I’ve learned a lot about Belton, where and how to fish so I can atleast fill the skillet for dinner. However each morning I go there, I drive on 1670 and look at Stillhouse Hollow and wonder why am I going to Belton and at this point thinking about the gas I’m burning.

I’ve been on Stillhouse a few times the last couple weeks and have blanked for whites each time. I’ve tried matching terrain from Belton that I fish to terrain at Stillhouse. Nada! My times are the same, equipment is the same, weather pretty much the same. Nada!

I’m sure the white population is much lower than Belton but my goodness there’s got to be atleast 1! I know June can be tough but any tips or ideas would be very helpful.

Are you marking fish but just not getting hook ups?
Or you can't find a thing?

I haven’t even marked them.

Catch any smallmouth?

I’ve caught a few on the North banks from Dana Peak up river to the first bend.

When looking for white bass on a new lake, I search in the same depth as I would on Belton. With the water temp the same, the only major difference is that Stillhouse Lake is super clear and you have to look beyond 25 feet of water or you will be jigging in deep water hydrilla.

Look for long, underwater points from 35-55 feet of water. Look for bait too.

I have not scouted Stillhouse, but there are white bass in there. And you have to be patient. The MAL lure has been the only lure I have used on that lake to catch white bass in 38-40 FOW. Ask Bob Maindelle on his recommendations. He has taught me alot more about looking for whites and how to use his MAL. Good Luck.
www.holdingthelineguideservice.com

That’s good info about deeper due to the clear water. I’ve had Bobs Mal lure page opened on my desktop for weeks and guess I just need to pull the trigger. I did use his sawtooth method with a white slab this morning at Belton and did ok. Thanks for the advice!

Also, Ranger R would you happen to be the other person at the Franks ramp a few weeks ago when the pontoon slid off its trailer?

u need to look for deep humps.,. theres one right in front of the boat ramp on cedar ridge, another good place is the drop off when you go around the point to the left down from cedar ridge..its a long flat with a drop off to very deep water. u will likely see gulls,and terns sitting along the bank over there.. gulls and terns rest nearby where they are finding and feeding on shad that are in close proximity.. in these flocks they have designated scout birds,, usually 2 or 3,, they will take turns searching the area for shad,, when they find shad that are being pushed up by game fish they notify the flock and the whole flock will go out and dive bomb the shad.,., this is a constant game for the birds, they must find shad every day!!!
directly across from dana peak park there is a long bankline , if you launch at union grove and follow the bank on the right side, theres a big stack of old garbage cans , abt 2 or 300 yards from the launch . they may be visible now with the water low,, they are metal.., abt 100 of them,.,troll that bankline back and forth and then troll thry the bowl shaped end part, going back and forth thru shallow to deeper water. this bankline eventually ends in a deep bowl shape.,. troll u some fat bodied wide wobble crankbaits that run abt 6 ft deep.,., u will catch monster bass there too, when they are there.. sometimes the whites are very deep on stillhouse, up to 50 feet so dont assume they wont be in deep water..
look for the birds, they will keep tabs on the baitfish,,
if u go in the river, look for any type of bottom change, just a small drop off will make the whites gather there.
also stillhouse is a river system more than a lake, sometimes in deep river systems they will hang along drop off along the channel edge.
once u find the places the whites hang out, they will be there at one time or another regularly. then u make milk runs from spot to spot to spot.,

I would pay Bob Maindelle. He is a wizard on those lakes and that would be money well spent. I went with him three or four times early on when I was getting serious about white bass fishing. He is a very patient and professional individual that would be happy to take you on a guided trip and steer you in the right direction. Those trips did wonders for my ability to read my fish finder, how to approach a school of fish and basic on the water intuition that comes with experience.

Whats funny is how vastly different fish behave on different lakes. I remember exactly where we fished on stillhouse and belton in the summer and it was not always where I thought we would fish when studying the contour map beforehand i.e. underwater humps and points. Thats not always the answer on all the lakes which surprised me actually. I tried to do the same thing on my muddy lake of Fort Phantom and absolutely different approach needed to be successful of my home lake.

JayBonnett, Yes sir, I was at the ramp when the pontoon came off the trailer and I felt sick for him.....heard it and thought, oh no!


Leaning Post - Excellent information! Thanks for sharing....I have caught white bass on Lake Travis in 55-60 feet of water before so going deep for white bass does happen!

RespectTheFish- "I would pay Bob Maindelle. He is a wizard on those lakes and that would be money well spent" Agree 100% .... Been catching whites/stripes on Travis and Buchanan for nearly 35 yrs and just started fishing Belton. Bob is the master of educating even those that feel like they know everything and dont need no guide, however, I learned a lot from him last week and patience and his details on how to and what to look for when using fish finders, is super important. No doubt I will get a refresher coarse in the fall. But give credit to Bob on his knowledge of finding the fish.