The following is a "cut and paste" from my weekly column in the Killeen Daily Herald, dated 04 August 2024...



Although it was not intuitively obvious, a significant event took place on Belton Lake on July 24, which positively influenced the fishing that, up to that point, had been quite difficult all summer.

I say this was not “intuitively obvious” because to know that this event occurred, one would have to look at the log of data the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) provides to the public on its reservoir control efforts.




CAPTION: Note the 2nd column from right in blue reads "33" for Lake Belton. That represents a trickling release of 33 cubic feet per second through Lake Belton's dam -- essentially shut, thus stopping the flow of flood water which has been coursing through the dam since late May's heavy flooding.


On that date, USACE stopped releasing flood water which had accumulated during April and May’s heavy rains. There had been a constant flow of water through the Belton dam for many weeks following these rains as the USACE tried to drain over 16 feet of the accumulated flood water off as quickly as was safely possible.

Because heavy flows of water through the reservoir are not the norm, this created an atypical situation for the fish inhabiting Belton Lake.

Once the floodgates closed, the positive impact on fishing for the white bass that I primarily pursue was immediate. I noticed three significant differences right away.

First, fish became much more likely to orient on the bottom instead of suspending.

Second, fish began to use the bottom in depths greater than those they were using while flow was present.

Third, fishing became more predictable, with fish doing the same things, at the same times and in the same places, day by day.

At the same time the flow through the reservoir stopped, other helpful factors were also at work. Chief among them was the stable weather pattern which developed over Central Texas as a result of a summertime high-pressure system sitting over us. That high pressure is now controlling our weather and is forecast to continue to do so for several days to come.

So, with favorable no-flow conditions, and favorable weather conditions, what should a local angler expect and how should he or she approach fishing at this point in the season?

Here is what I have figured out over the last 10 days since Belton Lake dam was closed.

First, most of my quality fish are being taken in the first hour of light in the morning and in the last two hours of light in the evening. Time-wise, this is from 6:20 a.m. to 7:20 a.m., and from 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

Second, I found that there is no more effective method for catching fish consistently right now than by using downriggers. These summertime fishes’ metabolism is at an annual high and, as a result, they are almost constantly on the move in search of shad.

Trying to sit in one place hoping fish will come to you, and/or finding fish on sonar and then attempting to go back to them to try to fish for them is simply a losing proposition during these two peak times when fish are feeding most heavily.

Outside of these two productive windows of time, fish are more sedentary and can be located with sonar and fished for vertically or horizontally from a stationary position. Last week, fishing for these less mobile fish took place from about 7:20 a.m. through about 10:30 a.m., and from about 5:15 p.m. through 6:45 p.m.

During these off-peak times, I found fish in 22 to 32 feet of water; during peak times fish were in 10 to 20 feet of water.

Finally, as for presentations, I alternated between the #12 Pet Spoon and the #13 Pet Spoon produced by Luhr Jensen. The size I chose depended on what size shad I felt the fish were feeding upon, or what size of shad the fish I was catching regurgitated.

These Pet Spoons were affixed to three-armed umbrella rigs and trolled at a depth equal to the depth of the shallowest fish I observed on down-imaging sonar in the schools I was encountering while trolling.

Once the downrigging slowed down in the morning, or before it began in the evening, I found heavily congregated fish on bottom, Spot-Locked atop them, and used MAL Mini in-line spinners on ultralight spinning gear with 10-pound-test braid to tempt these fish.

During these off-peak times, a lot of the catch consisted of small fish. If larger fish showed up in the catch, I would then change over to a medium-light spinning outfit with an MAL Original spinner with chartreuse tail.

Either way, the spinners were dropped to bottom directly beneath the boat and reeled upward at a fast clip. I used Garmin LiveScope to observe fish response. The fish would typically follow two to eight feet upward before overtaking and striking the lure.

Doing as described above, the clients I guided on the six trips I conducted last week on Belton Lake landed a total of 620 fish, an average of 103 fish per outing, with each outing lasting no greater than 4½ hours.

Although abundant topwater action has normally materialized by this point in the season, there has not been much to date. That which has materialized has primarily included only small fish under seven inches in length.

With public school going back in session soon, less and less traffic will be on our area lakes, including on the weekends. All things considered, fishing is pretty solid right now and should remain that way for the foreseeable future.

Solid report Bob. Thanks.

Interesting report....