03-15-2010, 09:46 PM
[cool][#0000ff]A couple of us tubin' and toonin' types are gonna assault the NE corner tomorrow morning and will do some 'sploricatin'.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am usually one of the first wackos on Willard each year. I almost always catch channel cats early, and sometimes a prespawn walleye or two. Wipers will bite, but not a lure trolled at mach 10 like they do in summer. Think low, slow and either feathers or plastic. Sometimes they hit plastics or baits under a bobber near the rocks. That gets to be better and better for catching them into April, when they go through the "false spawn" and hug the rocks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]All the fish in Willard feed all winter long, under the ice. But they are a lot slower than in warmer months. Bait sometimes works better than plain lures. Jigs tipped with bait sometimes work better than plain naked jigs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Although the crappie spawning run will not happen until about May, you can still find schools of them suspended over deeper water. If you do find sonar marks that look like crappie, try vertical jigging with very small jigs tipped with crawler or a tiny bit of perch meat...or minnow. Ice fishing lures and baits work well for ice out crappies too. Light bite. Sometimes good to look for them where they were under the ice...like around the docks inside the marina. You will see more than you catch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One good tactic for walleyes early is to just drift across likely bottom with a couple of jigs riding just over the bottom...baited with crawler. That will actually catch cats and the occasional wiper too, but walleyes like it and with a nice slow drift you can cover a lot of water. Watch the sonar to keep your jigs within a foot or so of bottom...or lift and drop once in a while to maintain touch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Depth can be an issue. Last year at ice out there were more fish in shallower water than out deeper. Good reason for it. The sun warms the shallows faster than the deeper water. Also, for the same reason, late afternoons can be better than early morning...even for walleyes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As soon as the water gets between 43 and 45 you can start throwing plastics and cranks near the rocks, looking for walleyes. Early morning and late afternoon into darktime can be best. Most of the bites will be small males but there will be an occasional larger female. Use white, pearl or chartreuse plastics...3" to 4" usually best. Twisters are most popular but shad body lures work well too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It's all good. Some days better than others.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I am usually one of the first wackos on Willard each year. I almost always catch channel cats early, and sometimes a prespawn walleye or two. Wipers will bite, but not a lure trolled at mach 10 like they do in summer. Think low, slow and either feathers or plastic. Sometimes they hit plastics or baits under a bobber near the rocks. That gets to be better and better for catching them into April, when they go through the "false spawn" and hug the rocks.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]All the fish in Willard feed all winter long, under the ice. But they are a lot slower than in warmer months. Bait sometimes works better than plain lures. Jigs tipped with bait sometimes work better than plain naked jigs.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Although the crappie spawning run will not happen until about May, you can still find schools of them suspended over deeper water. If you do find sonar marks that look like crappie, try vertical jigging with very small jigs tipped with crawler or a tiny bit of perch meat...or minnow. Ice fishing lures and baits work well for ice out crappies too. Light bite. Sometimes good to look for them where they were under the ice...like around the docks inside the marina. You will see more than you catch.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]One good tactic for walleyes early is to just drift across likely bottom with a couple of jigs riding just over the bottom...baited with crawler. That will actually catch cats and the occasional wiper too, but walleyes like it and with a nice slow drift you can cover a lot of water. Watch the sonar to keep your jigs within a foot or so of bottom...or lift and drop once in a while to maintain touch.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Depth can be an issue. Last year at ice out there were more fish in shallower water than out deeper. Good reason for it. The sun warms the shallows faster than the deeper water. Also, for the same reason, late afternoons can be better than early morning...even for walleyes.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As soon as the water gets between 43 and 45 you can start throwing plastics and cranks near the rocks, looking for walleyes. Early morning and late afternoon into darktime can be best. Most of the bites will be small males but there will be an occasional larger female. Use white, pearl or chartreuse plastics...3" to 4" usually best. Twisters are most popular but shad body lures work well too.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]It's all good. Some days better than others.[/#0000ff]
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