Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I launched our tubes at the south marina around 7 AM. Light north breeze, air temp 49, water temp 61.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Started fishing along the north side of the channel on the way out. Saw lots of suspended fish (shad?) but no hits until I got around the corner and started working north. Got whacked by a 7 inch smallie, but none of the walleyes I was hoping to find.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe had gone out on the south side of the channel and we both started throwing plastics and hardbaits for wipers. No surface activity, nothing on sonar and no hits. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After an hour or so, I rigged a tandem rig with two 2" tubes...one white and one blue with clear sparkle tail. That has been a productive rig in the past, for wipers and walleyes both during the cooler fall months. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]About my second or third cast, I got a thump while bouncing the jigs off the bottom in about 10 feet of water. It was a scrappy 12" wiper that put a good bend in my light rod. Kinda miffed the boat that was going by at the time.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Several minutes later I got another whack and this one was SERIOUS. Fought me all the way to the tube and then took the line over his shoulder and ran off about 30 yards. Did that a couple of times. Yaaa hooo. Them wipers is fun. Turned out to be a porky 19" that weighed 3.5 pounds. Fun, fun.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Both of the wipers took the blue clear sparkle jig. That was what I caught my last ones on last fall right up to mid November. But, other than one other inexperienced wiper, that did not know how to hang on, no more wipers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The kitties took up the slack nicely. Got several 14"-16" dragging a minnow and then they started hitting the different plastics I was still throwing for wallies or whities. I got them on 2" shad bodies and on several colors of tube jigs. I also got a half dozen cats on minnows hung below a bobber on one of my bobber head jigs. Never saw cats like those in Willard that will hit lures or bait near the top in deep water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe and I both kept a limit of little kitties. Can't beat the eatin' on those Willard wascals. I probably caught well over 20 and released all but the eight for the table.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Didn't see any trollers connecting on anything, but there was one old gentleman hacking up a couple of wipers at the cleaning station when we got there. I helped him finish his filleting and skinning with my electric knife so that he would still have something left to eat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We got off the water about 1 PM. The water temp had risen to 64 and the air was toasty warm too. Hope the afternoon shift found some willing fish and maybe some boils. However, once the water temps drop below 70 the boils are pretty well over.[/#0000ff]
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[font "Times New Roman"][#ff4040][size 3]Great work TD! Glad to see that there are some wipers still willing to play in the cooler temps.[/size][/#ff4040][/font]
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[cool][#0000ff]They will hit all year, even under the ice. You just have to play different games with them. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]For the next couple of months they will slow down and be harder to find. They will be more difficult to catch with traditional trolling methods but you can continue to catch them by casting or bottom bouncing small plastics. This is the time of year that a lot of bank tanglers score wipers on baits being soaked for kitties...worms, minnows, cut bait and even (choke) putrid chicken livers. A lot of wipers cruise the bottom in cooler weather, looking for shad or other forage that have died from the stress of colder water and sunk to the bottom. These scroungers will pick up minnows, worms and other stuff much better than during the warm months.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I'm hoping to get in another couple of sessions on them...in between trips to Jordanelle, Utah Lake, Starvation, Yuba...[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This time of year causes great anxiety among fisherkind. Too many places to go and not enough time.[/#0000ff]
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if you deside to fish the north marina anytime soon let me know i still need to get the toon wet for the first time
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As always, a very entertaining read and lovely pictures. Thanks for letting me have some fishing fun while living vicariously through your adventures.
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great report and pictures dude. tubebabe and you have the life.
i'm awhole lot jealous. you guys really rock. keep it up.
thanks for sharing as always. [cool]
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So if you caught a 12" whitie, would that mean it was a 24" wiper? Get it, 1/2 and 1/2???[]

Nice report Pat.
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Quote:[size 1]So if you caught a 12" whitie, would that mean it was a 24" wiper? Get it, 1/2 and 1/2???[] [/size]

[/size][font "Times New Roman"][#ff4040][size 3]Now that's funny![laugh][/size][/#ff4040][/font]
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[cool][#0000ff]Yeah, I get it. In fact, I think I've had it. Three tubing trips in a week has done wored me out and I'm slipping...even worse than usual.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I once worked under a good manager who seldom erred. On the rare occasions he made a slip, his excuse was "I did that on purpose. Great men must sometimes show their underlings that they are still human."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Me, I can't use that excuse. I am all too human and have no need of proving it. I make plenty of goofs. Hope you enjoyed this one of many. Now pardon me while I go pitch a fit somewhere.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]Maybe next Friday. We almost went there instead of the south marina yesterday.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I usually fish the north marina a lot more in the fall. As the water gets colder a lot of fish come inside because the shallower protected water warms a bit more on each sunny day. It can be a good spot for wipers, cats, crappies and walleyes clear up until iceup.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The weather is supposed to be sloppy during the early part of next week, and I will be doing the DWR board meeting on Thursday, but if you are open to Friday and the weather is doable, shoot me a PM and we will git 'er done.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]Thanks. Better to have lived vicariously than to never have lived at all.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]See ya on the 11th.[/#0000ff]
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Nice report, and great pics. I have caught cats on plastics before, but never consistantly like that.

Too bad the Willard walleye have not cooperated this year. []
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[cool][#0000ff]Some of the cats hit "bare" plastic. Others took jigs "sweetened" with a bit of crawler. Those little blue/clear sparkle tubes, with an inch of worm, are dynamite for walleyes. That is what I was targeting with them but caught two wipers and several cats on them as well. No complaints.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]They also love the white or pearl, with or without enhancement.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The walleyes will show. They are there in numbers but are probably stuffed most of the time. They feed heavily on the young shad each year and there was a bumper crop this year.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The period from mid October to iceup has always been my favorite time for Willard walleyes...next to the post spawn period in June. They are usually on the feed and in shallow around several areas near the north marina...and inside. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I will be doing some evening forays just for walleyes starting soon. The magic hour at sundown can be great when it gets colder.[/#0000ff]
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ill get back with ya. seams like i had something going on on friday ill have to check with my people and have them get with your people[]
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