Fishing Forum

I figured that conditions should be getting about right for the perch to show up at Willard…if they WERE going to show up in the low water this year.  I love it when I’m right.  Even though water temps were still well over 40…and water levels were well below where they prefer…at least a few perch showed up.
 
I launched at the north marina a little after 8am…right after the “Deadly Duo” (WH2 and WiperSlayer).  Air temp was 40 and water temp about 47 in the marina and 48 in the main lake.  Absolutely calm and stayed that way all day.

Action began quickly.  Got a “rod tip rattle” almost as soon as my first cast hit the bottom.  Definitely not the “big bend” of a cantankerous kitty.  Set the hook and felt the satisfying tugs of my first perch.  Got my second shortly after.  Figured it was gonna be gangbusters all day.  NOT.
 
Didn’t get another bite for the next half hour, so I started “prospecting”.  Shoulda stayed put ‘cause that was where the fish were.  But, eternal optimist that I am, I headed for another area that has produced perch in the past.  Only got one in over an hour of trying a little bit of everything.  But it was my first 13 incher.  However, I did catch one “cool cat” that just rolled up on the surface in the cold water.  I could almost hear him begging for me to take him someplace where it was warm.  So I put him in my basket.
 
Noticed several boats staying in the same area I had caught my fish earlier.   Decided to finish up my last hour where I had started.  Good move.  Got a few more perch…plus another catfish.  Finished my day with 2 catfish and 7 perch from 11” to 13”. 
   

VIDEO LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffaHeJ3paWo

Good seeing you out there yesterday Pat, glad to read the perch treated you well too. I didn't get a chance to talk to Tin-Can but he was out there as well, plus a few more Willard regulars. Great Fall day on the water.

Oh heck. I started the day with a list of chores. Every time I finished one I'd think about the north marina. Never did make it out to Willard, but my chores are all done. The chores could have waited. Fishing can't.

(10-30-2021, 01:48 PM)FatBiker Wrote: [ -> ]Oh heck. I started the day with a list of chores. Every time I finished one I'd think about the north marina. Never did make it out to Willard, but my chores are all done.  The chores could have waited. Fishing can't.

WORK:  A four letter word for something you can do when you ain't fishin'.

Since you ain't married I can only assume you were doing chores from a list you made yourself.  That's even worse than having to work from a "honey-do" list made by a wife.  

Very nice report and fish.  Thanks for sharing.  As I said in WH's post, those perch are chunky.

(10-30-2021, 03:55 PM)Jig-fisher Wrote: [ -> ]Very nice report and fish.  Thanks for sharing.  As I said in WH's post, those perch are chunky.

Thanks.  And congrats on your tiger from Newton.  Looks about the same size as the 30 incher I got at Pineview last week.  But just a suggestion.  You don't have to let the adversary draw blood just to even things up.

Chunky?  Yep.  The shad in Willard make good perch chow.  And this year, with the extended shad spawn, there are still  lots of small perch-edible shad in the water...now dying from a combination of cold water and inability to feed on anything except the disappearing zooplankton.  The last segment of my video shows a 2" shad making its last wiggles next to shore.  There are thousands that size dying off and feeding the predators.  The perch were very thick and full of them.  And the cats were not only full of shadlets but their body cavities were full of "visceral fat".  They been eating well.

MORE INFO:

As most Willardites know, the end of the concrete ramps on the east and west sides have been unuseable in low water due to a steep dropoff.  I was pleasantly surprised yesterday to see that they had filled that in and have extended the ramp with some coarse rock.  Not as good as concrete but the next time the water gets low it will prolong the usability of the ramp. 

  
On the other side...the east ramp...there is some rock in place but they either quit early or still have some more rock to add. 

The depth seems to have either stabilized...or even risen recently with the rains.  There is a good 5' at the launch end of the ramp and at least 5-6' all the way out the channel.  Just don't try to go past the line of buoys on the east side.  There is a berm that comes up close to the surface and it will get your prop for sure.

One last item.  The fish cleaning station is closed and wrapped for the winter.  Seems to close earlier and open later every year...along with being unusable on more and more trips.  

Those ramp improvements will be VERY welcome. That dropoff was a trailer-grabber for sure!

Hey Pat, I really like those videos, almost like I got to go fishing with you... Thanks for doing that, I love watching what is going on on the sonar while your pulling in the fish... Are all those marks bait balls mostly? Looked like so many that you had false bottoms at times.. Pretty cool thanks J

Those Perch…..dang!

(10-30-2021, 11:57 PM)SkunkedAgain Wrote: [ -> ]Hey Pat, I really like those videos, almost like I got to go fishing with you... Thanks for doing that, I love watching what is going on on the sonar while your pulling in the fish... Are all those marks bait balls mostly?  Looked like so many that you had false bottoms at times.. Pretty cool thanks J

Thanks Jeff.  And you're right.  There were quite a few times that the shad balls were so dense they changed the bottom depth reading.  A lot of the dense masses were small shad but there were also plenty of larger marks either above or below them...or mixed in with them.  I suspect many of those larger marks were larger shad...since I saw a couple jump.  But I am betting there were some crappies mixed in too.  Never rigged or fished for them but next trip I will have a slip bobber rig ready.  Used to do very well this time of year on suspended slabs.

(10-31-2021, 04:52 AM)MrShane Wrote: [ -> ]Those Perch…..dang!

I'd be happy to arrange a personal introduction to a few...if you haven't winterized your boat.

Good report Pat, glad you got a few. Thanks for the updates. I waved to you on my way to visit my friend Jay O. Bee, but you were too busy staring at your tv.

(10-31-2021, 06:27 PM)EyLayo Wrote: [ -> ]Good report Pat, glad you got a few. Thanks for the updates. I waved to you on my way to visit my friend Jay O. Bee, but you were too busy staring at your tv.

Sorry.  Didn't see ya.  Didja wave with all the fingers on your hand...or?  I hear your friend can be pretty demanding.  I used to have a friend like that.  But I dumped him when I got older.

Easy to get engrossed in those TV programs on Willard.  Lots of activity and no commercials.

thanks Pat

(10-30-2021, 12:58 PM)TubeDude Wrote: [ -> ]I figured that conditions should be getting about right for the perch to show up at Willard…if they WERE going to show up in the low water this year.  I love it when I’m right.  Even though water temps were still well over 40…and water levels were well below where they prefer…at least a few perch showed up.
 
I launched at the north marina a little after 8am…right after the “Deadly Duo” (WH2 and WiperSlayer).  Air temp was 40 and water temp about 47 in the marina and 48 in the main lake.  Absolutely calm and stayed that way all day.

Action began quickly.  Got a “rod tip rattle” almost as soon as my first cast hit the bottom.  Definitely not the “big bend” of a cantankerous kitty.  Set the hook and felt the satisfying tugs of my first perch.  Got my second shortly after.  Figured it was gonna be gangbusters all day.  NOT.
 
Didn’t get another bite for the next half hour, so I started “prospecting”.  Shoulda stayed put ‘cause that was where the fish were.  But, eternal optimist that I am, I headed for another area that has produced perch in the past.  Only got one in over an hour of trying a little bit of everything.  But it was my first 13 incher.  However, I did catch one “cool cat” that just rolled up on the surface in the cold water.  I could almost hear him begging for me to take him someplace where it was warm.  So I put him in my basket.
 
Noticed several boats staying in the same area I had caught my fish earlier.   Decided to finish up my last hour where I had started.  Good move.  Got a few more perch…plus another catfish.  Finished my day with 2 catfish and 7 perch from 11” to 13”. 
   

VIDEO LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffaHeJ3paWo

Nice report Pat. Here I was thinking I should hang up my float tube for the year. I was able to sneak away to Texas to visit family. Gonna go out with a striper fishing guide Friday morning on Lake Whitney. When I get back home, I just might have to sneak out to Willard. Those perch photos are making my mouth water. 
Gabe

(11-01-2021, 02:39 PM)Freakyfisherman Wrote: [ -> ]Nice report Pat. Here I was thinking I should hang up my float tube for the year. I was able to sneak away to Texas to visit family. Gonna go out with a striper fishing guide Friday morning on Lake Whitney. When I get back home, I just might have to sneak out to Willard. Those perch photos are making my mouth water. 
Gabe

Hey Gabe, shoot me a PM when you got a hankerin' to hit Willard.  I will gladly arrange a personal introduction to some of those perchzillas. 

Late in the year?  Yep.  Until the past two or three years I was about the only hardy (foolish) soul fishing Willard after the weather cooled down.  On many November trips I was rewarded with few fish...but often caught a nice wiper or walleye...or both...to make the trip worthwhile. 
    
Then, about six or seven years ago I discovered some perch showing up.  Don't know if they have been there all along (I doubt it) but all of a sudden I was catching some really nice perch in the few weeks before iceup.  Also caught some through the ice later.

My reports got a few more perch jerkers showing up each fall and now it is a pretty big event for quite a few of us.
I have found that you can catch at least a few of them on about anything you use...with minnows, perch meat or crawler all working as sweetener for whatever lures you are using.  But there are some definite "betters" once you get the hang of it.  And I'd be happy to shorten your learning curve.

(10-31-2021, 02:09 PM)TubeDude Wrote: [ -> ]

(10-31-2021, 04:52 AM)MrShane Wrote: [ -> ]Those Perch…..dang!

I'd be happy to arrange a personal introduction to a few...if you haven't winterized your boat.

I don’t winterize my boat Pat, I use it at Strawberry and DC till ice up about Christmas time then have it out again in February when Walleye start moving at UL.
As you know I get a little distracted by birds this time of year but let me see what I can do.
Thanks!

(11-01-2021, 03:35 PM)MrShane Wrote: [ -> ]

(10-31-2021, 02:09 PM)TubeDude Wrote: [ -> ]

(10-31-2021, 04:52 AM)MrShane Wrote: [ -> ]Those Perch…..dang!

I'd be happy to arrange a personal introduction to a few...if you haven't winterized your boat.

I don’t winterize my boat Pat, I use it at Strawberry and DC till ice up about Christmas time then have it out again in February when Walleye start moving at UL.
As you know I get a little distracted by birds this time of year but let me see what I can do.
Thanks!

Cast and blast?  Probably not a good idea on Willard.  I think there are restrictions.  But there is a lot of noise from the quacker whackers on the other side of the levee.  Only problem is that the perch bite on nice sunshiny days and the birds fly best in "fowl" weather.