06-24-2014, 09:40 PM
[#0000FF]PMed RockyRaab over the weekend, asking if he would like to hit Willard Tuesday. He replied that he was winding down from a 3 week long cold but would try to make it. He did and I did.
Launched at the N. marina about 6:30. Rocky showed up a little later. Water temp 70...warming to 73 when I left at noon.
Wanted to try some new innovations with my hot-head weightless tube jig "hanger-shot" rig. Basically I'm fishing tube jigs on a weightless head (hot melt glue) and rigging them dropshot style. Only the drop shot weight is a 3" piece of clothes hanger wire. Been using something similar at Starvation and elsewhere for a couple of years.
Willard fishies voted for it. Got 3 crappies within the first 15 minutes. One on white with a red eye and two on the blue/clear sparkle. Figured the fish were in and I would have no problem getting a limit for my sis-in-law. Figured wrong...as usual. Got one more crappie later...a long ways away from "Rocky's Reef".
Shortly before Rocky showed up with his yuppie kayak I had a boink straight down while vertical jigging with my tandem jig rig. Took off on a drag singer and I was thinking WIPER. Thunk wrong. It was a big golden pucker lips wiper. Fun to fight and needed for Utah Lake kitty chow.
Within a few minutes of Rocky getting started I put the hook into my first of about 14 catfish for the day. Even got it to
for him so he could take a picture.
Neither of us had any other inquiries for a while and then I got bit at the end of a long cast. Fought it all the way in, brought it to the top and saw a lovely 3 poundish walleye. But it saw me too and gave me back my jig and the upraised fin.
That would have made five species for the day. I also got one lonely little smallie on my hanger shot rig. And I had what I suspect was a wiper that hit my jigs after a cast before I had the bail closed. The thin Nanofil line nearly sliced the end off my finger as the fish boogies toward the light pole. I know. I can't prove nuttin' but I'm holdin' out for a lost wiper.
There is a depression well out off Eagle Beach that often holds a few cats. I call it the cat house. Duh. Today it gave up 4 cookie cutters as fast as I could cast, hook and battle them in...on my first pass...all on jigs. I did not bring cat tackle, minnows, etc.
Later, after working over another large area that showed a lot of fish on TV but nothing on the reality show of my line, I went back through the cat house. They were ready for me. Bang, Pow, Zing. I was using two rods...both with two jigs. At one point both rods were bendo (see pic). One rod actually had two cats on it. One of those broke off while battling the other...and the single cat on the first rod got loose. I landed one of the three.
Spent about a half hour at the cat house and released over a half dozen while keeping a total of seven for the day. No telling how many I could have caught if I got serious. But I needed to get back by early afternoon so I brung in the lines and hit the ramp about noonish.
Rocky stayed after I left. Not sure how he finished but he was not doing as well as I before I left.
Made good use of the new fillet station.
And I did not forget my knives.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]
Launched at the N. marina about 6:30. Rocky showed up a little later. Water temp 70...warming to 73 when I left at noon.
Wanted to try some new innovations with my hot-head weightless tube jig "hanger-shot" rig. Basically I'm fishing tube jigs on a weightless head (hot melt glue) and rigging them dropshot style. Only the drop shot weight is a 3" piece of clothes hanger wire. Been using something similar at Starvation and elsewhere for a couple of years.
Willard fishies voted for it. Got 3 crappies within the first 15 minutes. One on white with a red eye and two on the blue/clear sparkle. Figured the fish were in and I would have no problem getting a limit for my sis-in-law. Figured wrong...as usual. Got one more crappie later...a long ways away from "Rocky's Reef".
Shortly before Rocky showed up with his yuppie kayak I had a boink straight down while vertical jigging with my tandem jig rig. Took off on a drag singer and I was thinking WIPER. Thunk wrong. It was a big golden pucker lips wiper. Fun to fight and needed for Utah Lake kitty chow.
Within a few minutes of Rocky getting started I put the hook into my first of about 14 catfish for the day. Even got it to
for him so he could take a picture.Neither of us had any other inquiries for a while and then I got bit at the end of a long cast. Fought it all the way in, brought it to the top and saw a lovely 3 poundish walleye. But it saw me too and gave me back my jig and the upraised fin.
That would have made five species for the day. I also got one lonely little smallie on my hanger shot rig. And I had what I suspect was a wiper that hit my jigs after a cast before I had the bail closed. The thin Nanofil line nearly sliced the end off my finger as the fish boogies toward the light pole. I know. I can't prove nuttin' but I'm holdin' out for a lost wiper.
There is a depression well out off Eagle Beach that often holds a few cats. I call it the cat house. Duh. Today it gave up 4 cookie cutters as fast as I could cast, hook and battle them in...on my first pass...all on jigs. I did not bring cat tackle, minnows, etc.
Later, after working over another large area that showed a lot of fish on TV but nothing on the reality show of my line, I went back through the cat house. They were ready for me. Bang, Pow, Zing. I was using two rods...both with two jigs. At one point both rods were bendo (see pic). One rod actually had two cats on it. One of those broke off while battling the other...and the single cat on the first rod got loose. I landed one of the three.
Spent about a half hour at the cat house and released over a half dozen while keeping a total of seven for the day. No telling how many I could have caught if I got serious. But I needed to get back by early afternoon so I brung in the lines and hit the ramp about noonish.
Rocky stayed after I left. Not sure how he finished but he was not doing as well as I before I left.
Made good use of the new fillet station.
And I did not forget my knives.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]