09-30-2006, 12:57 AM
[cool][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I launched our tubes at the south marina around 7 AM. Light north breeze, air temp 49, water temp 61.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Started fishing along the north side of the channel on the way out. Saw lots of suspended fish (shad?) but no hits until I got around the corner and started working north. Got whacked by a 7 inch smallie, but none of the walleyes I was hoping to find.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe had gone out on the south side of the channel and we both started throwing plastics and hardbaits for wipers. No surface activity, nothing on sonar and no hits. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After an hour or so, I rigged a tandem rig with two 2" tubes...one white and one blue with clear sparkle tail. That has been a productive rig in the past, for wipers and walleyes both during the cooler fall months. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]About my second or third cast, I got a thump while bouncing the jigs off the bottom in about 10 feet of water. It was a scrappy 12" whitie that put a good bend in my light rod. Kinda miffed the boat that was going by at the time.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Several minutes later I got another whack and this one was SERIOUS. Fought me all the way to the tube and then took the line over his shoulder and ran off about 30 yards. Did that a couple of times. Yaaa hooo. Them wipers is fun. Turned out to be a porky 19" that weighed 3.5 pounds. Fun, fun.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Both of the wipers took the blue clear sparkle jig. That was what I caught my last ones on last fall right up to mid November. But, other than one other inexperienced wiper, that did not know how to hang on, no more wipers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The kitties took up the slack nicely. Got several 14"-16" dragging a minnow and then they started hitting the different plastics I was still throwing for wallies or whities. I got them on 2" shad bodies and on several colors of tube jigs. I also got a half dozen cats on minnows hung below a bobber on one of my bobber head jigs. Never saw cats like those in Willard that will hit lures or bait near the top in deep water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe and I both kept a limit of little kitties. Can't beat the eatin' on those Willard wascals. I probably caught well over 20 and released all but the eight for the table.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Didn't see any trollers connecting on anything, but there was one old gentleman hacking up a couple of wipers at the cleaning station when we got there. I helped him finish his filleting and skinning with my electric knife so that he would still have something left to eat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We got off the water about 1 PM. The water temp had risen to 64 and the air was toasty warm too. Hope the afternoon shift found some willing fish and maybe some boils. However, once the water temps drop below 70 the boils are pretty well over.[/#0000ff]
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[#333366] NO BOILS.JPG [/#333366][/url](170 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18828;"][#333366] TUBEBABE AT WORK.JPG [/#333366][/url](173 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18829;"][#333366] SMALL DAYBREAKER.JPG [/#333366][/url](131 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18830;"][#333366] DROPSHOT TUBE KITTY.JPG [/#333366][/url](123 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18831;"][#333366] BLUEBACK SHAD KITTY.JPG [/#333366][/url](163 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18832;"][#333366] WHITE MINIJIG KITTY.JPG [/#333366][/url](126 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18833;"][#333366] BOBBERHEAD KITTY.JPG [/#333366][/url](137 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18834;"][#333366] MEAN 18.JPG [/#333366][/url](119 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18835;"][#333366] TUBEBABE'S TAKEHOME.JPG [/#333366][/url](219 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18836;"][#333366] TUBEDUDE'S HAUL.JPG [/#333366][/url](212 KB)[/size][/black][/font]
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[#0000ff]Started fishing along the north side of the channel on the way out. Saw lots of suspended fish (shad?) but no hits until I got around the corner and started working north. Got whacked by a 7 inch smallie, but none of the walleyes I was hoping to find.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]TubeBabe had gone out on the south side of the channel and we both started throwing plastics and hardbaits for wipers. No surface activity, nothing on sonar and no hits. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]After an hour or so, I rigged a tandem rig with two 2" tubes...one white and one blue with clear sparkle tail. That has been a productive rig in the past, for wipers and walleyes both during the cooler fall months. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]About my second or third cast, I got a thump while bouncing the jigs off the bottom in about 10 feet of water. It was a scrappy 12" whitie that put a good bend in my light rod. Kinda miffed the boat that was going by at the time.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Several minutes later I got another whack and this one was SERIOUS. Fought me all the way to the tube and then took the line over his shoulder and ran off about 30 yards. Did that a couple of times. Yaaa hooo. Them wipers is fun. Turned out to be a porky 19" that weighed 3.5 pounds. Fun, fun.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Both of the wipers took the blue clear sparkle jig. That was what I caught my last ones on last fall right up to mid November. But, other than one other inexperienced wiper, that did not know how to hang on, no more wipers.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The kitties took up the slack nicely. Got several 14"-16" dragging a minnow and then they started hitting the different plastics I was still throwing for wallies or whities. I got them on 2" shad bodies and on several colors of tube jigs. I also got a half dozen cats on minnows hung below a bobber on one of my bobber head jigs. Never saw cats like those in Willard that will hit lures or bait near the top in deep water.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]TubeBabe and I both kept a limit of little kitties. Can't beat the eatin' on those Willard wascals. I probably caught well over 20 and released all but the eight for the table.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Didn't see any trollers connecting on anything, but there was one old gentleman hacking up a couple of wipers at the cleaning station when we got there. I helped him finish his filleting and skinning with my electric knife so that he would still have something left to eat.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We got off the water about 1 PM. The water temp had risen to 64 and the air was toasty warm too. Hope the afternoon shift found some willing fish and maybe some boils. However, once the water temps drop below 70 the boils are pretty well over.[/#0000ff]
[/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18827;"]
[#333366] NO BOILS.JPG [/#333366][/url](170 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18828;"][#333366] TUBEBABE AT WORK.JPG [/#333366][/url](173 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18829;"][#333366] SMALL DAYBREAKER.JPG [/#333366][/url](131 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18830;"][#333366] DROPSHOT TUBE KITTY.JPG [/#333366][/url](123 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18831;"][#333366] BLUEBACK SHAD KITTY.JPG [/#333366][/url](163 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18832;"][#333366] WHITE MINIJIG KITTY.JPG [/#333366][/url](126 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18833;"][#333366] BOBBERHEAD KITTY.JPG [/#333366][/url](137 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18834;"][#333366] MEAN 18.JPG [/#333366][/url](119 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18835;"][#333366] TUBEBABE'S TAKEHOME.JPG [/#333366][/url](219 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=18836;"][#333366] TUBEDUDE'S HAUL.JPG [/#333366][/url](212 KB)[/size][/black][/font][signature]