ok i go fishing regularly with my step father in law....on his boat...but he does not fish for LMB...we fish for whites and hybrids.....this is the only time i get on the water in a boat....usually we are fishing in water that is 20-40 feet deep....sometimes clean bottom sometimes brushy....if we dont get bit right off we move....would it be worth my efforts to try to catch LMB in these spots?  we do catch one occasionally on "accident".  what would you use in water that deep this time of year?  i like catching whites, and hybrids especially....but this is my only time to fish this lake, and on a boat, so i would like to try to land a few LMB "on purpose".  thanks in advance for any info

Cliff

P.S. if it helps it is Belton Lake in central texas, right near Fort Hood.

Jigs in deep water are always good.

You can't catch 'em if you don't fish for 'em -- as noted above, I would try thowing a jig - for clean bottoms I might try throwing a crank bait that will stir up the mud and for the trashy areas I would throw a T-rigged worm or senko type bait.  If you start hauling in some hawgs, he might get the bug.

I think that's flechero's main lake. If he doesn't respond to this post, send him a PM.

When I fish for lake striper, we fish over deep water where schools of baitfish are being shadowed by striper. Generally, this is in open water, sometimes in what appears to be the middle of a cove or an arm of the lake. Rarely (never) is this type of fishing associated with cover or structure. Under those conditions, I think it would be a complete waste of time to fish for bass.

I'd go for it. Maybe get some practice on style you wouldn't normally fish. Plus if you've caught LM there before you'll probably catch one again.

Not Sure...but why don't you try to introduce him to bass fishing. Maybe he'll take to it, and you guys can go on a double date to Dick's or Bsss Pro Shops with your bait monkeys  ;D

But seriously...bass fishing is probably the best freshwater fishing, try to make him like it. Get him a Bassin' Mag or something.

But if he still doesn;t bite...(see what I did, it's a fishing joke) Try drop shotting, or cranking for some suspending bass

oh he knows all about LMB fishing...his dad was big into it and hes been fishing for a long time...he wont bite, i know this.  

RW- i know some of the open clean water areas wouldnt be worth it...but a few of our good spots are very brushy, those would be the areas i would try...one area in particular we have caught alot of nice hybrids and he has "accidentally" caught 4-5 LMB over 7lbs each...

also he dosent have a bait monkey...he makes his own lures and he gets the lead for free from work, he made the mold, so all he has to buy is hooks and splitrings

i think i will give it a go next time out(hopefully this weekend)  i will let you know how i do...for my sake, i hope the whites and hybrids AREN'T biting...then i might be able to convince him to put me on some better LMB water!!

Might be worth a try with a c-rig out in the deep water, especially this time of year and concentrate on the deep brushy areas. You might be catching the 7lbers. I fish Belton and Stillhouse some. If you have a map PM me and I will mark some places I have caught fish for you.

i dont have a map for it, but if you tell me the "local" name of the place my partner will surly know it...he knows that like really good

I think that's flechero's main lake.

Good memory, Kent!

Cliff,

We do catch a lot of fish on Belton by c-rigging in 20'-35' of water... as you know some of those areas are shared by whites or within a good cast up a point or hump. I'd keep a c-rig close by with a "bad shad" smallie beaver on or a "blue Bling" or "Blue Bling / black laminate" from *** in the smallie size. (those are our 3 best c-rig producers, year round)

One other thing- we also found that the lmb will often mirror schools of whites and pick off some of the spoils when there is schooling going on. A crankbait seems to work for us fairly consistently out there... cast beyone the whites and get below them. The lmb are small but they are usually there.

The hybrid action can also be near some good lmb areas... across from the 1st water elevator (south) there is lots of good stuff.

The worst thing that can happen is that you end up fishing for whites and hybrids... life could be worse!!

thanks fletchero....i havent come across too many other freshwater fish that fight like a hybrid...they are tons of fun, and so are whites when your catching them every cast....the reason i posted about this is cuz i dont get to fish for LMB from a boat...i am limited to the banks of golf course ponds and stock tanks....so i would like to take advantage of my on boat time for LMB without hindering what the boat owner is fishing for...after all it is his boat and when he says we are moving, you better get your crap together....thanks again...i dont have any of those baits you mentioned...so it looks as tho i may have to go shopping soon

Cliff

There are a few places where the whites school that you can fish the points.  The main lake point coming out of westcliff comes to mind, we catch lots of lg and sm mouth there and we routinely have whites schooling behind us within casting range.  It's not the best option but it's an option.

Looks like you'll have to start saving your lunch money for a boat!  You should see some deals in the next month or so with the boat shows and stuff, people want to get rid of the old boats.  

Another possibility is to look into a couple of the local clubs (Robinson and West have them) and see what the non-boater opportunities are.  I'm sure other clubs exist in Waco but those are 2 I know of.

i actually looke dof rclubs around here, but couldnt find any near by...do they have a website or anything?  i would be very interested in that