ABOARD THE BOAT TODAY:  This morning I was joined by first-time guests, father-and-son Alan and Mark Oppenheim, originally from northeastern New York.  Alan is semi-retired from land development, and Mark is an oral surgeon.  Alan is here for a few days to visit. DATE: 23 May 2024 (AM)   NEXT OPEN DATES: Wednesday, 22 May (AM), and Friday, 21 June (AM)     PHOTO CAPTION:  From left: Alan and Mark Oppenheim with a few of the 33 fish they caught in a short window between obscured sunrise and an approaching thunderstorm on Stillhouse Hollow.   PHOTO ..read more

ABOARD THE BOAT TODAY:  This morning I was joined by returning guests Dwight Stone and his granddaughter, Jemma Rogers, in celebration of her 10th birthday.   DATE: 21 May 2024 (AM)   NEXT OPEN DATES: Wednesday, 22 May (AM), and Friday, 21 June (AM)     PHOTO CAPTION: Dwight Stone took his 10-year-old granddaughter, Jemma Rogers, out on Stillhouse Hollow for a morning of white bass catching.  The MAL Dense and MAL Heavy, both with silver body and chartreuse tail, did the trick once again.     PHOTO CAPTION:  This 3.5 pound “bonus bass” and on ..read more

ABOARD THE BOAT TODAY:  This morning I was joined by returning guests Steve Niemeier and his grandson, Caleb Fowler, and by first-time guest, Andrew Glass, a college buddy of Caleb’s from Texas Tech in Abilene.   DATE: 20 May 2024 (AM)   NEXT OPEN DATES: Wednesday, 22 May (AM), and Friday, 21 June (AM)     PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Steve Niemeier, Andrew Glass, and Caleb Fowler with a half-dozen of the quality white bass they took from the flooded waters of Stillhouse Hollow.  This crew’s 125 fish catch included five white bass between 15.00 and 15.50 inches ..read more

ABOARD THE BOAT TODAY:  This morning I was joined by returning guests Steve and Dave Weaver.  Steve is retired from law enforcement in Florida, and Dave is a Central Texas small animal veterinarian.   DATE: 17 May 2024 (AM)   NEXT OPEN DATES: Wednesday, 22 May (AM), and Friday, 21 June (AM)   PHOTO CAPTION: Brothers Steve (left) and Dave Weaver joined me to fish for white bass on a very flooded Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir.  The lake, which rose 3.86 feet overnight, is now 8.73 feet flooded and still rising slowly.  Their catch was made on MAL Dense Lure ..read more

ABOARD THE BOAT TODAY:  This morning I was joined by Sun City Rod & Gun Club members Dale Borchardt, Ed Hojnacki, and Mike McBride, all retirees living in Georgetown, TX.  The trip was coordinated by member Pat Patterson, who did not attend.   DATE: 15 May 2024 (AM)   NEXT OPEN DATE: Friday, 21 June (AM)   PHOTO CAPTION: From left: Mike McBride, Dale Borchardt, and Ed Hojnacki with a few of the 156 fish they landed just hours before grey skies and southerly winds gave way to another round of flooding rains in the watersheds of both Lake Belton and Stillhouse ..read more

ABOARD THE BOAT TODAY:  This morning I fished alone with the intent of scouting that portion of Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir which still has semi-clear water. DATE: 15 May 2024 (AM) NEXT OPEN DATE: Friday, 21 June (AM)   PHOTO CAPTION:  The MAL Dense – the only lure I used today as I checked multiple areas, caught five fish at each, and moved on to check other areas.   WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir   SUMMARY OF HOW I FISHED:  The purpose of this morning’s trip was to find concentrations of white bass so as to come back with clients and put them ..read more

CLIENTS: Returning guest Frank Sumner and first-time guest Blaine Windel. DATE: 13 May 2024 (AM) NEXT OPEN DATE: Friday, 21 June (AM)   PHOTO CAPTION: Frank Sumner (tan shirt) and Blaine Windel each landed multiple hybrid striped bass using the MAL Dense horizontally with a “sawtooth method” in ~28-30′ where we could find clear water.   PHOTO CAPTION: White bass were caught both vertically and horizontally today as they came in to investigate the splasher and the commotion Frank and Blaine created with their presentations.   PHOTO CAPTION: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineer ..read more

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Thursday, May 8, I fished with Justices of the Peace, Dan Hause and Larry Wilkey.   Both men took office two years ago – – Larry in the Temple area and Dan in the Lampasas area.   Flooding continues with Lake Belton just over 11′ high this morning, BUT, the USACE has begun releasing water at ~4,100 CFS according to their last report.   Here is how the fishing went…   PHOTO CAPTION: Justices of the Peace Larry Wilkey (left) for the Temple area and Dan Hause for the Lampasas area landed a mix of white bass and hybrid striped bass as the USA ..read more

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Tuesday, May 7, I fished with a group of five from the Fellowship of Christian Sportsmen based in the Austin area.   Joining me this morning were Burl Fulenwilder, Rick Brettnacher, Jim McGee, Kevin McConnell, and Dusty Hunt.   Lake Belton continued to rise overnight and is now around 8 feet high. There are still valid concerns about access, and about how dirty water will affect white bass fishing, but these concerns grow less with each passing, rain-free day.   Here’s how the fishing went…   PHOTO CAPTION:   From left,  B ..read more

WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, Monday, May 6, it was truly a whole new ballgame.   Both Lake Belton and Stillhouse rose significantly thanks to heavy rains from Saturday night into Sunday morning.   Lake Belton rose over 6 feet in a 24 hour span, and Stillhouse rose over 9 feet during that same 24 hour span. Lake Belton, which has been below full pool since the summer of 2022, is now flooded with over 5 feet of excess flood water, and the water is still pouring in.   I fished a party of six this morning including five returning guests and one new guy.   Joining me were J ..read more