
Area 011 to 021 – topwater with MAL Minis

Bob MaindelleFull-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

HEY, DAD! ARE THEY BITIN’ LIKE THIS IN POLAND? — 88 FISH

July 18th, 2024July 18th, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS: This S.K.I.F.F. (Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun) trip was provided, free of charge, to the sons of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rolando Saldana and his wife, Monica. Chase (10) and Christian (7) had never before been fishing. Their mom accompanied them on their first trip. CW2 Saldana is currently deployed to Poland. He has served in the U.S. Army for 14 years.

DATE: 18 July 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATE: Thursday, 01 Aug. (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Chase, Monica, and Christian Saldana with a few of the mature white bass the boys landed in their first 90 minutes on the water.

PHOTO CAPTION: After Christian landed this fish, he suggested he and his brother have a “see who can catch the biggest fish” contest!!!

PHOTO CAPTION: The #12 Pet Spoon was a “dead ringer” for the young-of-the-year shad the white bass are primarily feeding on right now.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: We followed the same successful pattern which has produced plenty of fish to keep kids’ attention ever since the high flows out of Lake Belton ended. We downrigged for the first 90 minutes of today’s trip ( about 10-20 minutes longer than on less clouded mornings). Due to the fishes’ aggressive attitude this morning on the heels of a cold front’s passage, we were able to work baits horizontally and vertically from a fixed position on three occasions after finding them with sonar while downrigging. Once that ended, we then headed up shallow to target panfish with slipfloats and bait, then ended the trip with another round of downrigging for additional, less aggressive, white bass.

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: The white bass we landed on downriggers all struck #12 Pet Spoons attached to 3-armed umbrella rigs fished precisely with downriggers to control the depth they were presented at. We worked new prototype lures horizontally, and we worked the MAL Dense with silver body vertically. Find umbrella rigs and MAL Lures here: https://whitebasstools.com/

TALLY: 88 fish caught and released (43 white bass, 1 largemouth bass, & a mixed bag of 40 panfish)

OBSERVATIONS:

1) The lake is still 1.28′ high, but the flow of water through the dam has decreased substantially.

2) The water looks like green/brown tea and is darker than usual.

3) All fish were taken in under 21′.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 10AM on July 17 …

0 feet – 86.4F

5 feet – 86.4F

10 feet – 86.4F

15 feet – 86.1F

20 feet – 86.1F

25 feet – 85.9F

30 feet – 85.5F

35 feet – 84.5F

40 feet – 83.4F

45 feet – 81.9F

50 feet – 81.2F

55 feet – 80.3F

60 feet – 79.7F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 6:20A

End Time: 9:55A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 73F

Elevation: 1.428 feet high and falling with a 541cfs flow, resulting in a 0.14′ fall over the last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 86.0F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW5-7 all morning following a line of thunderstorms which moved N to S and cleared our area right before 6:15AM on the lead edge of a mild cold front.

Sky Condition: Grey skies slowly lightened to high, thin white cloud cover by trip’s end

Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 90% illumination.

GT = N/A

Wx SNAPSHOT:

This was our forecast:

And this was the weather-maker moving south just in time. The blue dot is Lake Belton…

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Areas 1641 to 016 downrigging for 43 white bass & 1 largemouth bass

Area B0289G for 40 panfish

Area vic 1567 downrigging for 4 white bass

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

THE BOYS FROM FROST BROUGHT THE HEAT! — 89 FISH

July 17th, 2024July 17th, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS: Mr. Cody Ballew chaperoned his two sons, Emory (11) and Owen (7), for a kids-only fishing trip on Lake Belton this morning. The Ballew family is from the small town of Frost, population 620, located on Highway 22 between Corsicana and Hillsboro.

DATE: 17 July 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATE: Thursday, 01 Aug. (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Owen and Emory Ballew with a portion of their 89 fish catch from Lake Belton this morning.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: We targeted white bass on an all catch-and-release basis during the first 1.25 hours of this 3.5 hour trip. During this time, the kids landed 55 white bass (all legal), with more doubles and triples caught on the 3-armed umbrella rig than singles. The fish were pretty fired up this morning, but did not make much of an appearance on the surface anywhere due, in part, to the chop on the water. After the low-light bite died at 7:50, we invested about an hour into panfishing up shallow, adding another 23 fish to our count using slipfloats and bait. We closed the trip out with a final round of downrigging, which added a final 11 fish to our count, including 9 short white bass and 2 short hybrid.

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: The white bass we landed all struck #12 Pet Spoons attached to 3-armed umbrella rigs fished precisely with downriggers to control the depth they were presented at. Find umbrella rigs here: https://whitebasstools.com/

TALLY: 89 fish caught and released (64 white bass, 2 hybrid striped bass, & a mixed bag of 23 panfish)

OBSERVATIONS:

1) The lake is still 1.42′ high, but the flow of water through the dam has decreased substantially.

2) The water looks like green/brown tea and is darker than usual.

3) All fish were taken in under 21′.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 10AM on July 17 …

0 feet – 86.4F

5 feet – 86.4F

10 feet – 86.4F

15 feet – 86.1F

20 feet – 86.1F

25 feet – 85.9F

30 feet – 85.5F

35 feet – 84.5F

40 feet – 83.4F

45 feet – 81.9F

50 feet – 81.2F

55 feet – 80.3F

60 feet – 79.7F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 6:20A

End Time: 9:55A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 78F

Elevation: 1.42 feet high and falling with a 541cfs flow, resulting in a 0.20′ fall over the last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 86.1F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SSE7-10 through 9:15, then dropping to <SSE4 as high, off-white cloud cover moved in

Sky Condition: High, thin clouds gradually thickening over the course of the morning

Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 82% illumination.

GT = 65

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Areas 813 to 811 to B0279G downrigging for 55 white bass

Areas B0158C & B0029GC for 23 panfish

Area B0023G thru 1579 downrigging for 9 white bass & 2 hybrid

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

Fish … For All His Friends — 91 Fish Before it Got Toasty

July 16th, 2024July 16th, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS: Jose and Fridae Rodriguez treated their 10-year-old son, Alex, to a fishing trip to celebrate his birthday today. Joining him was his sister, Alayna (age 11), and his buddy, Wyatt Otto (age 12).

DATE: 16 July 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATE: Thursday, 01 Aug. (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Alayna and Alex Rodriguez and Wyatt Otto with a portion of their 91 fish catch taken on Lake Belton in celebration of Alex’s 10th birthday.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: We targeted white bass on an all catch-and-release basis during the first 1.5 hours of this 3.5 hour trip. During this time, the kids landed 52 white bass (all legal), with more doubles and triples caught on the 3-armed umbrella rig than singles. The fish were pretty fired up this morning, but did not make much of an appearance on the surface anywhere. After the low-light bite died at 7:50, we searched for about 25 minutes without success for additional groups of white bass to target. We then invested about an hour into panfishing up shallow, adding another 25 fish to our count, including sunfish, largemouth, and smallmouth. We closed the trip out with a final round of downrigging, which added a final 14 fish to our count, including 13 short white bass and 1 freshwater drum.

TALLY: 91 fish caught and released (65 white bass, 1 drum, 3 largemouth bass, 1 smallmouth bass, & a mixed bag of 21 panfish)

OBSERVATIONS:

1) The lake is still 1.62′ high, but the flow of water through the dam has decreased substantially.

2) The water looks like green/brown tea and is darker than usual.

3) All fish were taken in under 21′.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device before sunrise on July 12 …

0 feet 86.1F

5 feet 86.8F

10 feet 86.5F

15 feet 86.1F

20 feet 85.3F

25 feet 84.7F

30 feet 83.4F

35 feet 82.7F

40 feet 82.1F

45 feet 81.2F

50 feet 79.9F

55 feet 79.2F

60 feet 78.4F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 6:20A

End Time: 10:10A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 78F

Elevation: 1.62 feet high and falling with a 594 cfs flow, resulting in a 0.24′ fall over the last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 86.1F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SSE5-8 all morning

Sky Condition: Hazy, cloudless skies

Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 75% illumination.

GT = 30

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Areas B0104C and B0279G downrigging for white bass

Areas B0035G & B0163C for panfish

Area B0023G thru 1579 downrigging for white bass

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

Soldiers’ Sons Get it Done — 75 Fish via S.K.I.F.F. Program

July 15th, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS: Mrs. Shayla Morris chaperoned her two boys, Christopher (9) and Benny (4) on this free Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun (SKIFF) trip, while U.S. Army Specialist Dustin Morris is deployed to Europe.

DATE: 15 July 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATE: Thursday, 18 July (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: Christopher Morris, the son of SPC Dustin Morris and his wife, Shayla, was eager to learn and did quite well today handling both white bass and panfish as we took to Lake Belton during the cool of the morning.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: We targeted white bass on an all catch-and-release basis during the first 1.5 hours of this 3.5 hour trip. During this time, the boys landed 26 white bass. All of these fish were taken on 3-arm umbrella rigs via downrigging. During the remaining 2 hours we fished flooded shoreline brush for panfish using poles and live bait under slipfloats.

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: The white bass we landed all struck #12 Pet Spoons attached to 3–armed umbrella rigs fished precisely with downriggers to control the depth they were presented at. Find umbrella rigs here: https://whitebasstools.com/

TALLY: 75 fish caught and released (26 white bass & a mixed bag of 49 panfish)

OBSERVATIONS:

1) The lake is still 1.87′ high, but the flow of water through the dam has decreased substantially.

2) The water looks like green/brown tea and is darker than usual.

3) All fish were taken in under 21′.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device before sunrise on July 12 …

0 feet 86.1F

5 feet 86.8F

10 feet 86.5F

15 feet 86.1F

20 feet 85.3F

25 feet 84.7F

30 feet 83.4F

35 feet 82.7F

40 feet 82.1F

45 feet 81.2F

50 feet 79.9F

55 feet 79.2F

60 feet 78.4F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 6:20A

End Time: 9:50A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 73F

Elevation: 1.87 feet high and falling with a 1083 cfs flow, resulting in a 0.25′ fall over the last 24 hours

Water Surface Temp: 86.1F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SSE5-8 all morning

Sky Condition: Hazy, cloudless skies

Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous moon at 65% illumination.

GT = N/A

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Areas B0165C and B0279G downrigging for white bass

Areas 1583 & 492 for panfish

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

FISHING RESUMES!! – 72 Fish w/ Soldiers’ Kids

July 12th, 2024July 14th, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS: Mrs. Brittani Barber chaperoned her two boys, Colton (10) and Logan (7) on this Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun (SKIFF) trip.

DATE: 12 July 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATE: Thursday, 18 July (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: The sons of U.S. Army First Sergeant Matthew Barber were chaperoned by their mother, Brittani Barber, on the first SKIFF trip I conducted since flooding closed Belton and Stillhouse in late May. Logan (left) and Colton landed 72 fish during their 3.5 hour adventure.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: We targeted white bass on an all catch-and-release basis during the first 2 hours of this 3.5 hour trip. During this time, the boys landed 44 fish, including 41 white bass and 3 largemouth bass. All of these fish were taken on 3- and 4-arm umbrella rigs via downrigging. During the remaining 90 minutes we fished flooded shoreline brush for panfish using poles and live bait under slipfloats.

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: The white bass we landed all bit #12 Pet Spoons attached to 3- and 4-armed umbrella rigs fished precisely with downriggers to control the depth they were presented at. Find umbrella rigs here: https://whitebasstools.com/

TALLY: 72 fish caught and released (41 white bass, 3 largemouth bass, & a mixed bag of 28 panfish)

OBSERVATIONS:

1) The lake is still ~3′ high, but the flow of water through the dam has decreased substantially.

2) The water looks like green/brown tea and is darker than usual.

3) All fish were taken in under 22′.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device before sunrise on July 12 …

0 feet 86.1F

5 feet 86.8F

10 feet 86.5F

15 feet 86.1F

20 feet 85.3F

25 feet 84.7F

30 feet 83.4F

35 feet 82.7F

40 feet 82.1F

45 feet 81.2F

50 feet 79.9F

55 feet 79.2F

60 feet 78.4F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 6:20A

End Time: 9:50A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 73F

Elevation: 2.54 feet high and falling with a 1084 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 86.1F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SSW2-5 all morning

Sky Condition: Hazy, cloudless skies

Moon Phase: Waxing crescent moon at 37% illumination.

GT = N/A

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Areas 811 thru 1812 for white bass

Areas 502 & 492 for panfish

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

Stillhouse Reopening Trip – 16 Fish

July 10th, 2024July 15th, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

Colton Carlile displays one of the 16 fish caught on Wednesday morning as Stillhouse Hollow Lake’s public boat ramps, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, began reopening. Flooding has almost completely wiped out the many hundreds of acres of hydrilla which had helped boost largemouth bass fishing on that body of water.Courtesy | Holding the Line Guide Service

After being closed for more than six weeks due to flooding, the four-lane Union Grove boat ramp at Stillhouse Hollow Lake reopened on Sunday, July 7. Shortly thereafter, on Friday, the four-lane boat ramp at Stillhouse Park reopened as well.

Union Grove was the last of the five public boat ramps to close on Stillhouse, due to its slightly greater elevation. That took place on May 22 as the Lampasas River brought runoff into the

reservoir much more quickly than could be released through the dam.

On the date of that closure, the elevation of the reservoir was 10.13 feet above normal. The lake would go on to rise to a peak of 15.95 feet above normal on May 25 before starting to slowly recede as the rainy spring weather pattern gave way to hotter, dryer summertime conditions.

All told, the reservoir rose an amazing 32 feet over a short period, going from 16.25 feet low on April 7 to nearly 16 feet high by May 25.

I ventured back out on the lake to conduct my first guided trip there since May 22 on Wednesday.

I welcomed 18 Colton Carlile aboard for a four-hour morning trip targeting white bass.

Try as he might, Carlile, after at least 20 solo attempts at catching a fish, primarily from the shoreline at Sammons Park in Temple, had yet to catch the first fish of his life.

Carlile’s grandmother, Candy Carlile, treated Colton to a guided trip with me in celebration of his 18th birthday.

I arrived about 30 minutes early to prepare the boat for his arrival.

Having fished this body of water for 32 years now, I have a pretty good sense for what the lake’s normal condition is. So, abnormalities tend to really jump out at me.

Those abnormalities I immediately recognized were: 1) the color of the water was abnormal, appearing like that of dark green tea, 2) there was a foul odor of rotting vegetation present, 3) there was an abundance of flies present, and 4) I found the hydrilla had been nearly completely wiped out.

This last observation is the most significant, as it is that hydrilla which, after 20 years of slow but steady spread over the entire reservoir, helped boost the number and size of the lake’s largemouth bass population to the best it has ever been in 2023 and into the spring of 2024.

Now, isolated wood and rock cover, and the sparse terrestrial vegetation which was growing on land until the recent flooding covered it, are all the largemouth bass will have to gravitate to, much the way it was from the mid-1990s and earlier, before hydrilla took hold in the lake.

Although the hydrilla will certainly return, it will be a lengthy process measured in years.

As Colton and I got going, we got to know each other a bit as we headed out to the first fishing area of the morning. Having just graduated from Lake Belton High School, Colton is soon to head off to basic training with the United States Air Force in San Antonio.

Having already earned his pilot’s license, Colton desires to eventually fly tactical aircraft.

This first trip back on Stillhouse was much like my first trip back on Belton Lake the previous week. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was still flushing a lot of water through the dam, and I saw a horizontal band of life from 30 to 35 feet down with most of the gamefish and shad I saw all morning positioned there.

Colton and I worked downriggers to find fish, then stopped when we encountered a concentration of fish, in order to take advantage of what we had found.

I used three- and four-armed umbrella rigs equipped with small Pet Spoons on the downriggers and we used MAL Dense Lures with silver bodies to fish vertically once we located concentrations of fish.

Fishing was tough, just as it was over at Belton, and our catch was below average, even for the summer, but even that was exponentially more productive than that which Colton had experienced previously, so he was quite happy with the results.

Over the course of the morning, we landed a total of 16 fish, including three legal largemouth bass up to 3.75 pounds, and 13 white bass, of which 12 were of legal size.

As both Stillhouse and Belton continue to fall back to normal levels, the amount of water USACE is releasing will slowly decrease. Once the flow is reduced, a new normal will exist which the fish will

quickly adapt to, and fishing will become more consistent.

Belton Reopening Trip – 16 Fish

July 3rd, 2024July 15th, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

Bob Maindelle Guide Lines July 7 — From left, three generations of Olivers — Joe, Thomas, Presley, Cullen, Harper and Corey — were among the first to take back to the waters of Belton Lake since all public boat ramps shut down due to flooding in May. Although Belton Lake’s ramps are reopening, other amenities will lag far behind due to flood damage.

Courtesy | Holding the Line Guide Service

On June 29, as a number of local anglers and I were setting up our booths at the fishing tackle swap meet hosted by Marine Outlet in Temple, social media began to buzz about access returning to Belton Lake.

Weekend anglers reported the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had opened the boat ramps at White Flint Park and at Leona Park, both located adjacent to the Highway 36 bridge spanning the Leon River on the upper end of the lake.

As the past week unfolded, Temple Lake Park’s north boat ramp, Rogers Park boat ramp, Arrowhead Point boat ramp, the boat ramp adjacent to Frank’s Marina and the boat ramp at Westcliff Park all reopened.

USACE indicates that Stillhouse Hollow Lake’s ramps should begin reopening toward the middle of July.

Please do not read more into this than I have stated. The boat ramps on Belton Leek are open. Period.

The courtesy docks are generally still inaccessible due to remaining flood waters. The day-use areas are closed. The restroom facilities are closed. Further, there are plenty of underwater objects in and around the boat ramps to be aware of.

The 8×8 timbers the USACE uses to cordon off areas to vehicular traffic, signposts, rip rap and the cables used to tether the courtesy docks are now just under the surface of the water.

As was the case when the lake was extraordinarily low, and again as flooding began in May, there are currently no improved areas at which to secure a boat to once it is launched. Hence, boaters need to survey the area before launching to decide if/where they will ground their boat as they leave it behind to go park their tow vehicle and trailer.

Additionally, because courtesy docks are not accessible, boaters will not be able to simply step down off such a dock to get into their boats. Rather, boaters will likely have to step up and over the bow of their boats to get in.

Some boats with high bows, like many center consoles, runabouts, and ski and wake boats will have their bow so high when grounded that passengers may not be able to climb in without assistance from a stepstool of some sort. Word to the wise … think this through and be prepared.

Next, let us talk about the fishing. As I have written many times in this column, fish tend to respond negatively to extensive environmental change if it happens in a short period of time.

Well, this week as USACE continued to gush water out of Belton Lake at a rate of around 3,200 cubic feet per second, the lake dropped just over a half of a foot per day each day this week. That rapid fall is an example of a lot of environmental change in a short period of time, and the fishing reflected that.

I took my first group of anglers out on Belton Lake since the boat ramps shut down on May 13. This was a multi-generational trip and a summertime tradition for the family I took — the Olivers. With one adult son, Corey, living out West and another son and daughter, Thomas and Amber, leading busy lives as with their own children here in Central Texas, it was a “now or never” proposition calendar-wise.

I launched my boat before dawn on Wednesday. I immediately noticed how off-colored the water was as I filled up my 30-gallon livewell. The water had a dark olive-brown tint to it and, although it was not muddy, it did not inspire confidence when it comes to catching white bass and hybrid striped bass, which are primarily sight-feeders.

We covered a lot of ground early in the morning under low-light conditions looking for topwater action.

Normally, by early July, and especially with high pressure weather, light winds and a dark moon (all of which were in place on Wednesday), topwater feeding activity would be readily found.

I checked the Cowhouse Creek arm, the main lake, and well up into the Leon River arm. I found no topwater action whatsoever.

I did note that wherever we went there was a horizontal band of life from 20 to 25 feet below the surface, despite the fact that a true thermocline has not set up yet.

I opted to cover ground with downriggers while closely watching sonar for groups of fish I could park over top of and have my crew work vertically for.

Around 10 a.m., in the Leon River arm, the movement of a white heron caught my eye as we were moving from one area to another. I headed in that direction to investigate and found young-of-the-year white bass, which were all about 3½ inches long, feeding on tiny, young-of-the-year shad.

These white bass emerged to feed on the surface three or four times over the span of about 15 minutes, but I never found any larger fish mixed in with them.

We fished a full four-plus hours, landed 13 short white bass, two short hybrid striped bass andone 6.25-pound blue catfish.

Time will only tell whether Hurricane Beryl will bring a deluge, miss us altogether or bring something in between. Regardless, I suspect the fishing will not greatly improve until the rapid release of water comes to an end.

In the meantime, downrigging, flatline trolling, or trolling with Jet Divers and/or Dipsey Divers to cover lots of water will be the ticket to white bass and hybrid striped bass action. Having a topwater rod at the ready rigged with a small, shad-imitating bait will also come in handy as these predators blitz briefly on the surface, then disappear.

Daddy-Daughter Time on Lake Georgetown — 60 Fish

May 31st, 2024May 31st, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

ABOARD THE BOAT TODAY: This morning I was joined by Dr. Patrick Lin and his (almost) 10-year-old daughter, Aubri. Both fished with me once before back in mid-April of 2023.

Although I’d certainly prefer to guide on Stillhouse or Belton, which are both now closed due to flooding, I am offering some clients the option of fishing on Lake Georgetown if they wish. Generally, older kids with prior fishing experience and adults will be able to take on the technical fishing Georgetown offers.

DATE: 30 May 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: To be determined based on flooded conditions on Lake Belton & Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

PHOTO CAPTION: Patrick and Aubri Li enjoyed some father-daughter time on Lake Georgetown. We pursued white bass through around 10A, then turned our focus to sunfish in the newly flooded shoreline vegetation.

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Georgetown

SHORT SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED: Low-growing hydrilla made side-imaging difficult for finding fish, so, we had to rely on DI and 2D. Just a fish or two suspended off bottom gave away the position of many more not showing as well from directly above. We Spot Locked, used the splasher to draw fish in, then fished MAL Dense lures vertically, aided by Garmin Live Scope to target individual fish or schools of fish by timing the rise of the lure to intersect with their direction of travel. The last white bass we caught came at 10:10, but the bite had really dropped off by 9:40. We spent the last 45 minutes up shallow hunting sunfish for Aubri. She landed a mix of 10 bluegill and longears on a slipfloat rig with live bait.

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: We used the new MAL Dense with silver body for vertical work and took all of our white bass on it. Used a slipfloat with live bait for sunfish. Find these lures at the Liberty Mart Exxon uphill from Temple Lake Park on Lake Belton, or go here: https://whitebasstools.com/

TUTORIAL LINK FOR SAWTOOTH & SMOKING TACTICS:

Sawtooth Method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3FMEQHOMQ&t=89s

Smoking Tactic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDSvfXgrAUE&t=56s

TALLY: 60 fish caught and released (50 white bass 10 sunfish)

OBSERVATIONS:

1) The lake rose 2′ in the last several weeks but was still very clear.

2) Low-growing hydrilla hindered SI use.

3) Most of the fish we caught came from traveling, suspended schools, not from bottom.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Not measured today.

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:00A

End Time: 11:00A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 74F

Elevation: 2.7 feet low and rising slowly, with no release

Water Surface Temp: 77.6F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SSE8-12 all morning

Sky Condition:100% grey cloud cover through 9:30, then short bursts of sun came through more broken 80% grey cloud cover as winds begin to puff at that same time.

Moon Phase: Last quarter moon at 53% illumination.

GT = 55

Wx SNAPSHOT:

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Areas GTJUN24001, vic GTMAY24002, and GTJUN24002 produced our white bass

Areas GTJUN24003 & GTJUN24004 produced our sunfish

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

Holding The Line Guide Service

We Threaded the Eye of the Weather Needle — 66 Fish

The Command Sergeant Major “Coined” Me!! — 90 Fish

HEY, DAD! ARE THEY BITIN’ LIKE THIS IN POLAND? — 88 FISH

THE BOYS FROM FROST BROUGHT THE HEAT! — 89 FISH

Fish … For All His Friends — 91 Fish Before it Got Toasty

Soldiers’ Sons Get it Done — 75 Fish via S.K.I.F.F. Program

FISHING RESUMES!! – 72 Fish w/ Soldiers’ Kids

Stillhouse Reopening Trip – 16 Fish

BOB MAINDELLE: Boat ramps open at Stillhouse; hydrilla wiped out

Belton Reopening Trip – 16 Fish

BOB MAINDELLE: Boat ramps at Belton Lake are open

Daddy-Daughter Time on Lake Georgetown — 60 Fish