anyone want to talk about willard fishing?!?!?!

[newfisherman14]

i want to learn how to fish willard and hopefully catch some wipers. i'll be moving up that way mid summer and i'll be doing a lot of fishing there hopefully! i have a 12 foot aluminum boat so i can troll. what are some techniques tips and such. thanks
newfisherman14
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[Kent]

Be careful what you ask for. If you want to read more threads about fishing Willard than you can imagine click above on "Utah Fishing Forum" and then click on "Willard & Utah Lake Archive" and read prior reports for hours. You will notice that the latest report on there is dated 10/29/07. Prior moderators put countless hours moving reports from this forum to these archive forums, but it became such a major task that we no longer do that. That said, what worked back in those years will still work today. You can also do a search on "Willard" on this forum and find all of the reports after that date.
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[Johnr]

I heard a rumor from a person working on the dike repair that the State is going to try to fill Willard to capacity if there is enough runoff. This is just a rumor that I heard and I sincerely hope it is true. Willard sure needs it. If you want to have success on Willard in the summer, you should troll crankbaits at a fairly good clip. I like to run two Rattlin Raps out and one walleye crank at the same time. You will find that you can pick up the suspended walleye while trolling for Wipers. I would use either eight or ten pound test and set the drag a little light when trolling as wipers hit like a freight train. As long as you do your part in playing the fish they have no cover to break you off on. The hardest part when trolling with eight pound is getting a good hookset, they will usually do a good job all by themselfs on the strike but with a lighter drag setting sometimes it can be a bit frustrating when halfway through the fight they come unbuttoned. Keep your hooks sharp and enjoy the great fight they put up and the quality table fare they offer. Willard is one of my favorite places to fish in the summer. I wish you well in your fishing endeavors. Sincerely John R.
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[newfisherman14]

thanks john r and kent. much appreciated
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[bluemohawk]

I to just started fishing willard last year. Rattle traps do real well for the wipers. I have also cought a couple on jigs and just floating a worm. I fish from a 14 foot aluminum and you really have to be careful on willard. The wind can pick up in a matter of minutes. The dike is repaired and depending on the runoff they are going to try and fill it. Good luck.
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[Johnr]

Just remember to troll a deeper diving Walleye crank when you troll for wipers!! My boat won the Willard tournament hosted by this site in 2006 (nephew got it) for the Walleye category by using this technique. Also casting to the boils can be very exciting, just ease the boat up to casting distance and throw a topwater Great Fun!! Another tip would be to buy a two pole permit and set a line out on a side planer to up your odds. I find that cranks in natural shad color or some that have a chrome finish work well, some guys also like to chase them with white plastics. If you just get out there and troll you will catch them. Just be persistent and try to avoid lots of boat traffic. I will look around and try to troll areas where there is little traffic. Also if you catch one wiper sometimes you can turn around and go right through them again and pick up another, or troll around that area again. I had a day where the wind was blowing to the east which seemed to stack up the bait on the east dike. We trolled in that rough stuff and was getting hit, often with doubles on every pass right near the silo's. The wind and wave action will stack up the shad and they seem to love it. John R
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[newfisherman14]

do you prefer braided or monofilament line? what are the pros and cons there???
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[Johnr]

I have used both and I like mono better. The fish do not seem to be line shy because of the water clarity being one factor. One of the pro's to braid is that it has much less resistance through the water when trolling but you do have to modify your knots somewhat and make sure you wrap a piece of tape on your spool when filling your reel to avoid slippage on the spool. The mono also has a little stretch (give) which can be good with cranks. Your lures may get a little more depth when trolling with braid because of the smaller diameter, but generally mono is easier to work with. I use relatively mid price to lower priced (Trilene XL, Cabelas Pro Line) mono and have no problems with it. John R.
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[submoa]

I hope it's true that they fill Willard. I have a 18.5 ft Starcraft pro walleye. Sucked in a bunch of mud there first trip out last year and had to replace my impellar. I love catching wipers and would love to get back at it but will not do to much when the water is that low.
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[Troll]

I hear ya, I have an I/O and haven't ben out on Willard in a couple of years because of the low water. It's an easy pull for my old truck though and I look forward to this year.
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[MRCRESTLINER]

I run a Crestliner 202 tournament series with a 225 Evinrude and have never had any problem out there in the shallow water you just have to know the lake, it's like fishing Bird Island on Utah lake if you don't know how the under water structure is laid out you can tear up a motor in a heartbeat, just ask Crankem. LOL.[:p] I prefer the new flourocarbon lines over the others, more expensive but worth it I think.
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[lunkerhunter2]

Agreed on the flourocarbon. I have changed all my trolling reels to 15# P-Line. Won't ever look back either.
I also agree on the knowing the lake too. I fished it all year and last and never had a problem. I saw about $30,000 worth of other boats get damaged though.[shocked]
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[Troll]

But you didn't see mine get damaged!

I rest my case.
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[lunkerhunter2]

Some times you just gotta take chances to catch fish.[sly]
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[MRCRESTLINER]

I bought my boat to fish with not set in the drive way, but that's me I guess.[cool]
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[Troll]

I know of two [] other lakes that have fish and you can launch a boat on and they are both in UT.

I can show them to you if you'd like.

I actually own 7 boats, It's only the I/O that hasn't been on Willard in a couple of years. I could have gone out with the bow mount if I really wanted to, then put the I/O down, but I just didn't get around to it. To easy to bring one of the other boats.
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[fish1on]

[quote Troll]I know of two [] other lakes that have fish and you can launch a boat on and they are both in UT.

I can show them to you if you'd like.

I actually own 7 boats, It's only the I/O that hasn't been on Willard in a couple of years. I could have gone out with the bow mount if I really wanted to, then put the I/O down, but I just didn't get around to it. To easy to bring one of the other boats.[/quote]

7 Boats??? Holly cow, I have one (paid for) and a toon and I am struggling. You must be a rich man.
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[Troll]

Addicts are never rich.
B reak
O ut
A nother
T housand

3 Kayaks, 1 canoe, 1 14' Aluminum, 1 drift boat and the I/O.
Plus the tube, the pontoon and the WW raft which I don't count.
All paid for in full at purchase, people don't give credit to addicts.
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[fish1on]

Dang, I was thinking way off topic when u said 7 boats. I was thinking full blown boat, trailer, motor setups. No disrespect dude. You have done well, I am jealous.
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[Troll]

My boats are more like having Musky rods, Bass rods, Trout rods, Perch rods and Ice rods.

Which boat I use depends on where I'm going and what the weather is expected to be. Except the Drift boat, which is stored in Swan Valley.

Man, I would have to be rich to have 7 full blown boat set-ups, and then I would still need the other 6 I have now.[]
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