08-08-2013, 02:15 PM
[#0000FF]That is a big lake and it seems that the fish are scattered all over...but with small groups holding in one area or another. They are constantly moving while looking for food or more comfortable temps or oxygen levels. Not too many spots hold them from one day to another...or even during the same day.
Use your sonar and troll various lures at different depths while searching for the fish. We were keeping our lures fairly close to the bottom but we also saw fish suspending at middepth in 11 to 12 feet. Could have been anything from wipers to carp to large shad. Our fish all came on the deep presentation.
Fathead minnows SHOULD work. I have never tried them but I have used carp minnows, chubs and redside shiners successfully in Willard. I have also done well on strips of perch meat, carp meat and plain old crawlers. A lot of all species are caught every year by guys fishing crawler harnesses on bottom bouncer rigs. And I catch plenty of all species on small jigs tipped with worm. In fact, during the summer I often do best on small jigs tipped with worm...for wipers...than I do on larger lures or whole minnows. See attached pics.
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Use your sonar and troll various lures at different depths while searching for the fish. We were keeping our lures fairly close to the bottom but we also saw fish suspending at middepth in 11 to 12 feet. Could have been anything from wipers to carp to large shad. Our fish all came on the deep presentation.
Fathead minnows SHOULD work. I have never tried them but I have used carp minnows, chubs and redside shiners successfully in Willard. I have also done well on strips of perch meat, carp meat and plain old crawlers. A lot of all species are caught every year by guys fishing crawler harnesses on bottom bouncer rigs. And I catch plenty of all species on small jigs tipped with worm. In fact, during the summer I often do best on small jigs tipped with worm...for wipers...than I do on larger lures or whole minnows. See attached pics.
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