We’re Not In Venice Anymore! — 144 Fish

CLIENTS: This past Tuesday morning, March 17, I fished with three generations of Covingtons — Terri, her adult son, Dave, and Dave’s soon-to-be-13 year old son, Andy.

Andy requested this trip, as he has in years past, as his birthday gift from his grandma.

As she has in the past, Terri commented on how she appreciates my explanation of safety-related concerns. After a recent trip to Venice, Italy, where boats are a primary means of transportation, she lamented how she never saw a single life jacket, a single fire extinguisher, nor ever heard a word uttered about what to do in an emergency.

The Covingtons are, deservedly, the most recognized name in Belton area real estate: https://covingtonsells.com/

TODAY’S DATE: 17 March 2026 (AM)


NEXT OPEN DATES FOR FISHING: 24 March (AM or PM)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Dave, Terri, and Andy Covington with a portion of their 144-fish catch made on the first day of returning southerly winds following a severe, albeit brief, cold front.

FIND LURES HERE: https://whitebasstools.com/


WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton


SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

I really wasn’t sure about what I’d be facing this morning after Sunday and Monday’s “big blow”. Around 3P Sunday, strong S. winds caused by compressional warming turned northerly and built to 30+mph with gusts in the mid-40s. The temperature dropped from the low 90s into the high 30s overnight and, on Monday, kept blowing at 15-20 through early afternoon.

This morning, Tuesday, we were just below freezing area wide. So, a sudden cooldown to chill the water, and lots of wind to stain the water normally does not bode well. On the other hand, the water was in the low 60s going into this event and days are getting longer, plus, we had a returning south wind start in the early morning hours as positives.

As we got going, I found fish rather readily, but found them sluggish until the direct sun fully shone on the water. This brightening improved things, as did a slowly increasing southerly wind velocity up to 12-13 by trip’s end.

We caught fish for a full four hours, every one of which came on a “smoked”, white, 5/8 oz. Bladed Hazy Eye Slab (with stinger hook) used in conjunction with Garmin LiveScope and a splasher to create commotion.

We fished a total of seven areas; these produced from a low of 4 to a high of 43 fish. Three largemouth bass came as bycatch, with 141 white bass rounding out the catch.

RESULTS: 144 fish, all caught and released

TUTORIAL VIDEO ON HOW “SLOW SMOKE” A BLADED HAZY EYE SLAB VERTICALLY: Click here for tutorial

OBSERVATIONS:

-I was surprised at how quickly the fishing rebounded from the plunging temperatures and high winds over the weekend; I attribute that to the water temperature being warm, and the rather short duration of the cold.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Taken on Lake Belton on 13 March 2026, approx. 7AM…

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