Central Texas White Bass Run 2024

BACHELOR PARTY!! — 145 FISH ON BLADED HAZY EYE SLABS

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH:  This morning, Saturday, March 2, I fished with a crew of five on a bachelor party outing in advance of Jeff Rose’s wedding to be held in mid-March.

The five fellows joining me either are now, or have been in the past, affiliated with the Temple Independent School District where they help maintain the district’s bus fleet.

Although all had fished before, none had fished the way we approached the white bass fishing this morning.

Here is how the fishing went…

Next available dates are 27-29 Feb. (AMs)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: John Cooper, Lindsey Davis, George Bell, James Horton, and Jeff Rose with a few of the 145 fish they caught and released this morning, March 2nd.

 

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Saturday, 02 March. 2024 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

After record high temps around 90F on Monday and Tuesday, we dropped back down with highs at only 54F on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday warmed up, but the lack of cloud cover put us back at 46F on the boat ramp before sunrise this morning.

We had some light fog and (worst of all) calm winds with clear, bright skies until around 9:30.  Our results up until 9:30 reflected the tough conditions with only 6 fish landed in two hours of effort.  At exactly 9:34, the lightest ripple of wind approached from the SW with no calm patches remaining upwind.  The fishing turned around “big time” once this wind began.  From 9:30 until 12:20, my five man crew (now VERY well practiced at the tactics they needed to employ) took full advantage of the improving bite.

The fish went strong for a full hour, then slacked off as the wind slacked off for about 20 minutes  — from about 10:40 to 11:00.  The wind picked back up and then blew even stronger than it did earlier from 11AM until we wrapped up at 12:20.

During the entire morning we used only one tactic and only one bait.  Everyone had the white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab tied on and used it with a slow-smoking tactic.  The fish were very choosy as to retrieve speed.  I helped everyone zero in on the correct retrieve speed by using my thumper as a metronome beating faster when the wind blew and the fish swam and chased aggressively, and beating more slowly when the wind was light and the fish were more lethargic.

We closed out the trip with a grand total of 145 fish landed, including 1 largemouth bass, 2 freshwater drum, and 142 white bass.

Here is a tutorial on the snap-jigging method … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtrnAQ_T94&t=55s

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

TALLY: 145 fish caught and released 

 

OBSERVATIONS:  Here was the water temperature measured in 5′ increments from the surface to the bottom in 50′ this morning, 02 March…

0 feet, 58.3F
5 feet, 58.9F
10 feet, 58.9F
15 feet, 58.7F
20 feet, 58.4F
25 feet, 58.3F
30 feet, 57.1F
35 feet, 55.6F
40 feet, 54.3F
45 feet, 53.6F
50 feet, 52.9F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:20A

End Time: 12:20A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 649F

Elevation: 16.84 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 57.8F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: Calm for 2 hours, then going SW 4-11 for the rest of the morning

Sky Condition: Pale blue skies w/ no cloud cover after a light lake fog cleared by 8:10A

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 61% illumination.

GT = 0

 

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Vic 350, SH0044C, 2022, SH0260G, SH0268G, SH0269G (3 hops), SH0283G (2 hops), vic 980

 

Bob Maindelle

Full-time, Professional Fishing Guide and Owner of Holding the Line Guide Service

Belton Lake Fishing Guide, Stillhouse Hollow Fishing Guide

254.368.7411 (call or text)

Website: www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bobmaindelle

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

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM!! — 57 FISH WITH THE GARZAS

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH:  This morning, Thursday, February 22, I fished with father and son Jason and Kash Garza (age 8). We were originally scheduled for Saturday, February 10th, in the morning, got rained out, then rescheduled for that afternoon, only to have thunderstorms develop to our west as I was literally in the act of launching my boat.

 

The third time was a charm however, as this morning’s wind and weather, and the warming trend we have enjoyed since late January, all worked together to really get the white bass fishing more reliable and productive.

 

A friendly wager was made right at the onset of the trip, with $1.00 riding on the largest fish, and another dollar riding on the most fish. Kash declined the option for $1.00 for the smallest fish.

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 Feb. 26-29 (AMs)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Jason and Kash Garza with a few of the tanker-sized whites they landed.  The one in Kash’s right hand (photo left) measured 14 7/8 inches and was ripe with eggs.

PHOTO CAPTION: Certified scale read 5.00 pounds!!  From just over 40 feet of water — it came off the bottom whereas the white bass were suspended up higher.

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Thursday, 15 Feb. 2023 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

We had a change of weather forecast today with west-southwesterly winds at 9 to 12 this morning in advance of a very mild, dry cold front due in at early afternoon.

 

This fairly thick gray cloud cover kept the early morning bite a bit subdued and the fish really tight to bottom, but, as the clouds thinned and we saw the first broken rays of direct sun come through at mid morning, the fishing picked up as the fish began to patrol more quickly and to lift up off the bottom for the first time all day.

 

For both simplicity sake, and because it is simply very effective right now, I had both clients use spinning tackle to present white, 5/8-ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs vertically in conjunction with both Garmin LiveScope and my thumping device which serves a second purpose as a metronome helping clients keep their retrieve speed satisfactory.

 

The fishing was very straightforward. When small schools of white bass passed from left to right or right to left on the screen, I had Kash and Jason essentially intercept them with their rising lures to draw strikes.

 

When all was said and done, father and son had landed a total of 57 fish including 7 largemouth bass, 1 freshwater drum, and 49 white bass. This all took place in under 3 hours’ time, as Jason planned to get Kash back to Central Texas Christian School to finish out the day.

 

Birds remain helpful in finding fish during the first two hours following sunrise, afterwhich fish must be found with sonar exclusively.

Here is a tutorial on the snap-jigging method we used … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtrnAQ_T94&t=55s

 

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

TALLY: 57 fish caught and released.

 

OBSERVATIONS:  Here was the water temperature profile taken on 22 Feb.:

0 feet, 57.2F
5 feet, 56.0F
10 feet, 55.2F
15 feet, 54.5F
20 feet, 54.2F
25 feet, 54.0F
30 feet, 53.9F
35 feet, 53.5F
40 feet, 52.9F
45 feet, 52.5F
50 feet, 52.2F

 

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:30A

End Time: 10:15A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 63F

Elevation: 16.76 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 57.2F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: WSW winds 9-12

Sky Condition: Grey cloud cover at near 100% for two hours, then slowly thinning

Moon Phase: Waxing crescent moon at 96% illumination.

GT = 5

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area vic SH0080C (3 fish), Area 265 (9 fish), Area SH0240G (39 fish), Area 1692 (6 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)

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 #SubaruAustin

PRESIDENTS’ DAY AFTERNOON – 59 FISH WITH CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER QUINTANA’S SON

by Bob Maindelle

WHO I FISHED WITH: This Presidents’ Day Monday I set aside both my morning and evening trips to take soldiers’ kids out on the water fishing through the SKIFF program.

This afternoon I welcomed aboard Sebastian Quintana (age 17). Sebastian is a junior at one of Killeen’s high school and has plans to pursue veterinary science in college following graduation.  He is the currently the proud owner of two turtles, a dog, and a bird.
Sebastian’s father, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 William Quintana, has served for 18 years.  He is currently deployed within the Americas in the aviation maintenance field on a year-long mission.  Sebastian’s younger brother, Mateo, was slated to join us, but wasn’t feeling well.  Mrs. Farah Quintana, Sebastian’s mom, and a native of the Dominican Republic, joined us.
ABOUT SKIFF:  SKIFF trips have been provided to military families at no charge since May of 2009.  SKIFF is funded by donations from Austin Fly Fishers, The McBride Foundation, & Austin Subaru.  S.K.I.F.F. provides children of military personnel separated from their families by duty commitments with the opportunity to fish.  SKIFF trips are also provided to Gold Star families who have lost their service member.  In mid-2019, SKIFF began providing trips to kids of bona fide disabled veterans.  I conduct these 3.5 hour adventures on Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir year ’round.  Call or text 254.368.7411.
Next available dates are 26-29 Feb. (AMs)
Here is how the fishing went…

PHOTO CAPTION: The white bass were pretty “perky” this afternoon and readily chased Sebastian’s well-presented slab.

 

PHOTO CAPTION: From October through early March, largemouth bass and freshwater drum are a consistent bycatch as we target white bass.  Today proved no different.

 

PHOTO CAPTION:  Oddly, despite pursuing white bass, our first three fish landed this afternoon were all drum (and the only drum we would land).

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

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

WHEN WE FISHED: Monday, 19 Feb. 2024 (PM)

HOW WE FISHED: 

I opted to take Sebastian to Lake Belton this afternoon because Stillhouse typically does not fish well in the afternoon, and that is especially true if it has produced well in the morning, which it did today.

 

I arrived well in advance of our start time to give myself some time to do a little scouting to see if I could find fish and/or bait. I was able to locate two small groups of fish in about 27 feet of water. The fact that they were both in the same depth of water was, in itself, helpful as it gave me a starting point for my search for fish for the remainder of the trip.

 

As we got underway, I returned to these two areas, finding nothing still present at the 1st and catching 3 drum at the 2nd, while also seeing a few small, suspended schools of white bass zip by.

 

We would go on to fish 4 additional areas, each progressively further up one of Lake Belton’s tributaries

 

At each of the four locations I found tightly grouped white bass on a “shoulder” area and found these fish were already up off the bottom and in a feeding posture when we found them. Such an appearance on sonar typically means very easy fishing. Indeed, Sebastian simply dropped a white, 5/8-ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slab to the bottom and began cranking it upwards keeping beat with the rhythm created by the thumper. The fish just drilled his bait repeatedly.

 

By the time the fish played out at the final area we would fish, it was 4:45 PM. Although the air temperature was in the high 60s, the water temperature was in the low 50s, thus it was chilly on the surface, and both Farah and Sebastian had dressed a bit lightly. They had both had enough of the outdoors by this time, and we rode back in well before the sun began to set, which would only serve to make it even cooler.

 

For his efforts, we boated 59 fish including three freshwater drum, one short hybrid, one largemouth bass and 54 white bass. Although most of these white bass were legal, many were barely so.

A note: we witnessed no helpful bird activity, despite literally hundreds of ring-billed gulls rafted and resting on the surface between Frank’s Marina and Westcliff Park.

Here is a tutorial on the snap-jigging method … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtrnAQ_T94&t=55s

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

TALLY: 59 fish caught and released 

 

OBSERVATIONS: I spotted the first mosquito hawk of the spring this morning, and the first red-winged blackbird just showed up at our bird feeder.

 

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 2:15P

End Time: 4:45P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 66F

Elevation: 12.48 feet low, 1 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 52.1 F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SSW 11 all afternoon

Sky Condition: Cloudless, pale blue skies

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 78% illumination.

GT = N/A

 

Wx SNAPSHOT:    

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:  

Area 472/B0042C (3 drum), Area 714 (3 fish), Area B0120C/B0169G (24 fish), Area B0118C (17 fish), Area vic B0186C (12 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)

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