10-24-2008, 10:38 PM
[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe had not been fishing for over a month. Back and forth to California, helping a daughter get set up in her new home. Leaving again tonight, but we had the morning open...so we headed to Willard.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Launched in the dark, just after 7. Air temp 32 and water temp 51. No breeze. No clouds. But cool enough for the fishing gloves.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Heard the big mosquitoes (airboats) roaring around in the marshes. Heard only a few shots and nothing after about 8:30. Only saw a couple of high flying fast moving ducksters. Not a good day for duck hunting. Better for fishing.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Water clarity not too bad, compared to three weeks ago. But...colder by 15 degrees. Started with the usual...dragging a minnow on one rod while throwing plastics on the other. Might as well of just drifted and snoozed. No bites on either rig. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]TubeBabe finally scored the first cookie cutter kitty about an hour after we launched. After the sun came over the mountain, about 8:45, I banged a couple of quick kitties...but still no hits from wipers...or anything else.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]For the next couple of hours we split up and worked a large part of the NE corner. There were a few cold but willing cats in 9-10 feet of water, and we saw a LOT of fish on sonar, but we caught nothing else besides cats. Most were the usual...14" - 16", but TubeBabe got top rod (big fish) honors with a hard fighting 23 incher that made her think it was a wiper. I caught a few more fish than she did, but she was happy. We brought home about 12 between us...releasing the big one and several smaller ones.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I did get one catfish on one of the two plastic jigs I was throwing in a tandem rig for wipers. He rolled and tangled it something fierce...as catfish do. Also got one cat that had some black skin markings. Never seen anything like that. Figured it must be a catfish gangbanger showing his colors...or gang tats. Better check the bottom of my tube for cat tagging or graffiti. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The water temp had only warmed to 53 by the time we hit the ramp about noon. A couple of boaters came in as we were leaving and said that the afternoon "boil" program was still playing. They claimed there had been a great boil right outside the north marina yesterday afternoon. Evidently, once the afternoon water temps get up toward 60 the wipers get hungry.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Got to chat with Dubob, who was just launching as we were leaving. Hey Bob, hope you found some willing wipers.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Launched in the dark, just after 7. Air temp 32 and water temp 51. No breeze. No clouds. But cool enough for the fishing gloves.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Heard the big mosquitoes (airboats) roaring around in the marshes. Heard only a few shots and nothing after about 8:30. Only saw a couple of high flying fast moving ducksters. Not a good day for duck hunting. Better for fishing.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Water clarity not too bad, compared to three weeks ago. But...colder by 15 degrees. Started with the usual...dragging a minnow on one rod while throwing plastics on the other. Might as well of just drifted and snoozed. No bites on either rig. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]TubeBabe finally scored the first cookie cutter kitty about an hour after we launched. After the sun came over the mountain, about 8:45, I banged a couple of quick kitties...but still no hits from wipers...or anything else.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]For the next couple of hours we split up and worked a large part of the NE corner. There were a few cold but willing cats in 9-10 feet of water, and we saw a LOT of fish on sonar, but we caught nothing else besides cats. Most were the usual...14" - 16", but TubeBabe got top rod (big fish) honors with a hard fighting 23 incher that made her think it was a wiper. I caught a few more fish than she did, but she was happy. We brought home about 12 between us...releasing the big one and several smaller ones.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I did get one catfish on one of the two plastic jigs I was throwing in a tandem rig for wipers. He rolled and tangled it something fierce...as catfish do. Also got one cat that had some black skin markings. Never seen anything like that. Figured it must be a catfish gangbanger showing his colors...or gang tats. Better check the bottom of my tube for cat tagging or graffiti. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The water temp had only warmed to 53 by the time we hit the ramp about noon. A couple of boaters came in as we were leaving and said that the afternoon "boil" program was still playing. They claimed there had been a great boil right outside the north marina yesterday afternoon. Evidently, once the afternoon water temps get up toward 60 the wipers get hungry.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Got to chat with Dubob, who was just launching as we were leaving. Hey Bob, hope you found some willing wipers.[/#0000ff]
[signature]