To the man who iced a wiper or walleye at Willard

[Brighamfish]

Yes you. I know you are out there. Has anyone caught wipers or walleye through the ice at willard in years past? I live right by willard but have never really ice fished it other than the north marina for crappie. If you have any tips or info it would be greatly appreciated!
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]In the years before wipers and shad were such large parts of the Willard ecology, crappies were the main ice fishing target. But there were also lots of walleyes caught through the ice...both on purpose and by anglers targeting crappies.

The numbers of crappies have dropped off greatly since the introductions of wipers and shad. Ditto for walleyes.

Both wipers and walleyes can be taken under the ice at Willard. But since there is little structure or permanent food sources anywhere in the lake, the predators roam around a lot and it takes a combination of luck, timing and skill to find and catch them.

Since all predator species in Willard feed on the same things...mostly shad, crawdads and the young of their own and other species...the same lures you use for one will often catch the others. Tipping with worm, perch meat or Gulp Minnows will also help you entice all species.

Here is an excerpt from my larger writeup on Willard Bay that focuses on ice fishing. Hope it helps.
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[AllFish]

[quote Brighamfish]Yes you. I know you are out there. Has anyone caught wipers or walleye through the ice at willard in years past? I live right by willard but have never really ice fished it other than the north marina for crappie. If you have any tips or info it would be greatly appreciated![/quote]

Having spent some time there each year for the past several seasons, still haven't caught a walleye or wiper through the ice.

Done well as I think can be expected on catfish and perch. Would like to get walleye dialed in as well. Probably the year to do it with good ice right now.

Good luck, AllFish
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[TheFishSlayer]

I live right by the south marina and have never even tried ice fishing it. I guess now is the time to give it a shot.
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[FishSlayerJT]

is it capped? i can think of some spots they may be holding...
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[Brighamfish]

Whole lake was froze over last time I drove by. Not sure how thick or solid. Been thinking about an outing there this week to find out.
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[FishSlayerJT]

thanks ill have to give it a shot. let you know what i find if i do
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[TheFishSlayer]

I'd be down to go with.
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[Fishheads]

It does take patience, but it can be done.
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[doitall5000]

I would start by targeting the south marina rock reefs. The GPS locations are available. I've caught cats through the ice.
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[Fin-S-Fish]

Wiper can be right in the N marina at times. Use white bass tactics.[] Make sure you use at least 14lb line though. I like 14lb trilene xl. Not fast fishing though so I don't bother with it much.
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[Gone2Fish]

Not 100% sure but I think I talked to you either last year or maybe 2 years ago. It's tough fishing but i have lost more eyes at the hole than i have landed. I like fishing willard because more times than not you are all alone. Seems you always catch fish but maybe not the ones your after.
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[Brighamfish]

Nice. Fished Willard a lot growing up but almost always in the warmer months. With a lake like Willard where you know there are lots of fish there if you can just find em & wait em out I don't mind putting in extra effort. Hopefully it will cap in a few more weeks here and we can give it a try.
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[wiperhunter2]

Welcome to the site Gone2fish. If you can catch fish like the ones in your pic even once a Winter at Willard you are doing better than most that fish it during the Winter. In all the years I have fished Willard, I've never caught one eye, I've done much better for perch but have only caught one wiper. It is all about location, I've never caught even a single fish on the West side of the lake, even thought I see tons of them there. All the fish I've caught at Willard ice fishing have been within a mile of the North marina. How about you, East side of the lake or West side, for your best success?
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[SkunkedAgain]

Hey welcome to BFT, and nice fish... Thanks for sharing your story and motivating the crew... I think the majority of ice fishermen are in it for lots of fast action, so Willard doesn't appeal to the masses, but it's great to see skill and patience pay off.... Thanks Later J
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