WHO I FISHED WITH:

This morning, Monday, May 6, it was truly a whole new ballgame.



Both Lake Belton and Stillhouse rose significantly thanks to heavy rains from Saturday night into Sunday morning.



Lake Belton rose over 6 feet in a 24 hour span, and Stillhouse rose over 9 feet during that same 24 hour span. Lake Belton, which has been below full pool since the summer of 2022, is now flooded with over 5 feet of excess flood water, and the water is still pouring in.



I fished a party of six this morning including five returning guests and one new guy.



Joining me were Joe Oliver, Jack Oliver, and Jack’s three sons – Asa, Isaac, and Eli.



The new guy was Joseph Jarosck, Jack’s daughter’s boyfriend.



Here is how the fishing went…




PHOTO CAPTION: From left, Joe, Jack, and Eli Oliver, Joseph Jarosck, and Isaac and Asa Oliver with a sampling of the 213 fish they landed under flooding conditions on Lake Belton using the new MAL Dense with silver body and chartreuse tail.






PHOTO CAPTION: As of 5PM, May 6, 2024, Lake Belton is over 5.85′ high, with additional flood water still pouring in.



Find MAL Lures and Hazy Eye Slabs here: https://whitebasstools.com/

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Monday, 06 May 2024 (AM)

HOW WE FISHED:

After nearly 2 years without usable courtesy docks, the courtesy docks on Lake Belton were usable for about a 36 hour window from being totally grounded due to low water on Friday, May 3rd, to being inaccessible due to high water on May 6th.



I was very concerned about how and where the fish were going to relocate given all of this fresh water and the fact that dirty water is dumping into lake Belton from both tributaries . Fortunately, we were able to find water which was clear enough that I felt confident fish would bite, and, they did!



We got our lines in the water around 7:45 AM and the fish bit well through about 10:35 AM. During that time, we fished three distinct areas in the exact same manner. Those four areas gave up a combined 213 fish, including 211 white bass and 2 freshwater drum.



The process involved finding fish with sonar, Spot Locking on top of them in 26 to 42 feet of water, then dropping my newest MAL Lure – – the MAL Dense with silver body – – down to these fish and then cranking the lure toward the surface using a smoking tactic. The real trick on this method is to get the blade spinning as close to the bottom as possible, with a hard fast half-turn, three-quarter turn or full crank of the reel’s handle, then, without stopping, continue reeling at a slower pace keeping the lure climbing upward toward the surface until it gets struck.



White bass respond well to commotion, and with a splasher running and six men working these heavily vibrating, flashing lures, we created our own attractive commotion right beneath the boat. At two of these areas, as the fish began to lose interest in the spinners and settle back towards bottom, we followed up with white Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs. When the fish lost interest in the slabs, we moved on.



The last hour on the water was unproductive.



The amount of rainfall we had has produced record flooding. I really am at a loss to predict whether or not the lakes will stay fishable even if they remain accessible. We will just have to take it one day at a time now.



TALLY: 213 fish caught and released



OBSERVATIONS:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured before sunrise on May 6th …

0 feet 73.4F
5 feet 73.5F
10 feet 73.5F
15 feet 73.4F
20 feet 73.1F
25 feet 72.5F
30 feet 71.5F
35 feet 70.5F
40 feet 69.9F
45 feet 69.6F
50 feet 68.1F
55 feet 66.9F




WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:45A

End Time: 11:45A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 72F

Elevation: 4.15 feet high and rising, 33 CFS flow (a 6+ foot rise in the past 24 hours!!)

Water Surface Temp: 70.5F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SE7-8 all morning

Sky Condition: 100% grey skies all morning with light, occasional mist.

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 4% illumination.

GT = 5



Wx SNAPSHOT:






AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area vic B0100G – 85 fish (2 hops)

Area B0283G – 35 fish

Area B0282G – 24 fish

Area B0171G – 74 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

Glad to see both Belton and Stillhouse full once again.....Just goes to show you what a good watershed and lots of rain can do

...

Solid post and fish. Good job.