Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I launched our tubes at the north marina at Willard about 6:45 AM. Overcast skies and light drizzle. Air temp 45 and water temp 53. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The cool southeast breeze that was blowing when we got there let up a bit so we kicked outside and started dragging a minnow on one rod and throwing plastics on the second. No takers and the drizzle turned to a spit. Rained slow but steady until about 9. Ya cain't beat fun. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We decided to not try kicking over to the north dike...our original plan...because the wind kept changing around and we did not want to end up pinned to the rocks when it was time to go home. So, we were staying fairly close to the marina. Had several boats cruise by closely, trying to see if we were catching anything...but pretending that we were not there.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The low ceiling finally raised a bit and some more light hit the water. I had been working water from 10 feet out to over 20 feet with only one hit on a minnow...no fish. Just as I cruised into the 13 foot zone, out of Eagle Beach, I had an "inquiry". The line popped out of the clip and a fish ran off with my minnow. Couldn't have that so I closed the bail and punched his lights out. First cookie cutter kitty in the basket. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Worked south to north just outside the buoy line inside the bay. Had a couple more runners and brought in one more catfish. Then, my sonar showed some fish that looked suspiciously like they might be crappies...stacked and staging for a run at the spawning stickups...when the water warmed a few more degrees. I rigged a tandem tube jig setup, with a blue/clear sparkle on top and a white/sparkle on the bottom. A few casts later I hooked and then lost a nice crappie at the surface. Then I brought in an 11 inchers on the blue jig.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I kept hollering at TubeBabe on the walkie talkies to get her to come into the shallower water and join me in the action. No answer. She was talking on her cell phone and had turned off the walkie talkie. Too bad. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]She finally turned it back on after I had scored several more cats and crappies and she never did land anything. She did have something large hooked briefly, but it was inexperienced and did not know how to hang on.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I brought in a total of five cats and 3 crappies. The crappies were suspended in 13 feet of water and the bite was just a "whisper". Finesse all the way. Nothing on a bobber. They would only hit when kept it swimming slow and steady at middepth. Got one 13" and one between 14 and 15". Lost one super slab (over 15") when it flopped on the surface and was hooked by only a thread of tissue.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I think I figured out why the crappies were in that little bay. I hooked several bits of green water weed while casting for them. They like vegetation.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As is common on Willard, the slow bite died off to nothing just after 11. I had a couple more "pop and drops" on bait, but did not hook anything else. Neither did TubeBabe. We were off the water by 1, with the water temp finally climbing to about 56.[/#0000ff]
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Sounds like alot of fun. Glad the rain didnt pick up on ya, at least when its rainy or overcast you dont have to deal with the "power crowd" nearly as much.
Glad you also got into some fish, would have been nothing more than a light shower otherwise.
Once again a very nice report and lesson from one of the best ( if not THE best ) fisherman in utah. Hopefully the weather and fish will cooperate more next week. [cool]
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[mad]Wasn't a stellar day for me! I usually take my cell phone out because I never know when one of the kids may call. Unfortunately there is interference between the walkie talkies and the phone, so I just turn it off when I get a call. Wouldn't you know that the "Dude" would make hay while I was otherwise occupied and couldn't hear his calls that he was into the fish! I got a couple little "tweaks" but they never turned into fish. I did, however, get a really hard hit that took the hook and headed out the opposite direction. It felt heavy ... had it on for about 5 twists of the reel and it came loose. The minnow that it had taken was in shreds. I just know it was a nice fat wiper! Oh, well, guess I'll have to try for him again.
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[frown] thats no good. i know its said all the time, but a bad day on the water fishing beats a good day at work. just make tubedude fillet the fish, cook them up, and feed ya dinner. might want to ask for some breakfast in bed also, cant really hurt to ask. [:p]
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[cool]That's cool that you got into the crappie bonus round today. At least the weather was as such that the power squadron stayed off the Bay...Bet you won't be able to say that much in a few weeks, unfortunately...[pirate] But, going out on weekdays sure helps with that...
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I'm glad someone caught a fish today. I was beginning to think there weren't any in there besides the carp surfacing. We launched next to you this morning in the duck boat with the mud motor on back. We fished up and down the north dike throwing plastics and hardbaits with no luck. Then we tried trolling for about 2 plus hours with rattletraps and rapalas without as much as a bite. We were off the water about 11. Third strikeout in a row for me at willard!! IT'S GETTING OLD.
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[cool][#0000ff]That was a nice lookin' rig you guys had. Should said howdy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sorry you didn't score anything. I would have bet you would have done better than I did. But, when the weather forecast last night had all those blue arrows up in the sky, I kinda wondered if it was going to mess up the wipers. They get nervous when they see all those blue arrows going overhead.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There were a few big ol' buglemouths cruising the surface this morning. Shouldn't be long until they will be wallowing in the shallows.[/#0000ff]
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Nice crappie Pat, sounds like it won't be long now before the spawn is on. Did you notice anyone fishing from shore in the marina area?
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When i came in there were three guys fishing at the entrance of the marina. Two had on bobbers and the other was throwing a rapala. Those were the only people that i noticed, could have been more. that was at 11.
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[quote wiperhunter2]Nice crappie Pat, sounds like it won't be long now before the spawn is on. Did you notice anyone fishing from shore in the marina area?[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]There were a few guys that came and went, fishing off the south point of the marina entrance. From conversations I overheard and from my observations nobody caught anything.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There were also a few souls who set up along the far eastern bank of the marina and one guy sitting on the SE corner. Did not drive over to check on their success.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The 3 crappies I took home were all females. The eggs were still "tight". Not extremely close to spawning, but at that stage they can ripen quickly when the water temps get warm enough to trigger the actual spawn.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In my original post I speculated that the crappies were in that little bay just hanging out and waiting for the spring fling. In reality, they were feeding over the muddy bottom. They were FULL of midge larvae. The midges are starting to hatch now and the crappies were glutting on the larvae.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was interesting because we had covered a lot of water and had seen very few fish on sonar...at any depth. Then, when I cruised into Eagle Beach bay my screen was full of fish in the 13 foot zone. There were lots of fish, of all sizes, from about mid depth to the bottom. I am sure that most of them were shad...also feeding on the abundant midge larvae. But, from past experience and being a pretty fair interpreter of what I can see on my screen, I am pretty confident that there were a whole bunch of crappies in that mix too. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This would probably be a good time for a fly flinger to score some crappies with small midge patterns and a strike indicator. I used to catch lots of crappies inside both marinas on a flyrod rigged with two flies and a sink tip line...just slowly moving in my tube.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It ain't likely that the guys who first get into major crappie action will report it on this board. The ones who are most successful on crappies are not the computer types. But, we have enough members who hit Willard often enough that they can report when they start seeing more tanglers chuckin' bubbles from the bank around the marina. That is usually a good indicator that the fish are in and the "word" is out...at least among the hardcore group.[/#0000ff]
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I was fishing off the south point till it started raining. Not one bite. I tried everything. Fished off the north point last saturday and hammered the wipers. I thought that might have been you Tubedude but wasn't sure.
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[quote FishinFool53]I was fishing off the south point till it started raining. Not one bite. I tried everything. Fished off the north point last saturday and hammered the wipers. I thought that might have been you Tubedude but wasn't sure.[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]You should have asked. I was SURE it was me.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Those wipers move around and when they are there...and active...it can be a good spot to whack them from shore. But, when the weather is changing and water temps drop a bit they are likely to be someplace else.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We couldn't find any wipers anywhere within our range from the marina. We almost always score a few...but not on May Day.[/#0000ff]
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It must be that "special sauce" you keep in the brown bottle that keeps lurering in the close cruisers[:p] I usually get buzzed by the "Power Squad" when I'm in my jonboat. At least you get the little boats[] Another great report and one of these days we will meet up and I can take some lessons[fishin]
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[cool][#0000ff]Don't know why it is but some guys seem to want to run around in bigger and more powerful craft...just to prove their manhood, or whatever. They are the ones who perpetuate the notion that the biggest craft has the right of way. And, since I am in a lowly float tube, even the rub-a-dub-dub craft have to run over me...just because they can.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I doubt that any of them are attracted to the crawdad scent in my "little brown bottles". I cain't even stand my own self sometimes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We still need to get together with your youngun and hit Utah Lake for some big whiskers.[/#0000ff]
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Crappies! I have never caught one at Willard. In fact, I am not sure I have ever caught a Crappie.

Great report and pictures. I am sitting in an office in Los Angeles as I respond to your great report. I am envious. However, the "jungle rot" I got the last time I was at Willard is just beginning to heal so I wouldn't have been able to "tube" anyway. Next week is a different story. I can't wait to get back on the water again.
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[cool][#0000ff]Let me know when you get back and I will introduce you to some crappies.[/#0000ff]
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