Willard boat ramp and catfish

[thatchergreg]

It was a strange feeling pulling into the north marina without my boat in tow,  but I haven't been there in a month and wasn't sure of the ramp. After seeing the ramp and the lack of dock space I think it was a good idea. When I was there in July someone backed a ski boat off the side of the ramp where the rock pile is, they actually backed over the construction candle with the boat trailer tire.



I parked the truck by the fish cleaning station at 7:00 a.m. and loaded fishing gear into my yard wagon for some catfish bank tangling. South of Eagle Beach a gravely peninsula extends westward so I headed for it. I had baited and cast the second rod and while setting it down the first rod was pulled over the wagon and was headed for the murky depths when I caught it at waters edge. A lively 19" cat was pulled onto the beach at 7:30 and loaded onto the stringer. Ten minutes later the scene was repeated and a 20" cat volunteered for dinner. Over the next hour and a half two more cats were landed and released, a 22" and 24".



I was amazed at how hard the fish were hitting and running, there was no tap, tap, tap, just bam........and gone.
Someone else mentioned the dead shad on shore and there was a bunch of them, which might explain why the fish were in so shallow.



  Although I did miss not being in the boat I didn't miss cleaning it out and putting it away.