ALL ABOUT EATER CATFISH – 21 FISH @ BELTON

WHO I FISHED WITH:  This past Friday evening, May 1st, I welcomed returning guests Rick Powell and Ricardo Cisneros aboard.  During the Coronavirus shutdown, I took my wife, Rebecca, and a handful of friends out fishing specifically for blue catfish on Lake Belton.  Ricardo, who regularly follows my Facebook posts, saw this and hoped to duplicate the effort on occasions where he hoped to catch a few “eating-sized” catfish (12+ inches).

He requested I take he and his friend (and boss) Rick Powell out to show them what I’d learned.

No, I’m not starting to guide for catfish and don’t intend to do so in the future, but, as the fishery offers consistency and as the quality of these fish continue to improve on Lake Belton (due to zebra mussel consumption, I suspect), I will no doubt routinely mix in some catfishing in my multi-species trips. Additionally, my 100% C&R policy still pertains to this species.

 

PHOTO CAPTION: This is what the methods I’ve pieced together (with a good bit of help from Steve Webb) typically produce – smaller “eater-sized” blue catfish, two of which provide 4 fillets — just enough for a 1-person serving if kept and cleaned properly. Most fish are 12-15 inches, like this one held by Ricardo Cisneros.

WHEN WE FISHED:  01 May, 2020, PM

HOW WE FISHED: First, I search for blue catfish concentrations on sonar.  Next, I Spot-Lock and chum with range cubes, then get right down to fishing vertically with my “Catfish Plumb” bait holders tipped with fresh, dead shad or non-stink doughbait.  To enhance things, I’ve brought Garmin LiveScope to bear, which allows slightly suspended fish to be targeted.  Otherwise, the default bait position is just inches off bottom.

Concentration is a must, as the catfish typically take only one swipe at the bait, during which time a quick, hard hookset is a must.

In 3.5 hours’ time, some of which was set aside for Humminbird side-imaging explanation and Garmin LiveScope explanation, we put 22 blue cat over the side of the boat with just as many missed on the hookset.

 

TALLY: 22 fish caught and released

OBSERVATIONS: As I searched for spawning shad, a definite, shallow-water and shad-oriented fishery is also ripe for picking, albeit short-lived with the action drying up about the time the direct sun peeks over the eastern horizon.

 

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time:   4:00P

End Time:  7:30P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 82F

Elevation:  0.77′  high, 0.06 foot 24-hour rise, 17 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp:  70F

Wind Speed & Direction:  S17 at trip’s start, tapering to S14 by trip’s end

Sky Conditions: 30% high white haze on blue skies

GT =28

 

Wx SNAPSHOT:   

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

**Area vic B0073C (fished it at start of trip and end of trip with 2 other non-productive stops in between)

 

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)

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Website: www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

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FINGER LICKIN’ FISHIN’ – 220 FISH @ BELTON

WHO I FISHED WITH:  This past Saturday morning I fished with Mr. Kelvin Gladden, his son, Kelvin Jr., and two of Kelvin’s neighbors, Mr. Frank Hatcher, and Mr. Terrance Blackmon, all of Harker Heights, TX.  This was a great crew, and, they brought great food, featuring buttermilk marinated crispy-fried chicken.  We wound up with 220 fish in right at 4 hours of fishing under great conditions (grey skies, breezy S. winds, and in the midst of a warming trend – our 3rd such Saturday in a row).

 

Kelvin Gladden, the trip coordinator, with a very healthy Lake Belton hybrid striped bass taken on live shad.

Frank Hatcher of Harker Heights with a 22 3/8″ hybrid taken between 10 and 11 a.m. as we fished live bait successfully for this species, and for largemouth bass.

 

From left: Kelvin Gladden Jr., Frank Hatcher, Kelvin Gladden, and Terrance Blackmon, all of Harker Heights, each with a 2-year class white bass of the 197 we took in our first 3 hours of fishing with slabs to which I had affixed Hazy Eye Stinger hooks.

 

WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This was a multi-species trip in which we fished for white bass, hybrid stripers, and largemouth.

WHERE WE FISHED: Belton Lake

WHEN WE FISHED: Saturday morning, 31 March 2018

HOW WE FISHED:    We put in a solid 3 hours in pursuit of white bass and, by 10:15 left them biting to pursue larger fish.  The white bass bite was very strong this morning, tapering quickly upward about 30 minutes after sunrise, and strengthening as the wind and grey cloud cover increased.  We caught 197 white bass, 2 freshwater drum, and 1 largemouth vertical jigging with slabs to which I attached Hazy Eye Stinger hooks.  The fish were all in the lower third of the water column.  At 10:15, we “left fish to find fish” and were fortunate to find somewhat active hybrid striped bass, largemouth bass, and white bass, all mixed together and feeding on shad.  We suspended our lively threadfin shad baits on circle hooks at both 27’ and 35’ over a deeper bottom and landed another 20 fish in our final hour on the water, including multiple keeper hybrid, multiple keeper white bass, and multiple keeper largemouth bass.

OBSERVATIONS/NOTES:   1) Next to zero bird activity.  Most all fish-finding now based on sonar use.

TALLY: 220 FISH, ALL CAUGHT AND RELEASED 

 

TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:

Start Time: 7:15a

End Time: 11:30a

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 54F

Water Surface Temp:  65.3 to 66.7F

Wind Speed & Direction:   S9-13

Sky Conditions: Low grey cloud cover obscured the direct sun all morning, but with “squinting” light levels

Water Level: 2.19 feet low

GT = 0

 

Wx SNAPSHOT:

N/A

 

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

 

**Area B0066c – smoking white bass (visited twice with bite more solid on second visit)

**Area vic B0054C – smoking white bass

**Area B0067C – live shad for mix of 20 hybrid, largemouth, and white bass

 

Bob Maindelle, Central Texas Fishing Guide

Owner, Holding the Line Guide Service

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