With our ding-dong up and down weather patterns ya gotta go fishin' when ya can. My family schedule and my recent health episode has kept me ashore far longer than usual this year. Couldn't get out last week and the windy forecast for next week ain't too positive for us float tube types. So I decided to worship at the church of the seventh day angler. So did a lot of other folks. Had a lot of company at the south marina at Willard. The upside of going fishing on Sunday is that there is a lot less traffic on the freeway. The downside is that they all head for the lake.
![[Image: BUSY.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/rKHvS4VN/BUSY.jpg)
![[Image: LAUNCH.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/xkgrN4cc/LAUNCH.jpg)
Knowing that the best bite lately has been after the water warms up a bit, I didn't get there crazy early. By the time I launched about 7:30 there were already a whole bunch of boats and other floatation craft launched ahead of me. Air temp was a balmy 50 at launch...warming to almost 70 by noon departure. Water temp was a chilly 46 in the harbor and channel...but a warmer 54 in the main lake and over 56 by noon. Gonna top 60 pretty soon with the warm days forecast ahead.
Didn't see many signs of life on sonar going out the channel. Cold muddy water...with a lot of sticks and debris. Didn't even put in a line until I had motored well out into the main lake. Still wasn't seeing much on TV. An occasional blip here and there...with absolutely nothing showing on side imaging. Dragged a variety of lures and baits at different depths and different speeds...for the nothingness on my sonar screen. Went out as far as 21 FOW and then worked my way back toward the dikes.
As I got closer to the feed lot...in about 14 FOW...I began to see signs of life. A few marks on the bottom and a few more suspended from just above the bottom to about mid-depth. Began dragging a flig and minnow on one rod and throwing a white Gulp minnow on a "Pistol Pat" wobble jig on the other. Got a few hits on both. Lost a couple of small walleyes on the jigs right at the tube. Missed several pop and drops on the flig rig. Finally went bendo on a 22 inch catfish to kill the skunk. Whew.
![[Image: SOLO-KITTY.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/mcS4Nr6Z/SOLO-KITTY.jpg)
Lovely day on the water. No W. Lots of snow still on the tops of the mountains but it looks like it is quickly losing the race to the green pushing it up the slope.
![[Image: SNOW-LEVEL.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/k61dzpmk/SNOW-LEVEL.jpg)
I saw a lot of boats washing lures on all sides of me...some shallower and some deeper. Didn't see any of them stop or get the net wet. And when I chatted up a few fellow tanglers back at the ramp most admitted to blanking. A much better day for fishing than catching.
Knowing that the best bite lately has been after the water warms up a bit, I didn't get there crazy early. By the time I launched about 7:30 there were already a whole bunch of boats and other floatation craft launched ahead of me. Air temp was a balmy 50 at launch...warming to almost 70 by noon departure. Water temp was a chilly 46 in the harbor and channel...but a warmer 54 in the main lake and over 56 by noon. Gonna top 60 pretty soon with the warm days forecast ahead.
Didn't see many signs of life on sonar going out the channel. Cold muddy water...with a lot of sticks and debris. Didn't even put in a line until I had motored well out into the main lake. Still wasn't seeing much on TV. An occasional blip here and there...with absolutely nothing showing on side imaging. Dragged a variety of lures and baits at different depths and different speeds...for the nothingness on my sonar screen. Went out as far as 21 FOW and then worked my way back toward the dikes.
As I got closer to the feed lot...in about 14 FOW...I began to see signs of life. A few marks on the bottom and a few more suspended from just above the bottom to about mid-depth. Began dragging a flig and minnow on one rod and throwing a white Gulp minnow on a "Pistol Pat" wobble jig on the other. Got a few hits on both. Lost a couple of small walleyes on the jigs right at the tube. Missed several pop and drops on the flig rig. Finally went bendo on a 22 inch catfish to kill the skunk. Whew.
Lovely day on the water. No W. Lots of snow still on the tops of the mountains but it looks like it is quickly losing the race to the green pushing it up the slope.
I saw a lot of boats washing lures on all sides of me...some shallower and some deeper. Didn't see any of them stop or get the net wet. And when I chatted up a few fellow tanglers back at the ramp most admitted to blanking. A much better day for fishing than catching.