LAKE BELTON Fishing Reports by Lowell Bennett and Keith Combs
 
Lake Belton fish have gotten more stable lately with some good small mouth being caught on shallow gravel bars and points I use Fire Tiger Bomber crank baits with a Power Tackle Cranking rod, a PGC170-7'0". When I Carolina rig, I drag lizards on a Power Tackle PG144-7'0" and a Power Tackle PG104-7'6".

Good luck Fishing,
Lowell Bennett

December on Belton will be a month of many different patterns, mostly revolving around the weather. There will be a good shallow bite for both large mouth and smallmouth. A good way to target both species this month is to key on the bank and cover as much water as possible. For me this means cranking, any small firetiger or red crawfish colored crank bait will work the key is a fast retreive that will present your bait to as many active fish as possible. A good fiberglass cranking rod is a must this time of year because many fish will just swipe at your bait out of reflex and will only be hooked on one treble. I prefer the Power Tackle PGC-170 7'0". This rod has improved my hook to catch ratio atleast 50% during the winter. Productive areas will be most main lake banks particurly the one with isolated chonk rock and clay mixture.
 
There will also be deeper fish this month relating to shad. Secondary points that contact a creek channel or outside bend of creek channels will concentrate fish. Carolina rigged creatures and lizards as well as jigging spoons will produce well. These fish will generally be in 18'-28' of water and may move several times during the day so make sure to fish all spots very thoroughly and mix things up. Good areas for deep winter bass will be Cedar Ridge, Bull Branch, and Sparta Valley.
 
Good fishing,
Keith Combs
trophybassguide.com