Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun – 53 Fish & a TPWD Award
CLIENTS: This past Wednesday evening, October 7, I conducted the 17th SKIFF trip of the 2026 season. Joining me was Michael F. of Harker Heights Heights, accompanied by his mother.
Michael’s mom is a U.S. Army retiree and disabled veteran. She retired after 20 years of service spent in both administrative roles and in cyber security roles. This family heard of the SKIFF program via the Killeen Parks and Recreation Department.
Michael had been fishing only one time before and had never landed a fish.
ABOUT SKIFF: Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun (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, The Great Place Spouses’ Club, The Great Place Thrift Store, and VFW Post 4008 in Belton, TX. SKIFF provides kids of military members 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, and 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 to make your reservation. We’ve provided trips for over 660 children, and those kids have landed over 18,000 fish.
TODAY’S DATE: 08 October 2026 (AM)
NEXT OPEN MORNING DATES: 19-22 Oct. 2026
NEXT OPEN AFTERNOON DATES: 19-22 Oct. 2026
PHOTO CAPTION: For privacy reasons, Michael’s mother requested his image not be shown on social media.
SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:
As we left the dock, Mission #1 was to get Michael’s first fish in the boat thus allowing him to earn a TPWD First Fish Award. That task was accomplished within minutes of leaving the dock. A very cooperative school of white bass was hugging bottom in about 44 feet of water and, thanks to a roughly 9 mph breeze blowing from the north west these fish stayed active long enough for Michael to land exactly 30 before his right hand began to cramp up due to all the fish he was catching.
For this vertical style of fishing, Michael used the MAL Dense with silver body and chartreuse tail. All of the white bass landed were of legal size.
We decided to move on and target sunfish up in shallow, visible cover next.
This worked out quite well. Despite just about launching the first sunfish which bit his bait into orbit with an overly exuberant hookset, Michael quickly realized what needed to be done, settled into a groove, and went on to land a total of 13 sunfish, taking his trip tally up to 43 fish landed.
With his right hand now rested, Michael felt he could once again pursue the mighty white bass. We headed back out to deep, open water, found yet another cooperative school of fish with the wind still blowing from the northwest, although not at quite the velocity it had been earlier.
Using the MAL Dense with silver body and chartreuse tail, Michael closed out the trip with 10 additional white bass landed, bringing his final tally to 53 fish and a hard-earned TPWD First Fish Award under his belt.
RESULTS: 53 fish, all caught and released
WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton
FIND LURES HERE: https://whitebasstools.com/
SEE THE “SMOKING TACTIC” TUTORIAL HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3FMEQHOMQ
OBSERVATIONS:
-Last week’s cold front and associated rains brought water temperatures down significantly and have brought us to the cusp of fantastic fall fishing. I’ve found more fish on bottom in more places than at any time since the thermocline formed earlier this summer and the fish have been very aggressive.
LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:
Taken on Lake Belton on 07 Oct. 2026, approx. 2:30PM ..
0 feet 81.7F
5 feet 81.9F
10 feet 81.3F
15 feet 81.1F
20 feet 80.9F
25 feet 80.7F
30 feet 80.7F
35 feet 80.7F
40 feet 80.5F
45 feet 79.9F
50 feet 73.1F
55 feet 70.2F
60 feet 68.4F
65 feet 66.4F
Taken on Lake Belton on 29 Sep. 2026, approx. 6:50AM…
0 feet 84.7F
5 feet 84.8F
10 feet 84.8F
15 feet 84.8F
20 feet 84.8F
25 feet84.8F
30 feet 84.8F
35 feet 84.3F
40 feet 79.2F
45 feet75.1F
50 feet 72.1F
55 feet 69.2F
60 feet 67.2F
WEATHER DATA:
Start Time: 3:30P
End Time: 6:30P
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 84 F
Elevation – Lake Belton fell to 0.70′ low, with a 0.03′ loss in the last 24 hours. Flow rate was 52 CFS
Water Surface Temp: 81.3F on the surface.
Wind Speed & Direction: Winds were ~NW6-9 for the entire afternoon.
Sky Condition: Bright and cloudless
Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 10% illumination
GT = N/A
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH MOST SUCCESS:
Area 2626 – 30 white bass on smoked MAL Dense Lures
Area B0162C – 13 sunfish on bait under a float
Area 2627 – 10 white bass on smoked MAL Dense Lures
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: https://www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle