Bob Maindelle's Holding the Line Guide Service Page

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Bob Maindelle's Holding the Line Guide Service Page

My name is Bob Maindelle. I was born into a fishing family in 1969 while my dad was serving in Vietnam. My earliest childhood memories revolve around angling.

Through my business, Holding the Line Guide Service, I offer all catch-and-release fishing year 'round on Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow for people of any experience level. 254-368-7411. Pop Pop Hamilton was a commercial fisherman on the Mississippi, mom and dad went fishing on cheap dates as newlyweds, and Uncle Glenn ran a saltwater charter boat out of Shark River, NJ. I'm now happily married

, live in Salado, Texas, right at the eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country, and am carrying on the family tradition. I have fished all over our nation in fresh waters and salt, and with all manner of gear and tackle. In 1991, I graduated from West Point (U.S. Military Academy) with a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering, and spent 8 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, followed by 9 years in industry. I recently retired as the Small Groups Pastor at a large church in central Texas. My business experience from my "previous life" and my flexible schedule allow me to operate "Holding The Line Guide Service" out of my home on the lakes of this region. I am physically fit, extremely well-organized, very methodical, self-disciplined and detail-oriented. I enjoy introducing beginners to the sport. I enjoy coaching those with a little experience. I enjoy fishing with great fishermen and picking up on tips and techniques from all over the country. I am not so prideful to think that I cannot still learn much from other further down the path than I.

03/12/2024

A “Thierry” About Why the Fishing Was So Good — 202 Fish

CLIENTS: On Tuesday afternoon, November 26, I fished with Mr. Larry Macie, his wife, Sabine, their daughter, Diana, and Diana’s 14-year-old son, Thierry.

Larry is a U.S. Army veteran now living in Nolanville, Texas. Sabine, originally from Germany, is retired from post-op nursing. Diana is a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force currently stationed in Los Angeles, California, and Thierry is working his way through school.
Larry and family were referred my way by Mark & Patty Cullison who fished with me earlier this month.
DATE: Tuesday, 26 November 2024 (PM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 6, 9-13 December (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Thierry, Diana, Sabine, and Larry Macie with some of the 14-15+ inch long white bass they took from over 50 feet of water as the skies cleared and winds slowed following the passage of a cold front 24 hours before.

PHOTO CAPTION: When a 5+ pound freshwater drum latches on to your MAL Lure and you’re fighting it with a rod, reel, and line intended for white bass, you’ve got a tussle on your hands. The net comes out and we handle these carefully to be sure they make it into the boat for photos like these!

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

As was the case this morning, I was concerned about our winds going calm and bringing the excellent bite we have been experiencing to a temporary halt. I had lunch on the boat in the roughly 2 hour break between my a.m. and p.m. trips and did see the winds go flat during that time, but, as 1:15 PM rolled around, a gentle breeze from the ESE began and never stopped the entire time, although it never got very strong, either.

With the bright, low-wind conditions, my gut told me we needed to look for fish as deep as I could find them as that extra depth seems to serve as a buffer under less than ideal conditions.

Indeed, we fished most of this trip in 48 to 53 feet of water and did quite well.

Only one bait and one technique was required. We used the MAL Dense with a silver body and chartreuse tail to get deep quickly. Once these lures hit bottom, I had everyone crank them upward at a moderate cadence, while watching Garmin LiveScope to see if fish were pursuing from up off the bottom, and also to see if there were suspended fish they could work their lures past.

Using this tactic, Larry and his family managed a catch of 202 fish before we wrapped up a bit early and headed in before the sun set and the ride back in got too chilly.

This 202 fish catch consisted of a few largemouth bass, a few freshwater drum, with the lion’s share consisting of mature, quality white bass.

Here is a tutorial on vertically smoking the MAL Lure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDSvfXgrAUE

Here is a tutorial on horizontally “sawtoothing” with the MAL Lure or White Tornado:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3FMEQHOMQ

RESULTS: 202 fish, all caught and released

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: We used MAL Dense Lures (w/ chartreuse tails) for 100% of our catch today. Find all MAL Lures and White Tornados here: https://whitebasstools.com/

OBSERVATIONS:

1) No PM bird activity.

2) Fishing as deep as I could find fish took the edge off the low wind conditions we faced.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Stillhouse Hollow, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Monday, 25 Nov….

0 feet 67.9F
5 feet 67.9F
10 feet 67.9F
15 feet 67.9F
20 feet 67.9F
25 feet 67.9F
30 feet 67.9F
35 feet 67.9F
40 feet 67.9F
45 feet 67.8F
50 feet 67.2F
55 feet 66.4F
60 feet 66.1F
65 feet 66.0F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 1:15P

End Time: 4:50P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 64F

Elevation: 1.50′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 67.7F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: ENE 3-6 all afternoon

Sky Condition: Cloudless, light blue skies

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 18% illumination.

GT = 55

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area SH0292G – 174 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area SH0294G – 24 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area SH0296G – 4 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

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: [email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bobmaindelle

03/12/2024

Hey, Brother, Let’s Go Fishing — 125 Fish

CLIENTS: On Tuesday morning, November 26, I conducted a Soldiers’ Kids Involved in Fishing Fun (SKIFF) fishing trip for brothers Nate and Evan Oakes of Killeen, Texas.

The boys’, father, Jesse Oakes, is a retired US Army noncommissioned officer and a disabled veteran. Mr. Oakes spent most of his time in the military as a SERE (Survival Escape Resistance Evasion) instructor.
The boys both came into the trip with substantially greater prior fishing experience than most kids do, thus allowing them to take full advantage of the excellent conditions we encountered this morning.

ABOUT SKIFF: SKIFF trips have been provided to military families at no charge since May of 2009. SKIFF is funded by donations from Austin Fly Fishers, The McBride Foundation, & Austin Subaru. S.K.I.F.F. provides kids of military members separated from their families by duty commitments with the opportunity to fish. SKIFF trips are also provided to Gold Star families who have lost their service member. In mid-2019, SKIFF began providing trips to kids of bona fide disabled veterans. I conduct these 3.5 hour adventures on Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir year ’round. Call or text 254.368.7411.
DATE: Tuesday, 26 November 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 3, 6, 9-13 December (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Evan and Nate Oakes with a few of the 125 fish they caught and released on Stillhouse using MAL Dense Lures worked vertically.

PHOTO CAPTION: Without exception during the winter months, quality largemouth bass are caught as a bycatch as we work shad-imitating lures vertically near bottom. Freshwater drum are also routinely landed.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

Heading to bed the night before, I was a bit concerned that the north winds, which came in on a dry cold front in the afternoon the day before, might go flat, but, that did not happen. Thankfully, we enjoyed light winds out of the NNW all morning with a slight bit of cloud cover and a sunrise temperature around 40° with just a bit of wind chill.

As was the case the day before, the only thing we needed to do after finding fish was to drop MAL Dense Lures to the bottom and crank them upwards at a moderate cadence. As long as the blade was spinning, the lure was attractive to very aggressively feeding and heavily congregated white bass. We began looking for fish in water as shallow as 22 feet as the sun was rising, then moved out steadily deeper as sky conditions brightened.

We fished a number of areas. At some areas, the fish would clearly consolidate beneath the boat, thanks to the splasher and would suspend anywhere from 2 to 8 feet off the bottom. In other areas, the fish were more prone to stay on the bottom and crept in until they were centered beneath the boat.

In four hours’ time, the brothers landed exactly 125 fish, including a handful of largemouth bass and drum, with a vast majority of the fish being legal-sized white bass up to 15 inches.

Here is a tutorial on vertically smoking the MAL Lure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDSvfXgrAUE

Here is a tutorial on horizontally “sawtoothing” with the MAL Lure or White Tornado: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3FMEQHOMQ

RESULTS: 125 fish, all caught and released

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: We used MAL Dense Lures (w/ chartreuse tails) for 100% of our catch today. Find all MAL Lures and White Tornados here: https://whitebasstools.com/

OBSERVATIONS:

1) Bird activity was helpful in finding fish in the 2nd hour of this trip.

2) A moderately strong, dry cold front began to push in around noon the day before and N winds persisted today.

2) We stayed on fish for the entire morning thanks to decent winds.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Stillhouse Hollow, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Monday, 25 Nov….

0 feet 67.9F
5 feet 67.9F
10 feet 67.9F
15 feet 67.9F
20 feet 67.9F
25 feet 67.9F
30 feet 67.9F
35 feet 67.9F
40 feet 67.9F
45 feet 67.8F
50 feet 67.2F
55 feet 66.4F
60 feet 66.1F
65 feet 66.0F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:20A

End Time: 11:20A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 40F

Elevation: 1.50′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 67.5F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW wind at 13-14 with higher gusts on an incoming cold front

Sky Condition: Cloudless, light blue skies

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 18% illumination.

GT = N/A

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area 034 – 4 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area vic 772 – 42 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures ( 2 hops)

Area vic 2015 – 57 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures (2 hops)

Area vic SH0299G – 22 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

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: [email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bobmaindelle

02/12/2024

Cold Front … Incoming!! — 73 Fish

CLIENTS: This afternoon, Monday, November 25, I fished with Mr. Max Jordan’s grandkids, Maeve (age 13) and A.J. Lanham (age 10). Max lives in Morgan’s Point, TX, near Lake Belton, and was treating the kids to a fishing trip during their weeklong Thanksgiving break from their schools in Austin.

DATE: Monday, 25 November 2024 (PM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 2, 3, 6, 9-13 December (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: AJ Lantham, Max Jordan, and Maeve Lantham with a few of the mixed bag of white bass, largemouth bass, and freshwater drum they landed on an afternoon trip positively impacted by an incoming cold front.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

This afternoon, with only about two hours between the end of my morning trip and the start of this afternoon’s trip, I went right back to the area where I wrapped up my morning trip and found fish had perked back up, certainly aided by the fact that a cold front was incoming.

I have described many times in these reports how that period of time from the westerly wind shift up until the north wind reaches peak velocity during a cold front’s arrival and passage reliably produces well-above normal results, and today was no exception.

As the kids quickly got the hang of the smoking tactic employed with their MAL Dense Lures, the fishing kept getting better and better. Any time the fishing waned, I just looked for another flock gulls/loons as these fish-eating birds were hyperactive during the incoming frontal conditions.

Thanks to volleyball practice in Austin at 6P, we had a hard deadline to be back to the boat ramp by 4:00P, but, by that time the kids had landed 77 fish, including white bass, largemouth bass, and freshwater drum.

Here is a tutorial on vertically smoking the MAL Lure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDSvfXgrAUE

Here is a tutorial on horizontally “sawtoothing” with the MAL Lure or White Tornado: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3FMEQHOMQ

RESULTS: 73 fish, all caught and released

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: We used MAL Dense Lures (w/ chartreuse tails) for 100% of our catch today. Find all MAL Lures and White Tornados here: https://whitebasstools.com/

OBSERVATIONS:

1) Bird activity spiked sharply as a cold front came in

2) A moderately strong, dry cold front began to push in around noon.

2) We stayed on fish for the entire afternoon thanks to frontal conditions.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Stillhouse Hollow, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Monday, 215 Nov….

0 feet 67.9F
5 feet 67.9F
10 feet 67.9F
15 feet 67.9F
20 feet 67.9F
25 feet 67.9F
30 feet 67.9F
35 feet 67.9F
40 feet 67.9F
45 feet 67.8F
50 feet 67.2F
55 feet 66.4F
60 feet 66.1F
65 feet 66.0F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 1:15P

End Time: 4:00P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 72F dropping over the course of the afternoon down to 64F

Elevation: 1.48′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 67.9F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NW wind at 13-14 with higher gusts on an incoming cold front

Sky Condition: Cloudless, blue skies

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 26% illumination.

GT = 25

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area SH0291G – 60 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures (2 short hops)

Area 772 – 13 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

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: [email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bobmaindelle

02/12/2024

CYBER MONDAY FISHING GIFT CERTIFICATE OFFER - 6 LEFT

Today only (02 Dec. 2024) I am offering gift certificates for up to 3 anglers for the price of 2.

This is a savings of $50 ($295 vs. $345). This is a "no brainer" if you know you'll be fishing with me in what's left of 2024 or in 2025 with 3 or more in your party.

I am only offering 15 of these. Once they are gone, they are gone.

Each certificate is for a 4+ hour trip of catch-and-release fishing for white bass on Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir or Lake Belton. These certificates are NOT valid for the hybrid-specific fishing trips I offer in April and May.

Certificates are good for 1 year from start date (which you determine). Must be paid in full today.

Additional anglers may be added for $50 each; payment for additional anglers is made at the close of the fishing trip.

Simply call, text, or email at 254.368.7411 or [email protected]. Let me know the following to fill out the blanks on the certificate.

Who it is to: (example: Uncle Josh)
Who it is from: (example: Becky and the Kids)
What is the occasion: (example: Merry Christmas 2024)
What is the start date: (example: 25 December 2024)

I will invoice you via PayPal or Venmo and email you the certificate as a pdf once payment comes through.

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS POST ON FACEBOOK NOR VIA MESSENGER.

02/12/2024

Scouting Paid Off - 331 Fish
(Facebook Jail Episode 10 of 10)

CLIENTS: This morning, Monday, November 25, I fished with a crew of six, all, but one of which had been with me numerous times before. I welcomed aboard the Slimp boys – Calvin (age 6), Townes (age 8), and Hudson (age 15), their dad, Guy, the boys’ cousin, Cam Miller (age 12), who traveled in from the New Orleans area for the holidays, and friend of the family Mr. Jerry Smith. Everything was set up by Don and Connie Bousquet of Belton.

DATE: Monday, 25 November 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 2, 3, 6, 9-13 December (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Guy, Hudson, & Calvin Slimp, Cam Miller, Jerry Smith, and Townes Slimp

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

The scouting efforts I put in on Saturday paid off handsomely today. During that scouting effort, I identified 17 areas each of which very quickly provided at least a five fish catch. This morning, I fished four of those areas and one area I had not scouted. In four hours’ time, the four boys landed exactly 331 fish with Guy and Jerry only joining on the fun now and then.

100% of our fish were caught using the MAL Dense Lures with chartreuse tail used with a smoking tactic.
The boys simply let their lures down to the bottom, spotted fish suspended up off the bottom on Garmin LiveScope, and endeavored to reel their lures up so as to intersect with the forward path those fish were swimming in. Thanks to an incoming cold front, the fish were in overdrive, and typically turned on the afterburners to chase after the kids’ lures .

I chose the MAL Dense because it is the heaviest of all MAL lures, featuring a lead body versus the brass body that all other MALs have. Because I anticipated fishing in as much as 50 feet of water, and because I wanted to be sure the boys could feel the bottom, I opted for this version of the MAL.

There were no helpful birds, and an abundance of bait at any given location just about guaranteed success. This is a very sonar intensive proposition on Stillhouse right now.

Here is a tutorial on vertically smoking the MAL Lure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDSvfXgrAUE

Here is a tutorial on horizontally “sawtoothing” with the MAL Lure or White Tornado: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3FMEQHOMQ

RESULTS: 331 fish, all caught and released

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: We used MAL Dense Lures (w/ chartreuse tails) for 100% of our catch today. Find all MAL Lures and White Tornados here: https://whitebasstools.com/

OBSERVATIONS:

1) No helpful bird activity this morning.

2) A moderately strong, dry cold front began to push in around noon.

2) We stayed on fish for a full 4 hours thanks to excellent pre-frontal conditions.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Stillhouse Hollow, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Monday, 215 Nov….

0 feet 67.9F
5 feet 67.9F
10 feet 67.9F
15 feet 67.9F
20 feet 67.9F
25 feet 67.9F
30 feet 67.9F
35 feet 67.9F
40 feet 67.9F
45 feet 67.8F
50 feet 67.2F
55 feet 66.4F
60 feet 66.1F
65 feet 66.0F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:20A

End Time: 11:20A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 64F

Elevation: 1.48′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 67.9F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: Calm at sunrise, with a light SW breeze gradually shifting due W as a cold front pushed in just after the trip concluded.

Sky Condition: Cloudless, blue skies

Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon at 26% illumination.

GT = 205

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area 034 – 7 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area vic SH0110C – 121 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area 789 – 92 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area SH0286G – 8 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area SH0133C – 103 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

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: [email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bobmaindelle

02/12/2024

Scouting – An Investment in the Month to Come – 88 Fish
(Facebook Jail Episode 9 of 10)

November 23rd, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS: This morning, Saturday, 23 November, I welcomed Mr. Kelvin Gladden back aboard. Kelvin has been with me quite a few times, sometimes with friends, and sometimes with family, but, until this morning, never by himself.

As we parted ways during our last trip, Kelvin told me he would like to join me the next time I did a scouting trip. This morning, as I put some feelers out on Stillhouse Hollow, I conducted the trip as a scouting trip, and invited Kelvin along.

DATE: Saturday, 23 November 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 2, 3, 6, 9-13 December (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: Kelvin Gladden joined me this morning on a scouting trip to Stillhouse. I hadn’t fished this lake in a while and wanted to get a feel for the fishing before making any further plans on this body of water.

WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

Over the course of a year, I will spend about thirty percent of my time on Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir, and the balance of my time on Lake Belton. Whenever I change over from one to the other, I will insert an intentional scouting effort before doing so.

The first thing I do when dedicating time to scouting is to get on the lake and fish over the same timespan which I will be fishing with my clients aboard. Fish, like all animals, go through daily cycles of feeding and resting. I want to take note of periods of low, moderate, and high activity levels during my scouting efforts.

So, since I encourage my clients to book morning trips and, lately, have been fishing with them from roughly 7:30AM to 11:30AM, that is the time during which I will also conduct my scouting efforts.

When I go scouting, I do not go back and fish areas I already have high confidence in, rather, I fish more marginal areas, areas I have not fished in a while, and areas which may be at the beginning or end of the seasonal timeframe during which they normally produce fish.

When scouting, I have already made up my mind that I will catch no more than five fish at a given area before moving on to seek out additional productive areas. Now, that said, the species I am pursuing are typically white bass and hybrid striped bass. If you are focused on a species of fish, like largemouth bass, which are not as abundant as white bass, you may cut that maximum catch number back to just one or two.

One of the reasons for limiting myself to catching no more than five fish at a given area is so while fish are in a feeding mode, I can cover as many potential areas as possible by not staying too long at an area at which I have already verified the presence of fish.

Once I successfully locate fish, I will take note of the wind direction, the depth, and the topography in play when those fish were found. Most times, such information can be helpful in “patterning” other areas with similar orientation, depth, and topography. This helps me prioritize which other areas I should search first with the limited time I have to accomplish my scouting efforts within the normal four-plus hours over which I would normally be conducting a guided trip with clients aboard.

This morning, Kelvin and I identified exactly 17 areas which gave up at least 5 fish. As I noted the locations of these fish concentrations, I also noted how much effort was required to catch them, and the size of the fish.

100% of our 88 fish were taken with MAL Originals or MAL Dense Lures with chartreuse tails worked vertically with a smoking tactic aided by Garmin LiveScope and the fish-attracting noise of a splasher.

I noted that areas heavy with bait held greater numbers of white bass, and those white bass tended to be more aggressive (likely because they were competing with schoolmates).

Here is a tutorial on vertically smoking the MAL Lure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDSvfXgrAUE

Here is a tutorial on horizontally “sawtoothing” with the MAL Lure or White Tornado: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3FMEQHOMQ

RESULTS: 88 fish, all caught and released

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: We primarily used MAL Originals in under 30′ & MAL Dense Lures (w/ chartreuse tails) in over 30′ vertically today. Find all MAL Lures and White Tornados here: https://whitebasstools.com/

OBSERVATIONS:

1) No helpful bird activity today.

2) Southerly winds returned today after two days of slack winds.

2) We found our first fish at 7:43A, and left fish biting at 11:40A

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Friday, 15 Nov….

0 feet 70.2F
5 feet 71.7F
10 feet 72.2F
15 feet 72.3F
20 feet 72.3F
25 feet 72.3F
30 feet 72.3F
35 feet 72.3F
40 feet 72.3F
45 feet 72.3F
50 feet 72.3F
55 feet 72.3F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:20A

End Time: 11:40A

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 38F

Elevation: 1.41′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 68.9F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: Calm at sunrise, with a light SE breeze quickly shifting and increasing to SSW14 by trip’s end.

Sky Condition: Cloudless, blue skies

Moon Phase: Last quarter moon at 44% illumination.

GT = 15

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area 034 – 7 fish smoking MAL Original Lures & sawtoothing White Tornados (quality fish)

Area vic SH0110C – 5 fish fish smoking MAL Original Lures

Area 759 – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures

Area 789/790 – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures (all small)

Area SH0042C – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures (small keepers)

Area 778/805 – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures (small keepers)

Area 785/679 – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures (small keepers)

Area SH0286G to as far east as Area SH0070G in 39 to 41′- 6 fish smoking MAL Original Lures (quality fish)

Area SH0287G – 6 fish smoking MAL Original Lures in 50′

Area vic 259 – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures (quickly lost interest)

Area vic 927 – 5 fish smoking MAL Original Lures

Area SH0289G – 7 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures & sawtoothing White Tornados (quality fish)

Area SH0290G – 5 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area SH0049C – 6 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area vic 988 – 5 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area vic 0279 – 6 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures (all suspended in small groups; no heavy concentrations)

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: [email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bobmaindelle

02/12/2024

CYBER MONDAY FISHING GIFT CERTIFICATE OFFER

Today only I am offering gift certificates for up to 3 anglers for the price of 2.

This is a savings of $50 ($295 vs. $345). This is a "no brainer" if you know you'll be fishing with me in what's left of 2024 or in 2025 with 3 or more in your party.

I am only offering 15 of these. Once they are gone, they are gone.

Each certificate is for a 4+ hour trip of catch-and-release fishing for white bass on Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir or Lake Belton. These certificates are NOT valid for the hybrid-specific fishing trips I offer in April and May.

Certificates are good for 1 year from start date (which you determine). Must be paid in full today.

Additional anglers may be added for $50 each; payment for additional anglers is made at the close of the fishing trip.

Simply call, text, or email at 254.368.7411 or [email protected]. Let me know the following to fill out the blanks on the certificate.

Who it is to: (example: Uncle Josh)
Who it is from: (example: Becky and the Kids)
What is the occasion: (example: Merry Christmas 2024)
What is the start date: (example: 25 December 2024)

I will invoice you via PayPal or Venmo and email you the certificate as a pdf once payment comes through.

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS POST ON FACEBOOK NOR VIA MESSENGER.

02/12/2024

That Fish’ll Buy You Lunch — 37 Fish
(Facebook Jail Episode 8 of 10)

November 20th, 2024 by Bob Maindelle

CLIENTS: This morning, Wednesday, 20 November, I fished with returning guests Brandon and Wendy Hunt – a very outdoorsy couple heading toward their 25th year of marriage.

The Hunt’s first trip with me was back in June of 2023, so, this fall trip was very different so far as tactics were concerned.

DATE: Wednesday, 20 November 2024 (AM)

NEXT OPEN DATES: 2, 3, 6, 9-13 December (AM)

PHOTO CAPTION: This was the “lunch fish” — the largest of the trip — landed at our last stop of the day by Wendy. That fish was worth a smoked chicken, cornbread, drinks, and more at Miller’s Smokehouse in Belton.

PHOTO CAPTION: Brandon took this Lake Belton hybrid on a 1 1/8 oz. White Tornado (white color) fished with a “sawtooth” retrieve.

PHOTO CAPTION: Brandon and Wendy’s first two fish of the morning came simultaneously as side-imaging revealed a nice school of hybrid stripers out to our starboard side. Their well-placed casts with White Tornados were instantly rewarded.

PHOTO CAPTION: Of course no trip would be complete without a few good ol’ white bass. These were taken on a combination of MAL Dense Lures fished vertically and White Tornados fished horizontally.

PHOTO CAPTION: Wendy landed a bonus smallmouth — her first ever!

WHERE WE FISHED: Lake Belton

SUMMARY OF HOW WE FISHED:

The fish were really hard to pin down today. Although we enjoyed the arrival of a nice batch of birds with this most recent cold front, the birds were here and then there and then resting and then gone and then over there and then over here again. As the fish fed sporadically, the bird action just mimicked that fish activity.

It was like a baby fighting sleep — the fish wanted to feed, but the impact of the dropping water temperature kept fighting them from going full bore.

So, we enjoyed better quality fish, but a lower quantity of fish caught versus recent trips with warmer water temperatures.

Side-imaging was indispensable today in helping to find small “wolfpacks” of fish here, there, and everywhere, allowing us to get to them and sit on them for at least a few minutes before we had to move on and find the next school.

When we found fish, we typically fished vertically with MAL Dense Lures (w/ chartreuse tails) for as long as the fish right beneath us stayed interested. Then, once they dispersed or lost interest, Brandon and Wendy would sling White Tornados out to the port or starboard side of the boat if side-imaging revealed activity there. If not, we’d idle along until we found more fish to target.

Here is a tutorial on vertically smoking the MAL Lure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDSvfXgrAUE

Here is a tutorial on horizontally “sawtoothing” with the MAL Lure or White Tornado: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3FMEQHOMQ

RESULTS: 37 fish, all caught and released

LURES USED SUCCESSFULLY ON THIS TRIP: We primarily used MAL Originals (w/ chartreuse tails) vertically and 1 1/8 oz. White Tornados horizontally today. Find all MAL Lures and White Tornados here: https://whitebasstools.com/

OBSERVATIONS:

1) I observed our first extended bout of bird activity today — it was widespread and sproadic, but began at sunrise and was still “trickling” at 1pm.

2) First loons of the fall were observed with this incoming cold front.

LATEST WATER TEMPERATURE PROFILE:

Here was the water temperature profile for Lake Belton, measured with a FishHawk TD device around 7:00 AM on Friday, 15 Nov….

0 feet 70.2F
5 feet 71.7F
10 feet 72.2F
15 feet 72.3F
20 feet 72.3F
25 feet 72.3F
30 feet 72.3F
35 feet 72.3F
40 feet 72.3F
45 feet 72.3F
50 feet 72.3F
55 feet 72.3F

WEATHER DATA:

Start Time: 7:20A

End Time: 12:45P

Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 48F

Elevation: 2.54′ low and falling slowly with a 43 cfs flow

Water Surface Temp: 68.9F on the surface.

Wind Speed & Direction: NNW 12-15 all morning.

Sky Condition: Cloudless, blue skies

Moon Phase: Waning gibbous moon at 73% illumination.

GT = 70

AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:

Area vic 302 thru 1933 – 14 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures & sawtoothing White Tornados

Area vic 1671 – 10 fish smoking MAL Dense Lures

Area vic 1804 to B0159C – 13 fish sawtoothing White Tornados

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: [email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bobmaindelle

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