I recently got a boat and have taken it out 5 times on Belton Lake and have caught 3 blue cats in the 3-4lbs range on CJ's in 3ft of water. Ive been out when the water is glass and also when there is 30MPH+ winds,day and night. I have fished in 3ft to 70ft of water. I have fished in numerous coves with the wind blowing into them I have drifted the dam and main channel's and points. I throw out numerous baits everytime such as punch bait, shad (dead and alive), cut bait (Carp, Bluegill), hot dogs, crawlers, liver, shrimp and so on to see what the flavor of the day is. Yes I have a fish finder and yes I have marked numerous fish......What am I doing wrong?....

Sounds to me like you are doing everything right. Just a matter of time before you hook a big one. Patient will paid off. Keep wetting the hooks. Good luck.

What rigs are u using? How long of leaders? May need to try different lentghs till u find one that works. What size hooks and baits? Vary ur bait size till u find one that fish want. How fast are u drifting? Need to drift about .5 mph.

I've never been to Belton but maybe post u got an open seat and find a more experienced guy and/or guy that knows the lake to go fishing with you..........

You haven't done anything wrong!Stick with natural baits,like Shad and Bluegills and save the hot dogs and shrimp for the table!Your frustration is leading you to desperate measures.Try using a Santee Cooper rig with an 8/0 Gamakatsu hook.That rig produces well for me in the winter months,also vary your bait size and use the heads.Don't be afraid to use a large chunk of bait,but be sure not to hook your bait too deep and fill the gap between the point and shank of your hook.Hope this helps and Good Luck!!!

+1

The simple answer to your question is: You're fishing lake Belton.

Thanks for the Advice everyone...I mainly use the 3way rig...my leader is usually set 18" to 24" to give my live bait room to make a good show and escape the turtles.....I use 5/0 to 8/0 circles depending on the size of the bait. Looks like I need to head north and hit some of those lakes and rivers.

You are not doing anything wrong ,Belton is fished out {juggers}

Belton is not fished out! Its full of shad and where there are shad there are big fish and lots of them. The sport is fishing not catching. Stalk the shad and you'll find the fish. If you are after a trophy (3-4 lbs and not satisfied wit these eaters) you may have many disappointing trips before you bag the big one. When you do snap a few pics to share with us and release her to fight again. Maybe hiring a guide wouldn't hurt. It sure helped me and I'm about to do it again. Good luck and if you need a partner to share your fun, give me a call.

Belton is not fished out! Its full of shad and where there are shad there are big fish and lots of them. The sport is fishing not catching. Stalk the shad and you'll find the fish. If you are after a trophy (3-4 lbs and not satisfied wit these eaters) you may have many disappointing trips before you bag the big one. When you do snap a few pics to share with us and release her to fight again. Maybe hiring a guide wouldn't hurt. It sure helped me and I'm about to do it again. Good luck and if you need a partner to share your fun, give me a call.