I was invited to fish with wipperhunter2 today. It was a little slow. As we was wanting walleye. We caught two cats and two wippers. Any day at Willard without a skunk is a good day. We both had worm harness on one pole and lure on the other. And I think they all took the worm.
Thanks Curtis. It was great getting to know you better.
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Enjoyed getting out there with you Randy, sure is a amazing how the catching can change in a few days but at least the wipers were there and the cats. Those big wipers can sure put up a fight and for those of you that are interested, the KCT blade I was using has been treating me well.
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Are you having luck with the wipers? I was out there today and thought i'd at least pick up one--but no. What is a KCT blade? I will post about my day when i have more time. I have an interesting tale.
Guess it was good I got to the north marina early this morning. Didn't seem that crowded out there until you got close to the marina. Sounds like the south marina was a zoo.
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Those are tanks for sure. I agree with WH2 it sure is strange where one thing works one day not the next with no weather/pressure changes in between - Wednesday we never caught one wiper on a worm or the cranks
Willard is wacky that way.... [crazy]
Yes, not catching a lot on every trip but we caught 8 on Tues and two yesterday. KCT=Kokanee Creek tackle, the second pic above that Randy posted was one of the ones I've been having good luck with. Several stores in this area carry them, just not Sportsmans or Cabela's. Anglers Den has them, Smith & Edwards and Wayngards, other than that you have to get them on line. Not sure why but some folks think you lose some of the fight of a fish by using lead core line but nothing is farther from the truth, Wipers kick butt no matter what line you use, Those big 22" fish posted above made five or more hard runs, I've had several hit so hard lately that they broke my line and doubled over my pole. When those big boys come to lunch you better be ready with some heavy gear, that's all I can say. Murico has been catching the most wipers this year and he does it by covering water, looking for active fish. I spend time looking for those active fish too, then I keep going over that spot where the first fish is caught, trying to catch another. Tues that worked, not so well on Fri but that's fishing.
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8 is a nice total, especially to a guy that got no love from them. So you are getting them mainly on worm harnesses? My biggest eye yesterday was on the flatfish harness. Seems like the fish were about half way up in the water column. Are you finding the wipers any deeper than the eyes?
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That is the most we have caught all year on a single trip. We caught them on worm harnesses, using lead core line and on side planners pulling purple flicker shad cranks. Worm harnesses worked the best for us that day. On Tues we caught both wipers and eyes on harnesses. If I had to guess, I'd say we were within 1 to 2 feet of the bottom at 2.3 mph. We let line out until we hit the bottom, then reel up one color, so we were about 5 colors out in 23 FOW.
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Interesting. My eyes came at 2.5 colors back with the lead core right behind the boat and 40' back for the crank bait on a side planing board. When I ran my lead core back 4-5 colors I snagged it and lost it. Hard to do on Willard I know but I managed it.
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We were 150 ft back on our cranks before we put on our side planners but it just goes to show you that you can catch them with all sorts of set ups, too bad about loosing your lead core line. The trick is to stay away from the shore and reel in line anytime you are making a turn or it get shallower or your speed slows.
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I didn't lose any of my lead core, luckily, just the flouro leader and my brand new harness. I was in 25 feet of water just off the light pole and going straight. I was snagged in that same spot a few years ago so there is something down there that grabs hooks. A friend of mine who works with the DWR showed me a pic yesterday of a giant snapping turtle they caught in marshes somewhere out there. That thing must have weighed at least 30-40 pounds with claws like a bear. It had its mouth open and looked like it could take your hand off at the wrist. Maybe that's what sitting at the bottom in that spot.
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LOL, snapping turtle, not likely but it could be those christmas trees, that are wrapped in steel cable, that are around that area, that is why I said stay away from the shore line. With the water this high, they could be 100 yds offshore. If you have down or side scan you should be able to see them.
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I hear you. I will be staying away from now on. Probably was 100 or so yards offshore.
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Great fish and information. Much appreciated
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Great report. Those wipers are toads. Thanks for sharing all the information Curtis.
fnf[cool]
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He have left a bunch of tackle on those Christmas trees in the corner. Willard is killing us this year. I wonder if the shad will pull off the massive spawn that happens or if the wacky weather will shorten them up. Im not graphing much for schools yet. If we get lucky we might get a longer fishing summer with out that huge binge of shad that shuts it down.
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I feel the heat will get me before the huge binge of shad. I usually shut down most of my fishing in July. I should get out 2 more times to Willard this weekend with the cool weather rolling in, then I might be done there.
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[quote wiperhunter2]Yes, not catching a lot on every trip but we caught 8 on Tues and two yesterday. KCT=Kokanee Creek tackle, the second pic above that Randy posted was one of the ones I've been having good luck with. Several stores in this area carry them, just not Sportsmans or Cabela's. Anglers Den has them, Smith & Edwards and Wayngards, other than that you have to get them on line. Not sure why but some folks think you lose some of the fight of a fish by using lead core line but nothing is farther from the truth, Wipers kick butt no matter what line you use, Those big 22" fish posted above made five or more hard runs, I've had several hit so hard lately that they broke my line and doubled over my pole. When those big boys come to lunch you better be ready with some heavy gear, that's all I can say. Murico has been catching the most wipers this year and he does it by covering water, looking for active fish. I spend time looking for those active fish too, then I keep going over that spot where the first fish is caught, trying to catch another. Tues that worked, not so well on Fri but that's fishing.[/quote]
It does feel like I have trolled the whole lake, but that comes with going 13 times this year. The tip I have, but has already been said... don't be afraid to keep going until you hit a wiper. Then work that area for awhile. If you don't get another one within awhile, move on.
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I suspect the shad will start showing up soon, I think they are late this year because of the weather but last year they showed up early. The average best fishing for Willard is between May 15 and June 15, now that those dates are past my guess is the shad will show up in the next week or two. The longer it takes for them to show up, the better the catching will be, IMO.
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