04-21-2011, 12:00 PM
[cool][#0000ff]The channel cats in Willard ARE prolific. There have always been good numbers of them...as far as I can remember going back to the '70s. I usually fish for crappies, wipers and/or walleyes first but I know I can always count on the kitties to cooperate even if the other guys are being difficult.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Willard is an ideal lake for catfish spawning...when the water is up and the rocks along the dikes are well covered. In low water years they don't do as well. But there are usually plenty of the "cookies" available for those who want them. All cats are naturally reproduced. No stocking.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Before wipers and smallmouth...and gizzard shad...the lake was mainly "the big three"...cats, crappie and walleye. And fishing was fantastic for all three...all year round.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The crappie were much more plentiful...if a bit smaller on average. Had days of over 200. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The walleyes were all over...and bigger. You could keep six fish but only two over 20". Many times I released 30 or 40 fish and ended up with a couple of 5-6 pound fish...releasing many larger ones...and nothing under 20".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Cats averaged only slightly larger than today's "cookie cutters"...about 19 to 20 inches. But there were a lot more BIG cats. I used to catch lots of 5-6 pounders and plenty over 10. Today it is rare to catch anything bigger than 4#. Still some bigguns in the lake but not many.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Most of the year the cats are spread out around the lake and you can find a few almost anywhere. But when conditions are tough I sometimes have to cover a lot of water to find a "zone". That was the case yesterday. Virtually all of my bites came from an area about 50 by 100 yards...or smaller. And that was after fishing an area about a half mile long by 200 yards wide without a bite.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Here's a copy of a map I just put together to help a fellow tuber who wanted to catch more kitties.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Willard is an ideal lake for catfish spawning...when the water is up and the rocks along the dikes are well covered. In low water years they don't do as well. But there are usually plenty of the "cookies" available for those who want them. All cats are naturally reproduced. No stocking.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Before wipers and smallmouth...and gizzard shad...the lake was mainly "the big three"...cats, crappie and walleye. And fishing was fantastic for all three...all year round.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff] [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The crappie were much more plentiful...if a bit smaller on average. Had days of over 200. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The walleyes were all over...and bigger. You could keep six fish but only two over 20". Many times I released 30 or 40 fish and ended up with a couple of 5-6 pound fish...releasing many larger ones...and nothing under 20".[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Cats averaged only slightly larger than today's "cookie cutters"...about 19 to 20 inches. But there were a lot more BIG cats. I used to catch lots of 5-6 pounders and plenty over 10. Today it is rare to catch anything bigger than 4#. Still some bigguns in the lake but not many.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Most of the year the cats are spread out around the lake and you can find a few almost anywhere. But when conditions are tough I sometimes have to cover a lot of water to find a "zone". That was the case yesterday. Virtually all of my bites came from an area about 50 by 100 yards...or smaller. And that was after fishing an area about a half mile long by 200 yards wide without a bite.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Here's a copy of a map I just put together to help a fellow tuber who wanted to catch more kitties.[/#0000ff]
[signature]