Hello all, I was thinking of going up to Willard with my pontoon and trying for some wipers or walleyes. I have never fished Willard and was wondering if i could get some advice. such as where to fish and what type of flies to use. Thanks, Mike.
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I might be joining you this year, except I am more into Carp and Wiper...could be fun!! Think we got to wait a little longer though.
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I'm hoping to make it down there myself this year. I remember a post last spring where someone did well with the wipers on a fly rod. I'll have to find it and see what they were using. I bet poppers, clousers and other baitfish imitations would work well. I've done well at Utah Lake for white bass with silver and white streamers, I would think similar patterns in larger sizes would take the wipers. Walleye will probably hit something like a clouser as well, and I've caught them on a mohair leech in the past at Deer Creek, so that may work at Willard.
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I did really well on wipers last spring! I kept it simple and used white wooly buggers stripped slow. Clousers worked as well, but I had my best luck on a simple woolly. It turned on for me when the water temp was about 40ish degrees.
I'll be trying some carp fishing myself this year too FG, but i think im going to sight fish for them from shore. I've never caught a carp on a fly, think it will be a blast if i can get it right.
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what size rod?
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I just watched the new fly fisher.. They were fishing for carp in wy.. The biggest was 20lbs.. Wow !! I have pineveiw in my sights this spring..
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[quote kochanut]what size rod?[/quote]
I have two 8 weights and building another just for Carp. If I do the shore, it is a 7 weight 12 footer.
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Hey thanks for the reply's. I'm pretty stoked to try out Willard to see if i can catch anything.I have caught some carp at Bountiful pond they are better fighters than i thought they would be. Actually pulled me around the pond a bit.
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I would like to try that pond again. Caught a nice Cat on a Haresear.
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That's one of my goals, catching a cat on a fly. And a wiper for that matter, maybe Willard will help me with both.
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Give a shout! I need a Willard fix! I know we got a couple of weeks yet, specially with winter hitting again today...ARGH!
Did I mention, the rivers rock at times like these...Wahoo!
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Today's pretty ugly. I was going to go to Idaho fishing today, I guess not. I'm really needing some warm water fishing in general, it's been a long winter, especially up in Cache. I've been enjoying the trout though, it's just good to be outside with out my nose freezing shut [
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LMAO now there is a visual.
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[cool][#0000ff]I've been float tubing and fly rodding Willard since the mid 70s...BW (before wipers). In the olden days I kicked along the rocks throwing a six weight with sink tip line...mostly for crappies. But, I did catch a bunch of catfish too, expecially when I used larger flies. Cats really like black patterns (baby catfish) and anything white...shad or crappie fry. A red head or throat can help too. In clear water the cats are real sight feeders and will be right in the middle of a wiper boil feeding on the shad.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As others have advised, almost any fly of the approximate size and color of the current crop of shad forage will get the job done. They start out feeding on tiny inch long shad about the end of July and then they get bigger through the summer until they are just over 2 inches about September. However, when the wipers are up boiling on the shadlets they will hit almost anything of any size and a larger pattern will do fine.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The hard part is always finding the fish. Wipers are not homebodies. The cruise all over the lake looking for schools of shad to devour. But, a lot of the time the shad are herded up against the rock dikes and the wipers just keep pushing them down the shoreline, feeding as they go. Some guys run the dikes, on foot, and go down the rocks ahead of the moving wipers. That can be tiring and dangerous if you fall in the rocks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you have a pontoon with an electric...or good set of oars...you have a decent chance of getting into the middle of a boil. Find out where the most action has been, and what time of day they have been most active. Then start fishing the area and watch for bird activity. They tell you that the fish are busy even before you see the surface splashes. Boogie into position and start strippin'. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If the fish are HOT, you will get hit as soon as your fly touches down. If not, let it sink a bit and watch for the line to twitch. If it does not get slurped within a few seconds, give it a few twitches and then make another cast further in the direction the fish are moving.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Some boils only last a few seconds. Others may be on and off all day. If you on on one all by your lonesome you will have to have the grin surgically removed from your kisser. More commonly, if you are the first one on the scene you will be "joined" by several wild eyed bozos in high powered boats who run right into the middle of the boiling wipers and put them down for you.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When the fish are not showing you can sometimes find them by just slow kicking or trolling flies near the rocks. A good shaddy looking pattern will occasionally get bit by walleyes, catfish or crappies too. You never know. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]At other times you might see stray splashes well out from shore...especially in the NE corner area. That is a popular feeding area for wipers and they can be seen on sonar all the way from feeding near the bottom to cruising near the top. Again, a good place to try dragging your flies at varying depths until you find the ZONE.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just a suggestion for those who tie their own flies. When creating a shad pattern, use some pearl flashy stuff in the tie. Shad have dark backs and sides that are almost mirror bright...with pearl, blue or even chartreuse glimmers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sometimes you have to wake up the fish and create a reaction bite. If you have sonar that shows wipers suspending at mid depth, over deeper water, try using a fast sink line and letting the fly go deep before retrieving. Then strip it in hand over hand, as fast as you can, up through the water column. You cannot strip it too fast for a wiper to catch it but you can wake them up and get them to chase it. Sometimes you will feel only a couple of bumps at first. Then, when you feel a bump with weight, set the hook. And once you get the fish agitated you will catch more.[/#0000ff]
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Sounds like Willard is the place to catch a cat on the fly. I'd read that it's best in clear water, but most of the cat waters in Utah are pretty murky. I'm definitely going to have to make it down there this year. I tied this up just for Willard. Sounds like I might need to make some baby catfish flies too. Those might come in handy at Cutler as well.
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[cool][#0000ff]Nice shad pattern. If I was a wiper I would eat it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Cats will hit shad patterns too. In the clear waters of Willard, with shad being the main forage species for all predator species, they get munched by everything. I have had cats come off the bottom in 20 feet of water to hit a shallow running plastic or crankbait. Those who troll lures at mach 10 for wipers catch lots of hyper kitties too.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]For cats in Willard, on a flyrod, a plain old black wooly bugger is about as good as it gets. Of course white or chartreuse both work too...depending upon time of year, water clarity, water temps, etc.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I once won a bet with some bozo who did not believe that I had been catching cats on my fly rod as I was putting my tube back in my vehicle. I bet him $20 that I could catch at least 10 cats per hour on the fly I still had attached to my rod. He walked out on the rock dike with a couple of other guys to watch me. By the time I had caught 7 or 8 cats in only about 20 minutes I looked up to see him disappearing down the dike. I did not collect.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]High water is the key. The higher the lake level the cleaner the water remains even after a "blow". The clean water is vital to allowing the cats to see well enough to come after a fly. Timing is important too. The best fishing in and around the rocks and stickups in in May and June, when the fish are setting up housekeeping in those areas. But, once the cats come into the rocks to spawn they also stay close for feeding on crawdads, shad and even their own fry. That is why the black buggers work so well once the spawn is over.[/#0000ff]
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Wow thanks, you're always a treasure trove of information. I've also been looking at a post you made about making rod holders for the tube and I'm going to give it a try. I can't wait to hit Willard and try for both wipers and kitties on the fly.
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Couldn't have been that long ago...sink tip lines aren't that old.[
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Now if you had said Silk....[laugh][laugh][laugh]
For me it is small flies...Nymphs. Haresears always a winner and Bead Head Prince. However Clousers in White and Gray with a little Chartreuse.
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[cool][#0000ff]Got it in the early 80's...and have used it all over the country for a whole lot of different fishies. Still have it. Plan to use it some more this year.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No silk lines but I did use a stone reel.[/#0000ff]
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Now that was good "Fred" LOL
This year is going to be the best!
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