Willard Wednesday 10-19-22

[TubeDude]

Just couldn’t ignore the lovely weather forecast and hit Willard N. Marina today.  I launched all alone about 7:30 am.  Air temp was a mild 45…warming to 65 at noon departure.  Water temp went from 58 at launch to 60 at noon.  Still pretty warm.
 
Started out dragging a special perch rig…with a pink tiger tailless flig and a small chub minnow on one rod.  Moved slow while vertical jigging with another rod.  Water was a bit clearer than my last trip but still not the clear blue we usually enjoy in the fall on Willard.  So the perch were still a bit slow to chase a moving bait.  But I did get my first and only perch on a moving jig right about 8 am…a porky 13 incher.  Thought it was gonna be a bananner day.  Not.


Worked the area outside the marina for another hour or so with only a couple of light sniffs.  Cranked up the electric motor and rooster tailed over to one of my other usually productive areas.  Saw perch on TV but couldn’t get any love.  Still grundles of dying baby shad so they are staying well fed.
 
But the kitties wanted to play…as always.  Even though I was using light tackle and downsized rigs for perch, the cats didn’t care.  Chomp, zing, slug it out.  Got a half dozen or so in the next hour.  Plus a carp that thought he was a wiper.  Hauled the tip of my rod down and screamed line off the drag.  A few brief minutes of elation followed by some NSFW language when I saw what I really had.

Motored back over to the area outside the marina…where an OLD friend was vertical jigging for perch…and catching a few.  I shut off my electric and vertically worked a new “twirly” model of a pink tiger ultra minnow jig…with a piece of small chub minnow.  Ended up with a footlong perch and 3 about 10 inches before I headed for the ramp.
 

It was good to see the water clearing up a bit after the calm spell, but suspect it will muddy up again this coming weekend in the projected wind and weather.  What we need is cleaner water and lower water temps to really get the perch schooled up and active. 

But it was a purtiful day.  And I was able to take home a couple meals worth of fillets...since the cleaning station is still open.
 

[Piscophilic]

I always love your reports and the great pictures. I'm glad the fish were kinder to you that when we visited Utah Lake. I am still wondering about the jinx thing though   

I had two slow trips with the grandkids a few days after our trip, but right after that things really took off. JOATMON and catchinon reported over 40 cats last Saturday. Dirtbag and I were out there the same day and had similar catch rates to them. I don't know if the fall feed up really kicked in or if the cats just moved back into that area.

As you pointed out, I can make all the guesses I want and try to fit it to the observations, but the fish are going to do what they do either way.

[wiperhunter2]

Great to hear the perch are getting active and hopefully the Fall bite has begun. Good to see your new twily pink tiger jig was working too. Sorry I could not make it up there today but hopefully next week we can figure out something that will work.

[TubeDude]

Great to hear the perch are getting active and hopefully the Fall bite has begun. Good to see your new twily pink tiger jig was working too. Sorry I could not make it up there today but hopefully next week we can figure out something that will work.

Actually, the "fall bite" began almost a month ago.  And a few of the "perch pounders" have been harvesting them in numbers.  But with the murky water the bite has been different than previous clean water years.  The sight feeding perch are not moving very far or very fast to chase down a baited lure.  So fligging has not been very productive.  Almost all the fish...including a couple of 15 inchers...have come to anchored boats (no spot lock in the shallower water) fishing straight down...almost dead sticking...within inches of the bottom.  And unlike the solid strikes we enjoy on the fligs, bites on the vertical presentations are often no more than a slight bit of back pressure.  Even worse than ice fishing sometimes.  I caught one nice perch on a flig yesterday...but it was while moving very slowly...using only a light kick with the fins and not the electric motor. 

The twirly jigs are nothing new.  I used to use them a lot for ice fishing.  I take "horizontal hold" jig heads...like darts, ultra minnow and minnow...pound them a bit flat...paint them and then add a small propeller blade on wire.  The propeller blade spins wildly at the slightest motion and twirls both on the lift and drop.  I also make them in glow so you guys may want to add a few to your ice arsenal this year.

[SkunkedAgain]

Great to hear the perch are getting active and hopefully the Fall bite has begun. Good to see your new twily pink tiger jig was working too. Sorry I could not make it up there today but hopefully next week we can figure out something that will work.

Actually, the "fall bite" began almost a month ago.  And a few of the "perch pounders" have been harvesting them in numbers.  But with the murky water the bite has been different than previous clean water years.  The sight feeding perch are not moving very far or very fast to chase down a baited lure.  So fligging has not been very productive.  Almost all the fish...including a couple of 15 inchers...have come to anchored boats (no spot lock in the shallower water) fishing straight down...almost dead sticking...within inches of the bottom.  And unlike the solid strikes we enjoy on the fligs, bites on the vertical presentations are often no more than a slight bit of back pressure.  Even worse than ice fishing sometimes.  I caught one nice perch on a flig yesterday...but it was while moving very slowly...using only a light kick with the fins and not the electric motor. 

The twirly jigs are nothing new.  I used to use them a lot for ice fishing.  I take "horizontal hold" jig heads...like darts, ultra minnow and minnow...pound them a bit flat...paint them and then add a small propeller blade on wire.  The propeller blade spins wildly at the slightest motion and twirls both on the lift and drop.  I also make them in glow so you guys may want to add a few to your ice arsenal this year.

Hey Pat, I really like those twirly jigs... I need to get an order in for ice season... we need to have a fall get together again this year and hopefully you can make it and bring some of your ice lures, so we can stock up... Glad to see you got the perch cooperating this trip... Looks like great fish... I didn't see the video pop up before the post this time, so I'll have to check and see if its on my favorite list... Thanks J

[TubeDude]

Hey Pat, I really like those twirly jigs... I need to get an order in for ice season... we need to have a fall get together again this year and hopefully you can make it and bring some of your ice lures, so we can stock up... Glad to see you got the perch cooperating this trip... Looks like great fish... I didn't see the video pop up before the post this time, so I'll have to check and see if its on my favorite list... Thanks J

I did shoot some video clips but not enough to make a worthwhile video for others.  After all, who wants to just see a bunch of whiskery perch or a buglemouth wiper being netted by a goofy old float tuber? 

I am not making as many ice fishing lures these days...since I quit ice fishing a few years ago.  But I still maintain a small stock of several of the most popular or most effective that my "frequent buyers club" seem to like.  If you let me know any particular kind you might want I will be sure to bring some.  Since Covid seems to be less of a factor these days we can probably arrange a get together again.

[SkunkedAgain]

Sounds great Pat, I'll have to check my stock and let you know which ones I'm running low on... I know I liked the smallest size of those dart head jigs, they are great to tip with a little tasty morsel and fish can't resist... I'll let you know lead time ahead of the event.. Thanks Jeff

[TubeDude]

I know.  Bad form to reply to your own post.  But I was going back through the pics I took on this trip and I found another one I just gotta share...before this post dies a natural death.  The OLD perch jerker I mentioned (John) is really a super guy and a super angler.  He lost his wife a couple of years ago and is not in good health himself.  But he still launches and trailers his boat all by himself...and fishes mostly alone. 

But (or butt), like a lot of us oldsters he sometimes "dresses funny".  As I was leaving Tuesday, I handed off my remaining supply of left handed blue eyed minnows.  And as I was pulling away in my float tube, he treated me to a showing of "The Butt Crack of John".  In the picture, he was actually  pulling up his pants a bit and I didn't catch his "full moon".  By the way, the title of the picture is a play on the common angler's expression of having to get up at "The butt crack of dawn."  Just in case anybody has thus far not been fortunate enough to be exposed to that.


Note to moderators:  Sorry.  Do what ya gotta do.

[Cowboypirate]

I did what I had to do...laughed and showed it to Cookie

[wiperhunter2]

Actually, the "fall bite" began almost a month ago.  And a few of the "perch pounders" have been harvesting them in numbers.  But with the murky water the bite has been different than previous clean water years.  The sight feeding perch are not moving very far or very fast to chase down a baited lure.  So fligging has not been very productive.  Almost all the fish...including a couple of 15 inchers...have come to anchored boats (no spot lock in the shallower water) fishing straight down...almost dead sticking...within inches of the bottom.  And unlike the solid strikes we enjoy on the fligs, bites on the vertical presentations are often no more than a slight bit of back pressure.  Even worse than ice fishing sometimes.  I caught one nice perch on a flig yesterday...but it was while moving very slowly...using only a light kick with the fins and not the electric motor. 

The twirly jigs are nothing new.  I used to use them a lot for ice fishing.  I take "horizontal hold" jig heads...like darts, ultra minnow and minnow...pound them a bit flat...paint them and then add a small propeller blade on wire.  The propeller blade spins wildly at the slightest motion and twirls both on the lift and drop.  I also make them in glow so you guys may want to add a few to your ice arsenal this year.

It might have began almost a month ago for the perch master but not for us mear mortials, so I stand by orginional statement. Looking back over the last two year, Ira and I never caught a single perch until the end of Oct to the first week in Nov. 
I have seen many, if not all of you jigs before but I don't ever remember seeing one that had a spinner on top of a vertical jig, so is that part new? It looks pretty cool, for sure would be more noticeable. For sure want to give them a try.

[TubeDude]

It might have began almost a month ago for the perch master but not for us mear mortials, so I stand by orginional statement. Looking back over the last two year, Ira and I never caught a single perch until the end of Oct to the first week in Nov. 
I have seen many, if not all of you jigs before but I don't ever remember seeing one that had a spinner on top of a vertical jig, so is that part new? It looks pretty cool, for sure would be more noticeable. For sure want to give them a try.

I agree with the timeline thing.  I was probably the one who really started the increase in other folks fishing for perch.  I was almost always about the only person on Willard after the water started cooling in the fall.  The perch usually started showing up on my baits and/or lures by late September and into October...going back to about 2010.  But I have always caught more in November and right up until ice up.  Once the vertical jigging contingent got involved they started harvesting larger numbers beginning in October.  But, until this year...with the low water and dirty water conditions...we have done well with moving baits...like fligs.  Hopefully, as the water cools and the shad dieoff diminishes, the perch will get hungrier and more aggressive.  The ones I kept on Wednesday were all stuffed with digesting shadlets.  They really don't have to work too hard to stay well fed right now. 

I only made a few test models of the perch twirly jigs.  But if they show more promise I will make more for others who might wanna try them.  The dedicated perch jerkers are using mostly large tungsten jigs (very spendy) in silver, white, wonder bread and glow.  I can duplicate the sizes and colors...and glow...for a lot less money.  Plus, I can add the little propeller blade for more "come hither" flash and vibration.  As I mentioned, I used to make a few models for ice fishing and on some days the spinner really made a difference.  If we are able to get together next week I'll have a few for you to try on my "bait-a" test program.

[wiperhunter2]

It might have began almost a month ago for the perch master but not for us mear mortials, so I stand by orginional statement. Looking back over the last two year, Ira and I never caught a single perch until the end of Oct to the first week in Nov. 
I have seen many, if not all of you jigs before but I don't ever remember seeing one that had a spinner on top of a vertical jig, so is that part new? It looks pretty cool, for sure would be more noticeable. For sure want to give them a try.

I agree with the timeline thing.  I was probably the one who really started the increase in other folks fishing for perch.  I was almost always about the only person on Willard after the water started cooling in the fall.  The perch usually started showing up on my baits and/or lures by late September and into October...going back to about 2010.  But I have always caught more in November and right up until ice up.  Once the vertical jigging contingent got involved they started harvesting larger numbers beginning in October.  But, until this year...with the low water and dirty water conditions...we have done well with moving baits...like fligs.  Hopefully, as the water cools and the shad dieoff diminishes, the perch will get hungrier and more aggressive.  The ones I kept on Wednesday were all stuffed with digesting shadlets.  They really don't have to work too hard to stay well fed right now. 

I only made a few test models of the perch twirly jigs.  But if they show more promise I will make more for others who might wanna try them.  The dedicated perch jerkers are using mostly large tungsten jigs (very spendy) in silver, white, wonder bread and glow.  I can duplicate the sizes and colors...and glow...for a lot less money.  Plus, I can add the little propeller blade for more "come hither" flash and vibration.  As I mentioned, I used to make a few models for ice fishing and on some days the spinner really made a difference.  If we are able to get together next week I'll have a few for you to try on my "bait-a" test program.

Sounds like a plan Pat, fingers crossed our plans will align.