Still Skunkless on Willard 4-22-21

[Freakyfisherman]

Went fishing with the Pirate and Cookie this morning...me from the north marina...them from the bank in the SW corner.  We both caught fish.  Yee haww.

Pre-daybreak launch at 6:45...AM.  Cool 35 air temp.  Water temp 51 plus...rising to almost 53 inside the marina by 11 am departure.  Still TDC (Too D... Cold)


Got a good start.  Barely got my first whirly flig and minnow into the water going out of the marina when a hungry kitty climbed on.  Thought this was gonna be the beginning of a busy day.  Nay, not so.  Didn't get my second and last cat until just after 10 am...after fishing all morning outside and then coming back inside the marina.  Also on a blue-silver whirly flig and minnow.


In betwixt suicidal kitties I covered a lot of water...from about 7-8 feet to as deep as 17 feet...seeing little on sonar and less on my line.  Dragged a variety of lures and baits...cranks, plastics, tubes, fligs, etc.  Checked all the spots that usually produce this time of year, but the combo of mucho wind and cold temps has just got the fish elsewhere.

I did have one moment of "excitement" about an hour into the morning.  I was moving quietly along, enjoying the tranquility of undisturbed fishing (dang it) when I heard a loud hissing and then some popping noises behind me.  I almost launched from my tube like a Polaris missile...absolutely sure I was about to be devoured by the Monster of Willard Bay.  Senility, forgetfulness (selective data retrieval) or whatever had made me forgot to put on the inflatable PFD I had draped over the back of my tube while parking my car.  When I came back to launch, I neglected to put it on...as per custom.  During the shifting and rock and roll motions in the breezy bumpy water the vest had slipped off and into the water.  And...just as it is supposed to do...it automatically inflated when it got wet.  I think some of my laundry got a bit wet too.


The forecast stronger breeze started picking up a little before 10 so I decided to try some prospecting inside the marina.  I had heard there were crappies moving in and out with the changing water conditions...and even some stray wipers.  Maybe?  The fact that there was not a line of happy harvesters ringing the far east side of the harbor should have told me something.  When it's "ON" you have to bring your own rock to stand on with all of the bubble chuckers assaulting the crappies.  Neither crappies nor anglers ruined the tranquility inside today.

Howsomever, I did get one hard takedown on my whirly flig rod.  The 24" kitty gave a fine account of itself in the cool water.  But it provided the last action of the day...in spite of my optimistic continuance for another hour.

Pat, my son and I float tubed for an hour today as well. It was his maiden voyage and he had a blast. He missed a few hits working a jig and I missed my only hit I got. I am thinking it was a wiper. We launched almost directly from the fishing pier in the north marina, just on the opposite side, outside the marina, on the main lake. Nice report
Gabe