Willard...ho hum Monday 6-25-18

[TubeDude]

[#0000ff]Mondays are not my fave days to fish heavily hit waters like Willard after a weekend. But weather looked good and my week is shot after Monday. So I did a quick solo shot to the south marina.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Launched about 6:30...along with only a few boats. Air temp 52 and water temp 74...warming a couple of degrees before I bagged it about 11. Looks like the water level has dropped a foot or two since I was there a couple of weeks ago.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I anticipated seeing a lot of new shadlets. I was not disappointed. Saw some inside the boat channel going out but once in the main lake there were huge shad stacks all over the place...from close to the rocks out a hundred yards or more. And, as might be expected, there were not a lot of hungry predators anxiously awaiting for some silly stuff being offered by anglers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I had planned to "get back to basics"...and fish like I used to fish Willard in the "olden days". So even though I brought my usual LHBE minnows, I dragged them on one rod but threw a lot of plastics and marabou jigs along the rocks and out a ways. I was surprised at how few smallies were along the dikes today. Only a paltry few compared to the last couple of trips. I did catch a few, but nothing over about 10 inches.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did find some everlovin' kitties. Some ate my minnows. Some hit plastic and some hit 'bou jigs. Got a few on fligs too. None were big enough to be contest worthy but all hit hard and fought well. And the eight I kept are destined for a family fish fry in a couple of weeks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I chatted with a couple of bottom bouncing boaters who bemoaned the lack of walleyes...or wipers. One boat had also caught a couple of kitties but nobody seemed to be tearing it up.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was clear and calm all morning, with only a slight ripple building in from the west as I ramped my red, white and blue ride about 11. A few minutes at the fully operational fish cleaning station and I was home early...for an eagerly awaited nap. It ain't so good growing old sometimes, but considering the alternative I'll gladly give up some stamina in exchange for some senior naps and other concessions.
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[lavaman]

Hey Pat- glad you got some kitties!!

Is Willard as far north as you travel these days?? C'mon man...get up here to cache valley again!


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[fish_fear_me2]

Wow Pat not sure how I missed you we pulled in about 7 and we were on the water shortly after. We were also at the South Marina. We called it quits about 1
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[TubeDude]

[quote lavaman]Hey Pat- glad you got some kitties!!

Is Willard as far north as you travel these days?? C'mon man...get up here to cache valley again! [/quote]

[#0000FF]Hey, I go all the way to Bear Lake a couple of times each December...for the whitefish. But why would I drive all the way to Cache Valley for fewer and smaller cats than I can catch closer to home...and with a view of Timp?[/#0000FF]
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[TubeDude]

[#0000ff]By 7 I was halfway up the dike to the feed lot. But I mostly stayed close to the rocks. My bright red tube was probably too well camouflaged by the green water and tan rocks. Either that or you were just focused on blasting off across the lake.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Just read your post. Looks like you found a few.[/#0000ff]

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[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Pat,
Glad you took advantage of the days that are available... I need to find more of those... Not real happy with the day time kitties up our way, so I'm going to try a night run when I can do it, hope I can try this weekend, Well catch ya later... Jeff
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