I love to ice fish but never have I ice fished Willard.. Im a devoted In-Fisherman fan on T.V.. This time of year In-Fisherman ice guide is on.. They fish the mid west to the north east catching Walleyes to trout.. I fish mainly for trout.. This year i want to try for walleyes.. So walleyes in willard should be the same as walleyes in mid west lakes rite ?? So if i use the same tactics as they use it should work..[crazy] Rite ??
[signature]
I think it was just last year that Willard opened their doors (and parking lots) to ice-fishing. Folks have ice-fished it previous, but last year they didn't block off the lots so you could get in, bring snowmobiles, etc. Shorter hike.
I made it to S.Marina early one morn. Ended up passing by ChickenDude. I mostly worked the inlet area, and caught one perch. Didn't hardly see a thing on camera. I think CD caught one cookie cutter.
What I've heard - for Walleye - come out before sunrise - go out drill a series of holes, then go get on em. But drill first, visit later. They can be spooky fish - but they will come up in the shallows under ice. But once the riff-raff shows up, forget it.
THAT's why I was first on the ice that morning.
PS: I dig those In-Fisherman shows. Seems like we get 'em, then don't. Teasers! I saw an ice-show where they had a hook/jig like 2" below a spoon/attractor. I've usually done like 6", but not I wonder! They seemed pretty convinced - shorter is better! (that's NOT what she said!)
I ice fished willard last year twice , Caught 1catfish and 1 jumbo perch. Ive heard of people catching walleye and wiper on the west side but i never had a way to get out there. Good luck and look forward to hearing how you do.
[signature]
Be very careful on Willard ice fish'n...yes the launch points maybe fishable on the hard deck but I'd be careful venturing out onto the main body of Willard say out away from the dike area...have never fished it on the hard deck as we error on the side of caution wrt Willard...I'm sure more intel to follow on hard deck fish'n Willard...be careful is all I can say wrt hard deck fish'n Willard...[:/][:/]
[signature]
Ive icefished it for the past 7 yrs and have done well on the cats caught a few perch and crappies out of the marinas also have had 4 wipers on but haven't managed to pullem through the hole yet got sawed off by the ice!!! Have yet to ice a walleye and i've tried like hell!! Ive done the best on the west dike just a pain in the arse to pack a guys sled and gear over the dike and down the rocks...Done the absolute best from 2hrs before dark until bout 10pm then its slowwwwww for some reason.. That place can be tuff to figure out in the open water but can be darn near impossible on ice even with good electronics and gps points that have put out fish prior to ice up..Be sure an post up your results if u do go.. I live in Willard and fish the bay more than anywhere else up here in the northern region just don't post much cause i'm thinskinned LOL[
]
[signature]
I have fished it regularly through the ice. It is TOUGH. About 2 years ago I bought an aquatic view to try and figure it out. Night fishing was the key. The water is so shallow that the fish were incredibly skittish. Using the I R lens showed plenty of Walleye. They were incredibly finicky though. Short of live bait I have given up on them. The crappie can be had in good numbers. But you have to get away from the pack. Matching minnow size is important as well. If you can figure out how to catch more then 2 Walleye through the ice regularly let us all know. There are plenty of fish in there though. A wiper under the ice is something to behold.
Good luck!
[signature]