Willard So. Marina 5-28-20

[BG1]

Met up early with fellow tuber Lee for a morning dunk.  Air temp 50 at launch and water temp 66.  One degree over my minimum temp for going waderless...which I did for the first time this year.

Dragged some crawler harness rigs...using my new "Snarl Fligs" and crawlers.  Nothing voted for them in the channel...or for quite a ways outside.  Didn't see much on sonar to get excited about.  Kept moving and grooving.  Lee stayed in shallower water and scored a couple of catfish before I got any love in deeper water.  After changing rigs, weights, drop back distance and speed a few times...to find a magic formula...I finally went bendo.  An 18" wiper voted for one of my silver and blue Snarl Flig rigs...with a small minnow on the hook.    Then nothing for another hour.

Finally had my other snarl flig rig get smashed...by a 20" wiper.  Fun Fun.  The skunk had definitely been evicted.
Had a couple of other light whacks...by who knows what?  Kept moving around in deeper water...on both sides of 21 feet.  Saw only a few fishy marks and none of them seemed to have their mouths open.  As the sun climbed higher and the boat traffic began to increase the rod with the pale perch snarl flig took a dive again.  This time it turned out to be my solo kitty for the day.  Fought hard though...even taking some line off the drag.  Love those cats when they get warmed up a bit and have some attitude.

Made an early day of it.  Saw quite a few rock hoppers and bank tanglers on the rock point at the mouth of the harbor.  But didn't see anyone catch anything while I was watching.  Nice day for social distancing on the rocks though.

When Lee and I met up back at the ramp he said he had caught 4 cats...4 more than on our last trip.  More better.  Also chatted with one of the Willard pros just coming in at the same time.  He and his boatmate had scored 15 walleyes in one of his honey holes...some rare Willard Bay fish-holding structure.  Water temps just gotta go over 70 real soon.  Then look out for all the guys trolling cranks at mach 5...and catching more wipers.

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Love to see you have success, Pat.