Cove Bass Club competes at Stillhouse Hollow Lake
By JACK JOHNSON
Special to the Leader-Press
The Copperas Cove Bass Club held its monthly tournament on Stillhouse Hollow Lake last Saturday. The weather forecast for the day was cloudy, with a chance of afternoon rain and winds from 10-15 and gust up to 20 mph out of the south and south west. The Tournament started at 7:00 a.m with a beginning temperature of 54 degrees. The tournament director for the tournament was the club president, Randy Fesler and 17 club members participated
The water on Stillhouse ranged from gin clear down in the dam area to heavy stained in the upper end and river. These water conditions and the wind played a significant role in bait selection for the members based on where they were fishing.
At start time it was cloudy and stayed that way until about an hour before the end of the tournament when it became partly cloudy for about an hour then clouded back up. At least we did not have to face the frigid temperatures we faced in the January tournament at Lake Waco.
The winds made it tough to stay on your spot and all the fishermen had to work hard to hold their boats in the gusty winds. Of the 17 fishermen fishing, only 14 were able to hook up with a keeper fish. There were a total of 27 fish caught for a total weight of 64.55 pounds.
In the total weight category first place went to Randy Fesler, of Lampasas, with four fish weighing in at 12.80 pounds. Randy caught his fish throwing a red rattle trap in five feet of water working mid-lake points with bushes.
“I had to entice the strikes by running the rattle trap into the tree and then letting it float off and then begin to crank it again,” said Fessler.
Second place went to Ray Clary of Copperas Cove with three fish weighing in at 9.60 lbs. Ray fished the upper end of the lake near the long bridge. He caught the majority of his fish on a watermelon Senko fishing timber in six feet of water and around floating timber in the back ends of coves.
Third place went to Cove’s Rick Counter with three fish weighing in at 7.20 pounds. Rick fished the mid lake area and worked his Senko, Texas rigged over a patch of hydrilla on the south side of the main lake to produce all three of the bass.
The Big Bass of the day went to Randy Fesler with a 5.55 lb hog. Ray Clary also had a nice 5.35 Bucketmouth.
If you enjoy fishing and a little competition, come join the Copperas Cove Bass Club. The Club meets the first and third Tuesday of every month at Little Tex restaurant, downtown Copperas Cove, or you may contact Jack Johnson, the Club Secretary at 318-218-0358 or e-mail to jasperjohnson66@yahoo.com for more information. The Club’s web site is www.copperascovebassclub.com.
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