2021 Willard Bay trips 29 & 30

[Tin-Can]

Trip # 29  31 July
  Beautiful day, beat the skunk by just 1 Cat .


   


Trip # 30  4 Aug. 
It would have been another beautiful day if not for the smoke.   Got on the water at 7:45.  Air temp on arrival 73 deg. water temp 78.7 deg.  WB south marina water levels seem to be almost holding. Water being let in at the baffles is almost maintaining what is being lost each day to evaporation.  Still just under 2 fow at bottom of center ramp, 3.4 to 3.7 fow in marina, 3.5 to 5.5 in center of channel, and once past the buoy line about 200 yards it's 6-11 fow depending which direction you go.   The lower water levels are keeping the bigger boats out. On arrival at WB South yesterday there was only 1 other fishing rig in the lot, then as I was launching, one more pulled in.   



 
Very light breeze out of the north east.  Set up out east of the feed lot towers and drifted slowly at .35 mph back towards the south wall. Fishing was slow, but totaled out better than trip # 29 and counted my best catch so far this year.  A little over 2 hours on the water and it went to dead calm and from where I was about half way between feed lot and freeway bay, I could just barely make out the west wall thru the smoke. 

     


Boated and released a total of 6  WBCCC .  Called it quits about 1:30 p.m.  On leaving, air temp was up to 85, water temp to 81.6, and as far as I could see only 4 or 5 other boats on the water, and 3 kayaks that had been hung out just off the rocks at the feed lot for much of the day. 

 
    

[Cowboypirate]

Forest have you kept a total Willard count this year?

[Tin-Can]

Forest have you kept a total Willard count this year?

  Yep. 

So far:

30 trips, 11 skunks, 45 total Cats boated, 12 Cats kept, 33 released. 

No other species caught this year   ( one possible large Wiper lost)

[Cowboypirate]

Forest have you kept a total Willard count this year?

  Yep. 

So far:

30 trips, 11 skunks, 45 total Cats boated, 12 Cats kept, 33 released. 

No other species caught this year   ( one possible large Wiper lost)

No many as diligently chasing Willard kitties as you.

[Tin-Can]

Forest have you kept a total Willard count this year?

  Yep. 

So far:

30 trips, 11 skunks, 45 total Cats boated, 12 Cats kept, 33 released. 

No other species caught this year   ( one possible large Wiper lost)

No many as diligently chasing Willard kitties as you.

  Well, they are good eating. I did make numerous attempts at Walleye and Wiper, but no joy.  Drifting with baited lines seems to work well for me.

[Cowboypirate]

Forest have you kept a total Willard count this year?

  Yep. 

So far:

30 trips, 11 skunks, 45 total Cats boated, 12 Cats kept, 33 released. 

No other species caught this year   ( one possible large Wiper lost)

No many as diligently chasing Willard kitties as you.

  Well, they are good eating. I did make numerous attempts at Walleye and Wiper, but no joy.  Drifting with baited lines seems to work well for me.

Sitting on the bank, half asleep, while cookie yells at me to get the camera, she has a bite, is working pretty well for me too. Now if she would only cut and hook on her own chubs baits...

[TubeDude]

[quote pid="1122439" dateline="1628198370"]
Cowboypirate Wrote: [url=https://bigfishtackle.com/forum/showthread.php?pid=1122411#pid1122411][/url]
Sitting on the bank, half asleep, while cookie yells at me to get the camera, she has a bite, is working pretty well for me too. Now if she would only cut and hook on her own chubs baits...
[/quote]

Why should she? Sounds like she has you pretty well trained.

[LundLefty]

Trip # 29  31 July
  Beautiful day, beat the skunk by just 1 Cat .


   


Trip # 30  4 Aug. 
It would have been another beautiful day if not for the smoke.   Got on the water at 7:45.  Air temp on arrival 73 deg. water temp 78.7 deg.  WB south marina water levels seem to be almost holding. Water being let in at the baffles is almost maintaining what is being lost each day to evaporation.  Still just under 2 fow at bottom of center ramp, 3.4 to 3.7 fow in marina, 3.5 to 5.5 in center of channel, and once past the buoy line about 200 yards it's 6-11 fow depending which direction you go.   The lower water levels are keeping the bigger boats out. On arrival at WB South yesterday there was only 1 other fishing rig in the lot, then as I was launching, one more pulled in.   



 
Very light breeze out of the north east.  Set up out east of the feed lot towers and drifted slowly at .35 mph back towards the south wall. Fishing was slow, but totaled out better than trip # 29 and counted my best catch so far this year.  A little over 2 hours on the water and it went to dead calm and from where I was about half way between feed lot and freeway bay, I could just barely make out the west wall thru the smoke. 

     


Boated and released a total of 6  WBCCC .  Called it quits about 1:30 p.m.  On leaving, air temp was up to 85, water temp to 81.6, and as far as I could see only 4 or 5 other boats on the water, and 3 kayaks that had been hung out just off the rocks at the feed lot for much of the day. 

 
    

---

August 4th , launched about 8am and had 8 cats in the livewell in less than an hour - plenty to stock the freezer.  Non-stop action until we left, home before lunch.

[wiperhunter2]

8 cats in less than an hour, wow, you must have found the honey hole, mind share some details, like what method you were using, cut bait, trolling, jigging?

[Tin-Can]

---

August 4th , launched about 8am and had 8 cats in the livewell in less than an hour - plenty to stock the freezer.  Non-stop action until we left, home before lunch.

  LundLefty,  seems  you are fairly new to BFT.  Welcome  
  
   Were you the guy with the green Lund and white truck at the south marina Wednesday ?   

[LundLefty]

---

August 4th , launched about 8am and had 8 cats in the livewell in less than an hour - plenty to stock the freezer.  Non-stop action until we left, home before lunch.

  LundLefty,  seems  you are fairly new to BFT.  Welcome  
  
   Were you the guy with the green Lund and white truck at the south marina Wednesday ?   

White Lund, silver Ram. Always south marina.
The gentleman with the green Lund/white truck and I were filleting our catches at the same time.

[LundLefty]

8 cats in less than an hour, wow, you must have found the honey hole, mind share some details, like what method you were using, cut bait, trolling, jigging?

Bottom-bouncing at .75/1. mph with bait. Chicken, shrimp, both have been working.  We found a small rise in the middle of the "Vast Willard Nothingness" that consistently holds fish - walleye and cats - although the walleye got real scarce once the water hit the high 70s.  

We have it marked on the Helix GPS and just criss-cross over our little hump.  

We were picking up quite a few cats while trolling cranks for walleye, but it really picked up when we switched to bait (and a catfish with a treble or two in it's mouth is a real PITA to get unbuttoned).  Nice size fish, those 8 gave us just over 5# of fillets.

And NOT ONE WIPER this year!!!  What's up with that???

[wiperhunter2]

8 cats in less than an hour, wow, you must have found the honey hole, mind share some details, like what method you were using, cut bait, trolling, jigging?

Bottom-bouncing at .75/1. mph with bait. Chicken, shrimp, both have been working.  We found a small rise in the middle of the "Vast Willard Nothingness" that consistently holds fish - walleye and cats - although the walleye got real scarce once the water hit the high 70s.  

We have it marked on the Helix GPS and just criss-cross over our little hump.  

We were picking up quite a few cats while trolling cranks for walleye, but it really picked up when we switched to bait (and a catfish with a treble or two in it's mouth is a real PITA to get unbuttoned).  Nice size fish, those 8 gave us just over 5# of fillets.

And NOT ONE WIPER this year!!!  What's up with that???

I tried bouncing over a week ago, at one of the many little hump I know about at willard, nothing, likely because I was using nightcrawlers, later I started using cut bait and it was game on for the cats, they just did not seem to care for worms. 
Yea, the wipers have been in short supply this year, we have caught a few but their numbers are way down. 
The DWR are stocking fewer of them the last few years but they are still in the lake.

[Tin-Can]

---

August 4th , launched about 8am and had 8 cats in the livewell in less than an hour - plenty to stock the freezer.  Non-stop action until we left, home before lunch.

  LundLefty,  seems  you are fairly new to BFT.  Welcome  
  
   Were you the guy with the green Lund and white truck at the south marina Wednesday ?   

White Lund, silver Ram.  Always south marina. 
The gentleman with the green Lund/white truck and I were filleting our catches at the same time.

  OK, I've seen that Lund on the water. Nice boat.

[fishskibum]

And NOT ONE WIPER this year!!!  What's up with that???

fish tacos dont boil
#overharvested

[doitall5000]

Thanks for the details and pictures. They show no bugs! And good cats.
my little grandkids love to catch the cats, lots of fight.
I'm thinking to give up on my idea for strawberry, and go for cats, better fight than those cutthroats. Looks like Thursday the smoke will be out of here.

[wiperhunter2]

You can't go wrong chasing the cats, they fight good and they are plentiful, if you have the right bait and method.

[BRL1]

You can't go wrong chasing the cats, they fight good and they are plentiful, if you have the right bait and method.

So, if you don't mind, what is the right bait and method when you are stuck on shore for the cats?

[wiperhunter2]

You can't go wrong chasing the cats, they fight good and they are plentiful, if you have the right bait and method.

So, if you don't mind, what is the right bait and method when you are stuck on shore for the cats?

A lot of us use cut chubs or chub minnow, some of the guys are using marinated chicken. I like to use TubeDude's fligs or floating jigs. That get the bait off the bottom and makes it easier for the cats to find.

[BRL1]

You can't go wrong chasing the cats, they fight good and they are plentiful, if you have the right bait and method.

So, if you don't mind, what is the right bait and method when you are stuck on shore for the cats?

A lot of us use cut chubs or chub minnow, some of the guys are using marinated chicken. I like to use TubeDude's fligs or floating jigs. That get the bait off the bottom and makes it easier for the cats to find.

Thanks