03-23-2015, 11:22 PM
[quote WiperMac][font "Times New Roman"] [/font]
[font "Calibri"]Three consistent days of good weather before you should consider hitting Willard. That being said, I plan on ignoring my own advice and being out there this Friday.[/font][/quote]
Both of WiperMac's sentences are spot on ... especially the last sentence.
Now, I'm making a prediction here: This coming weekend will produce yet more great wiper reports from Willard. But I don't think that the reason the fishing will be so hot is because the barometric pressure will have stabilized, Rather simply because the wipers are so hungry. Let me explain:
As you have heard recently, those big wipers have crawfish in their stomachs. Many of us who have filleted some wiper for supper have opened up the stomachs and seen crawfish in there. Crawfish are not the main food source for those wipers. The main food source for the Willard wiper are the gizzard shad. I think they are eating crawfish simply because they are desperate. My theory as to why those big boys are so aggressive about taking our lures right now is because they are coming out of winter with an appetite for small bite-sized shad that they can't find ... until they see our shad imitating lure go buzzing by.
I think that once the shad hatch and grow a bit, those big wipers will ignore our plastic crap and return to eating the real thing.
Other normal weather years, the water is warming up about the same time as the bite-sized shad are becoming available. But this year, the water is warming up WAY ahead of the shad hatch schedule.
So, I think that while the water continues to warm up and until the shad fry start to show up, it will be really good wiper fishing.
Yes, wiper seem to be one of the most sensitive species to barometric pressure but right now I think that their hunger over rides the pressure a bit.
I am OBVIOUSLY no biologist ... that's just my opinion.
Once the bite-sized shad begin to show up, then is when you will really see the negative affects of a low pressure.
See ya all out there Friday and Saturday!
[signature]
[font "Calibri"]Three consistent days of good weather before you should consider hitting Willard. That being said, I plan on ignoring my own advice and being out there this Friday.[/font][/quote]
Both of WiperMac's sentences are spot on ... especially the last sentence.
Now, I'm making a prediction here: This coming weekend will produce yet more great wiper reports from Willard. But I don't think that the reason the fishing will be so hot is because the barometric pressure will have stabilized, Rather simply because the wipers are so hungry. Let me explain:
As you have heard recently, those big wipers have crawfish in their stomachs. Many of us who have filleted some wiper for supper have opened up the stomachs and seen crawfish in there. Crawfish are not the main food source for those wipers. The main food source for the Willard wiper are the gizzard shad. I think they are eating crawfish simply because they are desperate. My theory as to why those big boys are so aggressive about taking our lures right now is because they are coming out of winter with an appetite for small bite-sized shad that they can't find ... until they see our shad imitating lure go buzzing by.
I think that once the shad hatch and grow a bit, those big wipers will ignore our plastic crap and return to eating the real thing.
Other normal weather years, the water is warming up about the same time as the bite-sized shad are becoming available. But this year, the water is warming up WAY ahead of the shad hatch schedule.
So, I think that while the water continues to warm up and until the shad fry start to show up, it will be really good wiper fishing.
Yes, wiper seem to be one of the most sensitive species to barometric pressure but right now I think that their hunger over rides the pressure a bit.
I am OBVIOUSLY no biologist ... that's just my opinion.
Once the bite-sized shad begin to show up, then is when you will really see the negative affects of a low pressure.
See ya all out there Friday and Saturday!
[signature]