No-No Day at Willard 3-7-21

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No ice, no auger, no wind, no skiers, no skeeters and NO SKUNK.  Good first trip to Willard this year.

Leisurely launch at about 8 am.  A cold 25 degree air temp and 44 degree water temp inside the channel...cooling off a couple of degrees as soon as I got outside.  Dropped as low as 40.5 a few hundred yards out in 16 feet of water.

First two hours a lot of looking and prospecting...with cranks, plastics, crawler harnesses, etc.  Nary a tweak. Covered a lot of underwater acreage with sonar and saw very little.  About 10 I moved back into some 8-10 foot water where I had seen some "bottom bumps".  Rigged with a new blue-silver model of my "Whirly Fligs" on one rod and a plain blue-silver flig on the other.  Both were "sweetened" with the top half of a fresh chub minnow.


Was beginning to get a whiff of skunk when my whirly flig rod went bendo.  First kitty in the basket.  A few minutes later the same rod was violently hauled down and line screeched off the drag.  WIPER?  I hoped.  But after a serious tug of war with the beast I saw gold instead of white.  A buglemouth of ample proportions.  A worthy battler though.  Released him without the usual complimentary gillectomy.


Worked my way slowly back toward the marina...cruising back and forth from 8-10 feet.  The whirly flig produced a couple more decent cats...and I caught a fourth on the regular blue-silver flig.  Four was what I wanted for a fish fry so I bagged it by noon and boogied.


Had a pleasant surprise a bit after 11.  Had Rocky idle up to me in his new ride and we exchanged pleasantries.  He was finishing breaking in his new motor and had not brought fishing gear.  At least that was his excuse for not having any fish to hold up for his picture.  What a conservationist.


Probably one of the nicer days I have enjoyed on Wunnerful Willard.  Glad I brought some hand warmers for the early morning chill, but once the sun got a bit higher it was very springlike.  Even saw a few "Willard Easter Bunnies" on top of the rocks (marmots).  There were 3 boat trailers when I went out and maybe 10 or so when I came in at noon.


Water levels are lower than last year, but there is still 6 feet of water off the end of the north dock.  Depth in the channel was 10-11 feet.