3 Species Day at Willard 7-12-22

[TubeDude]

Been off the water about 3 weeks.  Been lookin’ after TubeBabe.  She is still hobbling around on her new knee…but good enough to give me a fishing pass for a day.
Launched at the south marina just after 6 am.  Air temp 68 and water temp 75.  Only one other boat launched when I did but several others launched by 8.
            First fish just after clearing the channel and starting to head north.  Water was a shallow 3.5 feet and was not expecting anything on my whirly flig and gulp until reaching deeper water.  But my rod got bent and there was a fish jumping back behind me?  Not a walleye.  Not a wiper.  Not a catfish.  But a footlong smallie.  Took his picture and let him go.

            About a half hour until my next customer.  Again on the white whirly flig with a white Gulp minnow on it.  Turned out to be a porky 10” perch.  Wow.  Two non-cat species before 7 am.  Could be a 4 species slam day.  Nope.  All I got the rest of the morning were the usual whiskery wipers and walleyes (catfish).  But they hit hard, fought hard and provided some much needed tugs.


            I fished a variety of offerings today.  Did some bottom bouncing with crawler rigs.  Got a couple of whacks but no major munches.  Fished some minnow parts on blue and silver whirly fligs.  Got some cat love on those.  But most of the fish today came on white whirly fligs with a gulp minnow pinned on them.  Those have worked well in the past this time of year when the shadlets are blooming.  But no love today from wiper or walleye type fishies.
   

[wiperhunter2]

Good to hear you are back in action and that Tubebabe is on the mend. From your finder pic it looks like two different sized shad in the water. A jumping smallmouth, that's interesting. Glad the cats, perch and smally wanted to play, always fun having a multi species day.

[Cowboypirate]

We were driving down from Idaho about mid day and it looked like the wind was picking up at Willard. Did you get caught in it?

I hope Echo or Rockport are on the plan in the next couple days, but I have been saying that for 2 weeks.

[TubeDude]

We were driving down from Idaho about mid day and it looked like the wind was picking up at Willard. Did you get caught in it?

I hope Echo or Rockport are on the plan in the next couple days, but I have been saying that for 2 weeks.

The weather forecrash was just what I look for.  Light breezes in the morning and then "zephyrs" afternoon.  It was just starting to get a bit airy when I got back to the ramp about 11.   

Good luck on hitting Echo or Rockport.  You owe yourself a productive trip or two.  Hope they get the ramp open at Echo for fall fishing.

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Good to hear you are back in action and that Tubebabe is on the mend. From your finder pic it looks like two different sized shad in the water. A jumping smallmouth, that's interesting. Glad the cats, perch and smally wanted to play, always fun having a multi species day.

Smallmouth jump a lot...especially when you hook them on light gear in shallow water.  Not so much when you hook them down deeper while trolling at mach 3.  I catch quite a few while pitching into the rocks (during higher water) and a high percentage of them jump at least once.  This one jumped several times on the way in.  Here's a pic I caught on the video.

[jjannie]

Glad to hear Dolores is on the mend. Jeff had both his replaced and is so very happy he did it. He's now pain free even when at rest after years of being in almost a constant pain.

Glad you got those tugs and you got off before the winds picked up.

[TubeDude]

Glad to hear Dolores is on the mend. Jeff had both his replaced and is so very happy he did it. He's now pain free even when at rest after years of being in almost a constant pain.

Glad you got those tugs and you got off before the winds picked up.

Thanks.  Delores thinks I am being unreasonable to expect her to be doing jumping jacks and kicking field goals already.  What a wimp!

[jjannie]

Glad to hear Dolores is on the mend. Jeff had both his replaced and is so very happy he did it. He's now pain free even when at rest after years of being in almost a constant pain.

Glad you got those tugs and you got off before the winds picked up.

Thanks.  Delores thinks I am being unreasonable to expect her to be doing jumping jacks and kicking field goals already.  What a wimp!

 LOL, Maybe give her month before expecting such behavior! At least let her get through physical therapy first.

[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Pat, glad to hear the Babe is doing okay.... even if she isn't keeping up with your training schedule... Those jumping smallies is why I like to chase them, but it's sure hard to keep them from unbuttoning when they get airborne.. I lost my personal best fish as it launched to the air when it was about 6' from the toon.... But it's exciting to add that to the battle... and also easier to call them your best fish when you don't get a tape on them... Congrats on a great day out... Later Jeff

[TubeDude]

Hey Pat, glad to hear the Babe is doing okay.... even if she isn't keeping up with your training schedule... Those jumping smallies is why I like to chase them, but it's sure hard to keep them from unbuttoning when they get airborne.. I lost my personal best fish as it launched to the air when it was about 6' from the toon.... But it's exciting to add that to the battle...  and also easier to call them your best fish when you don't get a tape on them... Congrats on a great day out... Later Jeff

Yessir.  As we fisherfolk seem to mutually agree...we all trust the reports, tales and claims of all other tanglers...and expect the same courtesy and respect in return.  So, in the absence of other witnesses a lost fish can be anything we want it to be...without challenge.  Did I ever tell you about that 10 pound crappie I almost got at Willard?  Came off just as I was reaching for it with the net.  (Kind of a strange looking crappie though...with that puckered mouth and those big golden scales.)