Smallmouth on Belton/Stillhouse

I've been bass fishing many years, but I've YET to put a smallmouth in my hands..

Friend and I are going to take about a week up at Belton/Stillhouse in a few weeks. My #1 goal is to put a smallmouth in my hands. I don't care how big, I just want to haul in a smallmouth.

With that being said.... What's the trick to catching these things on these lakes? My friend I'm taking was actually born and raised in Erie, PA and fished Lake Erie a lot for smallies, but not sure if it's the same way down here. From my little research, I see a lot of people saying to throw crawfish crankbaits off of deep points/ledges.

What's the trick guys?? I'm extremely anxious to catch one....

I'm the same way out there, I catch lots of spots and smaller largemouth and the occasional good largemouth, granted I usually only make it out there a few times a year.

Just go to BELTON and fish like you normally would for bass. You WILL catch smallies. I catch them nearly everytime I go out there. STILLHOUSE is another animal though. I caught my first smallie out of there in 06. I didn't catch another one until late May of this year. However, that day, all I caught were smallies. It was strange, cause it was very hot, and they were biting in about a foot of water. No size to them. But they were biting. My advice to you is to try BELTON first.

I have yet to catch one there.

That is all my son talks about is catching a smallmouth. He finally cuaght one on Whitney but is was 5 inches long. That did nothing for him.
Can you catch them during the summer or is it too hot?

There may be something to that, Coach. I just remembered that the two Stillhouse giants in my other post were both caught in between storms. One at night and the other in the evening with overcast skies. However, the last time that I fished Still house from a boat, we caught about 20 smallies. None over 14". All we're in extremely shallow water on rocky banks. We caught every one on a weightless fluke. It was probably 90 degrees and sunny blue bird skies.

Go to Belton and bass fish. You'll run into a smallie. It has a great population of them.

Summertime night fishing is a good way out there.

Belton and Stillhouse fish from this year

Smallmouth cruise rocky windblown banks. if you are in a boat, cast as close to shore as you can and slow retrieve with pauses. cast near every rock, stick etc. This has worked with Texas rigged worms, small spinners, and shallow diving lures. The water is so clear, you can often see them when you walk the bank. they are really scattered everywhere else that LM are but tend to congregate on these banks. GL

A couple Still House and Belton fish from this year

I will have to get my son down there and try.. I am tried of him bugging me about it.

Caught a 4.9 Sunday at Belton. Early morning has been the best for me lately. Like said earlier find a wind blown rocky bank. A hard jerkbait or fluke worked fast and erratic seems to get them fired up.

Thanks a bunch guys! Yeah we'll be in a boat, Garmin graphs, whatever. I've been fishing forever, but again, never a smallmouth.

King, my main focus will be Belton, but being up there a week, if Belton for whatever reason doesn't produce, Stillhouse is right down the road. I've never been to either of the lakes so they are going to be new waters for me

I was thinking Amistad also since there smallmouth there, but from everything I've read and have been told, Belton and Texoma are about the best it gets for smallmouth here. Belton is closer, so I'll hit it.

We won't be going until a few more weeks, but when/IF I hang my first smallie, regardless of size I'll post a picture up.

I guess while I'm on the topic, where do y'all stay up there? Don't need anything fancy/high dollar. Just 2 beds, a commode, and a shower

Belton has a bunch. Fish the lower 1/3 of the lake. Shakey heads, flukes or go at night. Slow rolled black spinnerbaits along the rocky banks

Might be tough to do with traffic but try a shaky head or jig on the boat ramps - esp between the concrete lanes.

DK, there's a hotel on Loop 121 right off I-35 South, by the Bell County Expo Center. From there to Belton Park on 439 is less than 10 minutes. Just take 121 North to 439, left on 439 past the dam, then park and ramp will be on your right. You can launch at the Belton Park Ramp for free. Put your trolling motor down and start fishing RIGHT THERE! Fish the right side from the ramp to the dam, then back if you want to. Then troll across and hit the point just past the marina. After that, if they're biting, you'll catch them on any fishy looking spot. But you'll prolly catch 2-3 before you leave the no wake zone. That's Franks Marina in the background of the fish that I'm holding up.
If you decide to go to Still House, just hit the 190 west ramp towards Killeen. About the third exit, Simmons Rd, I think it is, will take you to SH Park. 5 bucks will get you in. Launch at the ramp and when you come through the no wake zone, run to the corner of the dam, and fish the rock banks in that area. Go back in the creeks too. You should catch some out there too. The fish my son is holding came from just outside of the no wake area.

Thanks for all the help guys! I think we are setup for July 30th. Gonna stay a few days and maybe more if we are up to it.

With that being said, I have to ask since these are both new waters to me. Are there any navigational hazards to be aware of on both Belton and Still house? I have Garmins with LakeVu HD maps but last time I relied on GPS I ran aground in West Galveston Bay and had to be pulled off with an airboat!

Bringing my thread back real quick with one more question....

Every single one of my reels are spooled up with 30# moss green braid. With the water being clear on Belton, will fishing braid affect anything, or do I need fluro/mono? Or maybe just tie a fluro leader...?

On BELTON, stay in the channel, and you should be ok. Still House can get kind of tricky out in the main lake. But where you'll be looking for smallies shouldn't be a problem. As far as line goes, I can't speak on that. I throw #12 clear mono on my cranking rods. And 15 mono on everything else except#8 on my spinning rod.

I have questions about fish seeing your line. For instance; why do bass hit an all metal Alabama rig???

Find those deeper cliffs and ledges around dusk, and them fish parallel to them after full dark with a slow-rolled 1/2 oz, all-black single-spin. You might just be surprised by some big ol' brown fish! Should work at Texoma or Grapevine, too.

Yeah ive never followed the theory of fishing seeing your line in average water, but belton is extremely clear.. just wondering what y'all thought about it. I guess I'll spool a few up with 12# mono and some with just a mono leader. I have lots of $$$ in braid on these reels and don't want to pull it off really

Fish at night, line won't matter

Going to do that too with black spinners like y'all mentioned. I'm just going to spool up a few reels with 12lb mono and the others with a mono leader. Bout to go to academy to get the stuff yall are talking about and a fishing license.. We are heading up there Wednesday and my license expires on Tuesday... What are the odds??? Lol

You can forget about 12 mono on Belton. Zebra mussels will cut you off nearly every other cast if you are fishing anything that touches to bottom (like worms, jigs, or crank baits). I throw my spinnerbaits on 17 flouro and my cranks on 15 flouro. Stillhouse doesn't have near as many smallmouth in it as Belton, but if you catch one they usually are pretty big.

Night time is the best time for smallmouth on Belton. As mentioned, any of the main lake boat ramps and points will have smallmouth, especially TLP ramps. Just fish a 1/2 spinnerbait with a single colorado blade or a red/black bomber 6A crank bait after dark and its pretty much guaranteed. They'll get right up against the rocks. If you fish during the day, top waters and flukes will catch them early but then it gets pretty tough.

The dam will hold smallmouth as well, although they usually run on the smaller side.

Line type matters more during the day... at night you can get away with braid.

I can't find the 6A crankbait in black. I have 2 black bomber but they are shallower divers.. Guess it would not matter..

Ive fished Belton out of my kayak a half dozen times and half the time, I've caught smallmouth, though I wasn't targeting them. Fish the lake enough and you'll catch them. Be aware that Belton has an issue with zebra mussels. If you're dragging crankbaits, expect to lose a few to cut line.

-SSJr

Heading up there in the morning until Saturday. If I can haul me in a smallie ill get pics!

Got here this morning around 8:30-9. Put in at Belton park and fished from the ramp to the dam with a Crawfish crank. Had one hit it as soon as it hit the water but nothing since then. Going to go back out this evening and try it again when it cools down