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BOB MAINDELLE: Rapidly falling water temperature requires adjustment | Outdoor Sports
Since the strong line of storms that tore through Central Texas on Veterans Day, we have not had even a single hour of time where the air temperature has been warmer than the water temperature on the surface of our two local lakes. This has led to a rapid cooling of Belton and Stillhouse Hollow lakes. Before going into this weekend, the surface temperature on both bodies of water hovered near 60 degrees, a temperature we normally do not fall to until the second or third week of December. In some years, we have not reached a 60 surface temperature until after New Year’s Day. Although decreasing water temperatures are…
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BOB MAINDELLE: Anticipating the autumn turnover | Outdoor Sports
Although the weather has moderated compared to the lengthy string of 100-degree days we endured this summer, the waters of our local reservoirs, Belton and Stillhouse Hollow lakes, are still very much thermally stratified. Fishing with clients this week was much the same as it has been all summer. We searched deep, open water to find areas holding threadfin shad and then scrutinized side-imaging technology to find small “wolfpacks” of fish holding near this bait. Typically, the gamefish were found holding on the deeper side of sloped areas as compared to the baitfish they were holding near. On a number of occasions, gamefish were found holding in a horizontal band…
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BOB MAINDELLE: Walleye fishing on Wisconsin’s Green Bay | Outdoor Sports
As I have detailed in this column over the past two weeks, my wife and I recently spent a week out of state on a business trip to Wisconsin. Along the way we visited with the good people at both the Mepps fishing lure factory in Antigo, Wisconsin, as well as with those at the St. Croix rod manufacturing facility in Park Falls, Wisconsin. After these two meetings concluded, we drove back eastward toward Lake Michigan. Our last full day in Wisconsin would be spent on Green Bay, a large bay on the western shore of Lake Michigan, in pursuit of walleye. Joining us were two of the staff from…
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BOB MAINDELLE: In pursuit of Texas freshwater redfish | Outdoor Sports
This week I had an opportunity to travel outside of Central Texas to join clients whom I have guided in the past to pursue freshwater redfish. Redfish, also known as red drum, are a popular saltwater fish found along both the East Coast and the Gulf Coast. For decades now, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has stocked redfish in two freshwater lakes: Lake Braunig and Calaveras Lake, both just a few miles southeast of San Antonio. Since I am not as young as I used to be, I decided to divide the trip across portions of two days, driving down to Floresville on Wednesday afternoon, staying overnight at a…
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BOB MAINDELLE: Record grass carp harvested at Lake Georgetown | Outdoor Sports
In the wee hours on May 28, Rick Munguia, owner of Awesome Bowfishing based in Briggs, put one of his clients onto the fish of a lifetime. Munguia was joined right around sunset on May 27 by Hunter Burnett, age 24, and his father, Jay Burnett, both visiting Central Texas from Pampa, Texas. Munguia had chosen to bowfish on the waters of Lake Georgetown. The small Corps of Engineers reservoir is approximately 1,297 acres in size, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Lake Georgetown is fed by the San Gabriel River. While underway to the first cove in which the men would bowfish, Munguia covered basic safety…
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BOB MAINDELLE: Positive news for Belton and Stillhouse Hollow lakes | Outdoor Sports
Take your pick: record fuel prices, rising inflation, the war in Ukraine, Supreme Court staff shenanigans, political division, etc. — there seems to be no end to negative news. Need a little positivity in your life? Look no further than our two local reservoirs for some good news. STILLHOUSE HOLLOW LAKE Let us begin at Stillhouse Hollow Lake. Stillhouse, when full, covers approximately 6,429 acres, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Of all of the reservoirs in the Texas Hill Country, Stillhouse stands alone in the abundance of hydrilla growth found there. Although hydrilla is an invasive species, it does provide useful vegetative habitat for cover-loving species like…
