06-04-2013, 08:44 PM
[#0000FF]First open water shot at Willard this year. Launched at the south marina just after 6 am...along with a surprising number of boats. They all headed for the island. I worked down the dike to the north of the harbor entrance.
Air temp 50 and water temp just over 62 at launch. TDC. Started to inch toward 65 before the cold north wind dropped it back down to 63.5
Sorry to see how low Willard is. Just a trickle coming in over the baffles at the inlet and the water level is estimated 6-7 feet below high water mark.
Worked in big S turns from 4' to 14'...with plastics, crankbaits and a minnow dragged on one rod. Nary an inquiry for two hours. Finally got a whack on a small white plastic jig and brought in my first kitty of the day. Meow. Next cast to the same spot...another whack. Fought different. Was different. A teen-incher wallie that did the customary open-mouth head shake at the top of the water and gave me back my jig. Nice of him...or her.
Finally started getting into the "KITTY ZONE" and put up the plastics to fish with two bait rods. There were some minnow munchers in residence and I caught several...including one double...one on each rod at the same time. Double trouble. I got the first one off and released. But when I reached for the second one...which had been playing dead...it sprang to life and bounced up off the rigid apron into both of my hands. One pectoral spine got my left hand...at the base of my thumb. The other went deep into the soft flesh between my right pinkie finger and ring finger. I had to literally tear out both of those spines against the barbs on them. Oweee. As I watched the blood pour out of my wounds I muttered something like "Gee, I wish I hadn't done that." Something like that...only different.
I only get stuck by a catfish about once every 5 years or so and WHAM...twice at once...from the same fish. Pure exquisite PAIN. If you've never experienced that, you have my permission to skip over it and go for something less painful...like root canal work without Novocaine.
For the next half hour I tried to stop the bleeding and still keep a bait in the water. Actually caught a few more kitties...debating whether to just let them get off by themselves rather than grip the rod with my throbbing hand.
Then, about the time the pain was subsiding below DEVCON 10, and I could handle my gear again, the wicked W from the NW started to whisper. Then it got worse...turning to popcorn fairly quickly. That did it. No more bites.
Having experienced W on Willard before, I fired up my electric motor and got it up on whine...headed back toward the harbor. Tossed out a diving crankbait to try to tempt something on the way. Just before reaching the buoys my rod went bendo, line screeched off the drag and I forgot my perforated hands...momentarily. Inexperienced wiperette. Never learned how to hang on and didn't get an invite to dinner.
Fished inside the channel for a while without any bites on either bait or plastic. Headed for the ramp about the same time as a bunch of boaters who were also not thrilled with the stingy and bumpy water.
Talked with several returning boaters. Said there were a couple of walleyes caught around the island early but nothing the rest of the morning. Didn't see any fish come in and when I went to clean my kitties the fish cleaning station had not been used by anybody else.
I guess I didn't do too badly. Caught about a dozen kitties and kept six. That's enough for a couple of meals for TubeBabe and myself. Plus...I found a great new weight-loss program. But it puts a whole new spin on the old saying "No pain...no gain." Not quite sure how to reword it to reflect that the more it hurts (and bleeds) the more weight you lose.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]
Air temp 50 and water temp just over 62 at launch. TDC. Started to inch toward 65 before the cold north wind dropped it back down to 63.5
Sorry to see how low Willard is. Just a trickle coming in over the baffles at the inlet and the water level is estimated 6-7 feet below high water mark.
Worked in big S turns from 4' to 14'...with plastics, crankbaits and a minnow dragged on one rod. Nary an inquiry for two hours. Finally got a whack on a small white plastic jig and brought in my first kitty of the day. Meow. Next cast to the same spot...another whack. Fought different. Was different. A teen-incher wallie that did the customary open-mouth head shake at the top of the water and gave me back my jig. Nice of him...or her.
Finally started getting into the "KITTY ZONE" and put up the plastics to fish with two bait rods. There were some minnow munchers in residence and I caught several...including one double...one on each rod at the same time. Double trouble. I got the first one off and released. But when I reached for the second one...which had been playing dead...it sprang to life and bounced up off the rigid apron into both of my hands. One pectoral spine got my left hand...at the base of my thumb. The other went deep into the soft flesh between my right pinkie finger and ring finger. I had to literally tear out both of those spines against the barbs on them. Oweee. As I watched the blood pour out of my wounds I muttered something like "Gee, I wish I hadn't done that." Something like that...only different.
I only get stuck by a catfish about once every 5 years or so and WHAM...twice at once...from the same fish. Pure exquisite PAIN. If you've never experienced that, you have my permission to skip over it and go for something less painful...like root canal work without Novocaine.
For the next half hour I tried to stop the bleeding and still keep a bait in the water. Actually caught a few more kitties...debating whether to just let them get off by themselves rather than grip the rod with my throbbing hand.
Then, about the time the pain was subsiding below DEVCON 10, and I could handle my gear again, the wicked W from the NW started to whisper. Then it got worse...turning to popcorn fairly quickly. That did it. No more bites.
Having experienced W on Willard before, I fired up my electric motor and got it up on whine...headed back toward the harbor. Tossed out a diving crankbait to try to tempt something on the way. Just before reaching the buoys my rod went bendo, line screeched off the drag and I forgot my perforated hands...momentarily. Inexperienced wiperette. Never learned how to hang on and didn't get an invite to dinner.
Fished inside the channel for a while without any bites on either bait or plastic. Headed for the ramp about the same time as a bunch of boaters who were also not thrilled with the stingy and bumpy water.
Talked with several returning boaters. Said there were a couple of walleyes caught around the island early but nothing the rest of the morning. Didn't see any fish come in and when I went to clean my kitties the fish cleaning station had not been used by anybody else.
I guess I didn't do too badly. Caught about a dozen kitties and kept six. That's enough for a couple of meals for TubeBabe and myself. Plus...I found a great new weight-loss program. But it puts a whole new spin on the old saying "No pain...no gain." Not quite sure how to reword it to reflect that the more it hurts (and bleeds) the more weight you lose.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]