Willard N. Marina 10-29-20

[TubeDude]

Big whoop!!!!  Another NBC Willard report.

Heard the water temps were dropping.  Hoped to find some "tiger fish" (perch).  Launched about 7:30.  Still almost dark.  Daylight savings be gone soon.  Good.  Water temp down to 48.  Getting there.  Air temp 29.  Glad I was wearing my Heat Holder socks...and glad I brought gloves and hand warmers.

Saw lots of fishy marks in the channel and just outside the marina.  Mostly shad balls...from small to amazing.  Some of them were so dense they created a false depth reading on the sonar...registering 12 feet deep in 16 feet of water.  Also noted there were quite a few dead shadlets floating on the water...from the temperature drop.  And the terns were out mopping them up in the early light.


Also saw some "perchy" and crappie-looking signals.  But did not bring any of them to net to prove my guesses.  Did get some pecks and rattle-rattle bites that were definitely un-catlike.  But they were either too small or too smart to find the hook point.

After some fruitless plastic prospecting I started dragging flig rigs...tipped with small LHBE chub minnows.  It was almost an hour before getting my first solid munch.  Turned out to be my smallest cat of the day...from about 10 feet of water. 


My usual program is to motor around with the electric until I start seeing enough fishy presence to justify sending down some offerings.  Worked from shallow to deep in big S turns.  When I reached my "Kitty Condo" area I started seeing more shad and also some larger denizens.  Sent out two minnow-baited flig rigs and started catching cats.  Caught about a half dozen or so before I called it early (11 am) to take care of other commitments.

Most of the cats came from about 17 feet of water.  I tried a variety of flig colors.  The favorite among catkind seemed to be the blue-back silver again.  Funny how different days find the fish in different color moods.


There were 3 boats out of the north marina.  One of the boat anglers was a hardcore Willardite who probably catches more walleyes than any other 10 anglers on that lake.  He was also prospecting for perch and had similar observations as I did...perch are just coming in but are not very active yet.  He also left about the same time I did and reported catching about a half dozen kitties too.  We ain't proud.  Sure, we target other species but tugs is tugs and we never turn down a rasslin' match with a catfish.

One of the other boats was manned by the "W &W" team...Wiperhunter and Wiperslayer.  They cruised up to my tube to exchange pleasantries...and to pick up some fligs and jigs.  They headed out much further and I did not get to check with them later to see how they did.  Mayhaps they will post a report...or at least reply to this post.


Gettin' colder.  But when there is little to no breeze...and you dress appropriately...you can still get some enjoys.

[wiperhunter2]

Good to see you yesterday Pat and thanks again for the fligs. Funny thing, no cats were caught yesterday on the straight Silver fligs, blue and silver were the hot flig for us but we did catch one on dark olive. What a difference one week makes, from 23 last week to 8 or 9 yesterday, nothing over 22" but they were really fat, full of shad no doubt. We had a couple of fish on for a second that were no doubt perch and we got a few more tap tap bites of a perch but none in the boat. Water temp hit 50 by the time we left a little after 2pm. We found some old road beds last year, out from where we meet you yesterday and were out marking them for some Winter ice fishing trips. Still have not found that spot you and I and two others fished ,all those years ago when we were catching perch, crappie and cats I believe. You don't by chance have those GPS cords do you?

[TubeDude]

Good to see you yesterday Pat and thanks again for the fligs. Funny thing, no cats were caught yesterday on the straight Silver fligs, blue and silver were the hot flig for us but we did catch one on dark olive. What a difference one week makes, from 23 last week to 8 or 9 yesterday, nothing over 22" but they were really fat, full of shad no doubt. We had a couple of fish on for a second that were no doubt perch and we got a few more tap tap bites of a perch but none in the boat. Water temp hit 50 by the time we left a little after 2pm. We found some old road beds last year, out from where we meet you yesterday and were out marking them for some Winter ice fishing trips. Still have not found that spot you and I and two others fished ,all those years ago when we were catching perch, crappie and cats I believe. You don't by chance have those GPS cords do you?

I gave the silver fligs a good workout too...also without results.  

GPS?  Nope.  But do have a "G-Pee-S" and an exact location pic that should help you.  You know me.  I am always a stickler for details and take plenty of pictures.

[EyLayo]

Thanks for not naming the newbie with the setup on the right. Looks like he showed up without his own auger, bought too long of ice rods, and should have known pvc breaks too easy in the cold.

[wiperhunter2]

Good to see you yesterday Pat and thanks again for the fligs. Funny thing, no cats were caught yesterday on the straight Silver fligs, blue and silver were the hot flig for us but we did catch one on dark olive. What a difference one week makes, from 23 last week to 8 or 9 yesterday, nothing over 22" but they were really fat, full of shad no doubt. We had a couple of fish on for a second that were no doubt perch and we got a few more tap tap bites of a perch but none in the boat. Water temp hit 50 by the time we left a little after 2pm. We found some old road beds last year, out from where we meet you yesterday and were out marking them for some Winter ice fishing trips. Still have not found that spot you and I and two others fished ,all those years ago when we were catching perch, crappie and cats I believe. You don't by chance have those GPS cords do you?

I gave the silver fligs a good workout too...also without results.  

GPS?  Nope.  But do have a "G-Pee-S" and an exact location pic that should help you.  You know me.  I am always a stickler for details and take plenty of pictures.

Thanks Pat, now I know exactly where it is , right by the G-Pee-S hole. I've been trying to get ahold of Mike, because I know he has that GPS location but I can't seem to get a response from him anymore. He fell off the face of the earth, after he got married, just my luck. It seems like it was at least a 1/2 mile walk to the North marina channel to the spot, does that sound about right to you?

[TubeDude]

Thanks for not naming the newbie with the setup on the right. Looks like he showed up without his own auger, bought too long of ice rods, and should have known pvc breaks too easy in the cold.

If'n ya look closely you will see an electric auger resting in the sled...of that "newbie".  Here's another picture from earlier in the morning...showing the newbie's spread...including his auger.  So there.  About the longer rods?  He just don't know no better.  PVC?  Definitely a white plastic junkie.  And that is WH2 in the background.

---

Good to see you yesterday Pat and thanks again for the fligs. Funny thing, no cats were caught yesterday on the straight Silver fligs, blue and silver were the hot flig for us but we did catch one on dark olive. What a difference one week makes, from 23 last week to 8 or 9 yesterday, nothing over 22" but they were really fat, full of shad no doubt. We had a couple of fish on for a second that were no doubt perch and we got a few more tap tap bites of a perch but none in the boat. Water temp hit 50 by the time we left a little after 2pm. We found some old road beds last year, out from where we meet you yesterday and were out marking them for some Winter ice fishing trips. Still have not found that spot you and I and two others fished ,all those years ago when we were catching perch, crappie and cats I believe. You don't by chance have those GPS cords do you?

I gave the silver fligs a good workout too...also without results.  

GPS?  Nope.  But do have a "G-Pee-S" and an exact location pic that should help you.  You know me.  I am always a stickler for details and take plenty of pictures.

Thanks Pat, now I know exactly where it is , right by the G-Pee-S hole. I've been trying to get ahold of Mike, because I know he has that GPS location but I can't seem to get a response from him anymore. He fell off the face of the earth, after he got married, just my luck. It seems like it was at least a 1/2 mile walk to the North marina channel to the spot, does that sound about right to you?

A half mile walk on the ice never sounds "right" to me.  Without GPS numbers or exact compass headings and distances it is tough to find any given AREA on a large wide open lake like Willard...much less locating a room sized spot with unusual bottom contours.  Mike did seem like he might be drifting back into the fold for a while and then poof...he was gone.  Marriage will do that to perfectly good humans...even  fishermen.

[wiperhunter2]

Thanks for not naming the newbie with the setup on the right. Looks like he showed up without his own auger, bought too long of ice rods, and should have known pvc breaks too easy in the cold.

If'n ya look closely you will see an electric auger resting in the sled...of that "newbie".  Here's another picture from earlier in the morning...showing the newbie's spread...including his auger.  So there.  About the longer rods?  He just don't know no better.  PVC?  Definitely a white plastic junkie.  And that is WH2 in the background.

---

Good to see you yesterday Pat and thanks again for the fligs. Funny thing, no cats were caught yesterday on the straight Silver fligs, blue and silver were the hot flig for us but we did catch one on dark olive. What a difference one week makes, from 23 last week to 8 or 9 yesterday, nothing over 22" but they were really fat, full of shad no doubt. We had a couple of fish on for a second that were no doubt perch and we got a few more tap tap bites of a perch but none in the boat. Water temp hit 50 by the time we left a little after 2pm. We found some old road beds last year, out from where we meet you yesterday and were out marking them for some Winter ice fishing trips. Still have not found that spot you and I and two others fished ,all those years ago when we were catching perch, crappie and cats I believe. You don't by chance have those GPS cords do you?

I gave the silver fligs a good workout too...also without results.  

GPS?  Nope.  But do have a "G-Pee-S" and an exact location pic that should help you.  You know me.  I am always a stickler for details and take plenty of pictures.

Thanks Pat, now I know exactly where it is , right by the G-Pee-S hole. I've been trying to get ahold of Mike, because I know he has that GPS location but I can't seem to get a response from him anymore. He fell off the face of the earth, after he got married, just my luck. It seems like it was at least a 1/2 mile walk to the North marina channel to the spot, does that sound about right to you?

A half mile walk on the ice never sounds "right" to me.  Without GPS numbers or exact compass headings and distances it is tough to find any given AREA on a large wide open lake like Willard...much less locating a room sized spot with unusual bottom contours.  Mike did seem like he might be drifting back into the fold for a while and then poof...he was gone.  Marriage will do that to perfectly good humans...even  fishermen.

After that last reply I made to you a few min ago, I decided to try calling Mike again and surprise, surprise, he picked up and is going to try and find and send me the cords, yahoo, hope he can find them.