WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Thursday, 07 September, I fished with returning guest James Dubose accompanied by his father-in-law, Brian Markham, who was joining me for the first time.

James, a veteran, now supports Fort Cavazos working as a civilian there in the computer field, while Brian runs his own mobile RV repair service in the RV-saturated area on the Gulf coast near Rockport, TX.

James’ wife (and Brian’s daughter), Ashly Dubose put this whole thing together for the fellows.

Here is how the fishing went…

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Here’s an up-to-date calendar so you can check availability: https://holdingthelineguideservice.com/available-dates.php

Next available dates are Sept. 12-14 (AM)





PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Brian Markham and James Dubose with a sampling of the white bass taken mainly on the surface under low-light conditions using the Cork Rig.



WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

WHEN WE FISHED: Thursday, 07 September 2023

HOW WE FISHED:

It truly was a “perfect storm” of circumstances this morning leading to a 100+ fish catch in just under 3 hours’ time.

What do I mean by that?

1. The weather was right — this high pressure dome causing our heat and drought headaches also makes for incredibly stable weather in which the fish get into a “mode” and do the same things at the same places and times each day.

2. The wind was right — we had a light SSE chop fueled by a 4-5 mph breeze, so the water was moving, but any fish activity could be readily spotted.

3.The lake was deserted — hence, no rookie anglers driving right up to the fish using their outboards, no jet skis, no wake boats, no company of any sort to put the fish down prematurely.

4. My clients could cast well — both Brian and James could cast both far and accurately. This allowed me to give a maximum buffer distance between the boat and the fish which translated to fish which stayed up longer than if they’d been pressured.

5. My clients were coachable — if I saw something they could do differently or better, I let them know that, and they willingly adjusted.

6. The shad continue to grow thanks to the extended high water temperatures — this means we could get away using larger lures imitating adult shad and enjoy the extra heft and distance those larger presentations allow for.

The fish first showed on the surface at 6:47AM and went strong until 8:15. After that, there was an additional 35 minutes of sporadic action before the fish vacated the surface by 8:50A. We had the boat back on trailer by 9:30A following this “Beat the Heat Special”, 3 hour long trip.

All but 7 of the 102 fish were taken on the Cork Rig with the largest streamer option (#2 white/grey) I offer. The men landed 3 fish on MAL Heavies in the roughly 10-minute span of time between 8:15 when the aggressive activity stopped, the fish sounded, and just before the fish began to “popcorn” feed. The balance were taken on Pet Spoon-equipped downrigggers.

Of the 102 fish landed, 6 were short hybrid, and the other 96 fish were all legal white bass with the best 10-15% going over 13-14″.

TALLY: 102 fish caught and released.

Find the Cork Rig here: https://whitebasstools.com/

OBSERVATIONS: I spotted additional flocks of migrating teal this morning. The water temperature profile taken around 9:45 after my clients had departed was as follows:

0 feet, 87.0F
5 feet, 86.4F
10 feet, 85.9F
15 feet, 85.6F
20 feet, 85.5F
25 feet, 85.0F
30 feet, 82.9F
35 feet, 76.8F
40 feet, 69.0F
45 feet, 66.8F
50 feet, 65.1F
55 feet, 68.3F
60 feet, 62.9F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 6:35A

End Time: 9:20A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 81F

Elevation: 17.54 feet low, 56 CFS flow

Water Surface Temp: 87.0F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: SSE4-6 all morning

Sky Condition: 0% cloud cover on a slightly hazy blue sky.

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 44% illumination.

GT = 30

Wx SNAPSHOT:






AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area B0197C to B0039G to B0100C, and Area B0107G – early morning, low-light topwater action



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

Same thing this morning (9/8/2023) Bob.