The alarm went off at 5, in the jeep at 5:15, fishing by 5:45. That was all a big waste! I couldn't buy a bite until about 9, then I found enough action to keep me occupied for the next hour or so with sporadic bites.
At about 10 the power squadron was out in full force and I was getting a little burnt (forgot the sunscreen) so I decided it was time to head out.
I ended up with two 20" Wiper and two 17" kitties all on worms on the bottom.
Saw thousands of little shadletts getting chased into the rocks all morning by something but I couldn't get whatever it was to bite anything I threw at them so I stuck with the bait on the bottom technique.
All the fish I caught had empty stomachs so they mustn't be hunting the shad too seriously yet.
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Well at least you didnt get skunked.. Im thinking on heading out mon.. Where did you go ?? If you wouldnt mind sharing ???
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Oh yeah, I didn't mention where I was. I started fishing right by the outlet on the north dike. After no action for about an hour I moved about 75 yards further west. Still nothing for about an hour so moved down to about where the dike turns and heads south west. That's where I finally found them but I suspect that they're pretty mobile [
] and their location changes minute to minute, hour to hour, and day to day.
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Thanks for the report Fowl-Dude! So where was the wind blowing from/to? Hear tell that can make all the difference - shad follow the phytos, predators follow the shad. Just have had a hard time casting INTO the wind from shore, but that was a weekend of WICKED winds, and way before the shad-spawn got into action.
Glad you got on some fish. Went out at sunset, and left the bug-juice in the car. THAT was a mistake! (meant to leave earlier, but when the sunset bit starts up . . . hard to break away).
Surprisingly the wind was hardly there if at all, but when a little breeze would kick up it was coming into the north dike.
I always have two or three cans of bug spray in my fishing backpack... just in case [sly]
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Sorry to have missed you out there this morning. I made it to the north dike but I was fishing west of you I think. Looks like you did good though. Always a good day with a limit of wipers.
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Thanks for the report man keep them coming.
I hear people all the time moaning and complaining about how hard wipers are to catch.
Heck... sure enough all it takes is a worm on the bottom and a little patience.
Obviously that is not the BEST way to target them - especially when they are chasing little baby shad near the surface. But you caught 2, and I've read countless reports of people "washing" lures all day without a wiper to show for it. Good work.
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I will keep them coming! I've got to get me a limit of cats so I can try smoking them. But if i keep catching a wiper for every cat I catch I guess I'll be eating a lot of fish tacos too.[cool]
Oh, and... Wiper ARE hard to catch! I spent 7 or 8 trips at Willard last year targeting Wipers specifically and never once came home with one.
I've just happened to get lucky and stumble into some wiper while I've been fishing for cats this year.
However, It sure is fun to set the hook on what you think is probably a cookie cutter cat and have your line go screaming out into the middle of the lake.
Thanks for the good words Moose
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