Jason you still coming down this weekend? We've got everything ready to go if your still headed this way. Food, lodging, boats, and water. Let me know.

As far as I know the wife wants to leave at noon tomorrow. That will put me there at around 5:30 pm. Need to check and make sure I have all my gear together, and its on! How many lakes do you have that we can check? I wanna friggin monster. Lockness been spotted in any of em. Heck I'll noodle her big A>>!

We've got three lakes within 30 minutes of my house. Belton, Waco, and Stillhouse. Waco has alot of clay and sand with a ton of old picnic tables, flooded roads, boatramps, and a few slab rocks. Belton has the same but is alot deeper with more boulders and rock.

We also have the Brazos river, which I've heard is a noodlers paradise. It's a bit further but has some monsters in it. Just depends on how long you want to stay. We can noodle Belton Friday night, then go to Waco on Saturday. If you stay until Sunday we can hit the Brazos. There's all kinds of water. I've only noodled a few of the rivers, and I have a several good holes on belton. Like I said, we found a big one on Tuesday but I can't get her out so we are counting on you :-) There are a few blown up bridges in the Lampasas I'd like to check as well.

I didnt relize you guys were gana be in the cen tex area. I been wanting to give it a try but wana go with someone with some expirence. Bullet where you from and where do you normally fish?

I'ma gonna catch a monster, I'm gonna catch a monster, na na, na na boo boo. Sorry but good news had me dancin a jig. Can't wait. I'll be there till the wife gets back up from Fredricksburg or we run out of Crown.LOL. Heck she will prob. want to hit a little water as well. I would love to see her break her PB again this year. She has done it twice so far. After getting smashed by the 45.17 she caught in the tourny, she may be a little apprehensive about much bigger though. it was the first fish that gave her permanent scars. LMAO. You should have seen her mood and facial expression change when he hit. It was like seeing an angel metamorphasize into evil. I love to stare at the face of a new noodler when about to get smashed. You will know immediatly if they will be back for the second trip. I've actually seen grown men cry when i've been able to make there first fish a large blue cat. They hit with a ton of force.

I have no problem taking anyone. However I am a guest in this venture. It would definately be up to bullet. It is his water and his holes. They are hard to come by, and a noodler that talks too much is one that will go hungry. These guys are willing to house and feed me for the weekend. I've never met them. Man you have to be here or go south for that kind of hospitality....come to think of it, hope no one tells me I have a pretty mouth when I get there. Better pack the 45.LMAO.

Great post Hands Only!

Questions

1.) How do find holes in 6 to 8 ft of water? Do you know they are there from when the water was down?

2.) Have you every got hooked from a old trot line or jug line? Do you carry a knife to cut you self out ?

I know of a kid that died that way on our lake here. Keep the post coming I got one foot in the water about to jump in.

I'm from Belton. I fish all over the state. Mostly for bass during the spring and fall. During the summer I can usually be found on PINS fishing for sharks off the beach or kings out of a kayak. Then during Fall the championships start up and I start back bass fishing again. Belton and Stillhouse are my home lakes though.

I'll be willing to take you, but between Jason, me, and the rest of my team, it will probably be pretty full. If we have anyone cancel, pm me your number and I'll try and give you a call.

I'd like to noodle lake Waco. It has the right stuff to be a really good noodling lake.

Just an FYI... Anyone else in the Cen-Tex area that plans on noodling. Be aware that there are some gators big enough to do some damage in the Lampasas and they do live in holes in the bank up there. So be careful if you're up that way and thinking about poking around in any holes. Especially uplake from Trimmier creek up to about gravel crossing.

Okay 1. You have to find large structure with a loose or soft bottom under it. ie: concrete slab or rock on sand or pea gravel. Then I like to work my feet around the edge of the structure to find the holes. They can be any size as a large hole may get fanned shut by a large fish and make it a small hole. In this case you will have to dig it out to fish it. This is also why you need reinforced toes on your footwear. You will soon have 1/2 a shoe.

2. I have never been hooked by a trotline. maybe a jug or 2 that has floated up on the bank or got snagged in a hole deep. I have had the most problems with guys that do this illegally and leave the [censored] they use to hook fish laying in, or next to the hole. I have also been hooked by crankbaits and such that folks have lost on the rocks/structure. I do carry a knife while I scuba noodle as I only have so much air and time to get free. Not while noodling shallow though. Trust me, if your running out of air, you will pull it out, barb and all.

Yes, people die doing this, but I know several more instances of guys falling off of towers in my industry, than guys that have died noodling. Just read the obituaries in the paper. Let me know the next time you see someone drown while noodling. I may be gone myself though, before you do. If you are still on the fence, see signature line.

Good luck you guys. Watch for old abandonded TROTLINES, there is tons of em in belton.

i hate it when people abandon their commas in the lake.

Sorry, didn't see the 6 to 8' of water the first time I read. If a piece of structure such as a ramp runs from shallow to deep, you can simply bob up and down holding your breath until you get to a hole. You can also dive head first down and follow it around with your hands until you find a hole. another is SI imaging locaters. I use alot of this to find deep structure, not unlike any other form of fishing. Maps that show abandoned structure. Preflood aireal photos, google earth. Even when the water is normal you can usually make out structure in the shallow parts of the lake. ie: old roadbeds, foundations, and rock ledges. Once this is done, you will either need scuba or a set of gills to fish much deeper than 14 feet. One trick to actually fishing deep I will give you, once you find a deep hole, and of course think that you can fish it. I keep a boat anchor on a 20' rope with me in the boat. dive it to the bottom and wedge it in the hole. I keep a wesson oil jug as well. Make the rope taught and dog it to the jug, like a buoy. You can then follow the rope down to the hole and start to catch imediately, instead of using all of your air to find the hole again. if you plan to fish the deeper holes right off the bat. While you are watching TV or reading at night do some practiceing holding your breath. The longer you make it, you will train your body to not go into convultions for oxygen as fast.

Yup...didn't quite understand how we were gonna noodle out of one either.LOL.

Those commas are deadly. Really good structure for flatties though.

Thx for the great info Hands Only!
I'm not scared just my sister went to High school with a kid that died because of a old jug or trot line. Good to know you havent been tangled in one. Think I will keep a knife on me to start out with.