Premature Perch Search...Willard 10-1-24

[TubeDude]

I knew it was probably too early for a serious “perch search” on Willard.  Been a lot warmer this year.  Perch don’t start showing up in numbers until the water cools down a bit more.  But, hey, I figgered there would always be something to play with.  Right?  RIGHT!
 
Launched at the south marina about 7:30…along with Curt & Ira.  Air temp was a brisk 40 degrees…only warming to 65 by noon departure.  Water temps 62 inside the marina but 64 in the main lake…warming only about 1 degree by noon.  Calm and sunny all morning.
 

The “deadly duo” (Curt & Ira) headed out to pester some young wipers.  I started off by at least looking for some perch.  Slow dragged some minnow tipped small fligs just outside the marina…in the deeper channel and up on the shelves on both sides.  Saw a few perchlike marks on sonar but didn’t prove or disprove their species.  Nary a sniff.
 
Stowed the rods and began motoring toward the feed lot…making big S turns and watching the sonar and side scan for signs of life.  Covered water from the previously successful 13 feet out to over 18 feet…the current bottom in that area with lowering water levels.  A blip here and a blip there but nothing worth dropping my rigs back in.
 
About 8:10 I motored in closer to the dike…just for a looksee.  Saw some shad in about 12 feet of water and then started seeing other “bottom anomalies”.  Slowed my motor down to about .5mph and dropped over a couple of my new wired body fligs…tipped with small chub minnows.  Within a few minutes I went bendo on kitty #1…a feisty 2-footer that wanted the “pistachio” flig…chartreuse with 3 red spots.  As you can see in the attached pic, he was only in 11 feet of water…and came aboard at 8:23.


After that I really got busy…being hooked up almost constantly.  My second was another 2-footer that munched the blue-silver wired body flig.  I caught fish on those two colors all morning.  I often got hits on my second rod while bringing in a fish on the first rod…and actually landed several doubles.
 

I didn’t get an exact count of how many cats I caught.  I kept a fairly close count until about 15.  Then I had a fast and furious flurry of several more…including a couple of the doubles.  I’m guessing I probably netted around 25 total.  I had brought only one bag of minnows…with over 20 in the bag.  I started out using whole ones but as the supply started going fast, I began cutting them in half and getting two fish per minnow.  And  after I ran out of minnows, I tried baiting with crawlers.  Din’t make no never-mind to those active cats.  I caught a few on crawlers too.
 

I was more than happy with the size and vigor of the cats.  Most were between 22 – 24 inches.  At least 4 were honest “2-footers”.  2 were an inch beyond the edge of my 24” plastic “sushi board” apron.  And one was about 2 inches longer…a 26 incher.   One of the last fish I caught…on worms…was the smallest…somewhere between 18-20”.
  

Just as I was undoing a tangle caused by a rambunctious double…and getting ready to head back to the ramp for my noon curfew…Curt and Ira motored up to exchange pleasantries.  They had caught a bunch of small wipers but had not been fishing for cats.  I told them I had been doing well in the shallows and then left to troll cranks back into the ramp.  Had a couple of whacks on the way in but no hookups.  Nuttin’ but whiskery perch for the day.  But some problems are better to have than others.  Only kept 2 for the cleaning station…which was in good working order…thankfully.

[wiperhunter2]

Great report and pics Pat. I forgot to mention in my report that at least 2, if not 3 of the cats we caught were on your new pistachio fligs, thanks again for the samples. For sure a nice day out there yesterday. I was going to take a pic of the lower water level, when we got back yesterday but forgot. I was surprised it had dropped so much, since the last time we were there.

[TubeDude]

Great report and pics Pat. I forgot to mention in my report that at least 2, if not 3 of the cats we caught were on your new pistachio fligs, thanks again for the samples. For sure a nice day out there yesterday. I was going to take a pic of the lower water level, when we got back yesterday but forgot. I was surprised it had dropped so much, since the last time we were there.

Glad the new trinkets worked for you.  That color has been good everywhere it has been fished...especially Utah Lake, Deer Creek and Willard.  I kept one all all day yesterday and rotated different colors on the second rod.  Got several fish on the blue silver but nothing on pink or orange tiger.  Every day can be a new day though.

By the way, that color is good for crawler rigs too.  Got walleyes and perch on it earlier in the year.

[MWScott72]

That pistachio rig is what we caught most cats on last week in Shawn’s boat. Sounds like we may have needed to probe the shallows a bit more too…no comment about bananas in the boat.

[Jig-fisher]

Now that's a kitty smackdown! Nice report.

[TubeDude]

That pistachio rig is what we caught most cats on last week in Shawn’s boat.  Sounds like we may have needed to probe the shallows a bit more too…no comment about bananas in the boat.

As a veteran of MANY full seasons of fishing Willard, I have built up a pretty sizeable database of past experiences under a variety of weather and water situations.  I didn't leave the ramp with the conscious thought that the fish might be shallow Tuesday.  But after NOT finding anything in deeper water I decided to make a swing in closer to the rocks and BINGO.  I can reckymember days of even lower water conditions when I have caught fish right next to the rocks...in water less than 6 feet deep.  They hang out in any given area for one (or both) of two reasons...comfort (water temps) or food availability.  In the cooling water the surface temps in shallow water can be a couple of degrees warmer...earlier in the day.  And there WERE some shadlets hanging out in the shallows too.

I long ago gave up trying to apply any kind of never-fail reasoning to anything to do with fishing...or wives.  Instead, I always keep an open mind and if something ain't working I keep messin' around and experimenting until I find something that does.  I have always liked the story about Thomas Edison.  He discovered a working light bulb after about 1000 other experiments that did not work.  When asked how it felt to fail 1000 times he replied "I did not fail 1000 times.  I merely found 1000 ways that would not work before I found one that did."

The banana thing is obviously just an "old fisherman's superstition".  But it helps to have something to blame poor fishing on.  Back in my earlier years in California...when I worked on both party boats and commercial fishing boats...there were skippers who would throw you overboard...along with the bananas you brought aboard.   But there were a lot of times when us troublemakers smuggled them aboard and then brought them out to show after a stellar day of fishing.  Can't remember EVER having a really bad day and then not daring to show the bananas.

But they say that everybody has gotta believe in something.  I believe I'll just go fishing and leave the fussin' to other folks.

[SkunkedAgain]

Nice job Pat, good action for a cooler morning.. won't be long till the perch will be ready to play...Later J

[Cowboypirate]

Good to hear the kitties wanted to play. Buckwheat wants to go get a few for dinner so i think we are going to swing in to the north marina and see if any want to play Thur night.

[TubeDude]

Had a couple of requests to post some more info on making the "pistachio" color combo...the chartreuse with 3 red spots.  That's all I used to call it until someone suggested pistachio...and I liked it.

Easy to use for making new lures or "repurposing" old lures that don't work well.  Start with a good base coat of white.  The hot colors show up better over white.  One good coat of chartreuse yellow.  A highlight coat of disco yellow glitter.  Use the end of a dowel to make the 3 spots of flame red.  Coat with clear coat and then UV Ultra Blast for best depth and shine.

I have done well on this color for many species on many waters...fresh and salt.  It is especially good for repainting ineffective crankbaits you bought on special but never catch anything.  But it is wunnerful for spinner blades, spinner bodies and jigs too.  Of course I use it on a variety of flig sizes and shapes. 

Here are some pics from Utah Lake, Deer Creek and Willard.  Got tons of pics of cats and perch but here are some other species as well.
 

[oldguy]

Had a couple of requests to post some more info on making the "pistachio" color combo...the chartreuse with 3 red spots.  That's all I used to call it until someone suggested pistachio...and I liked it.

Easy to use for making new lures or "repurposing" old lures that don't work well.  Start with a good base coat of white.  The hot colors show up better over white.  One good coat of chartreuse yellow.  A highlight coat of disco yellow glitter.  Use the end of a dowel to make the 3 spots of flame red.  Coat with clear coat and then UV Ultra Blast for best depth and shine.

I have done well on this color for many species on many waters...fresh and salt.  It is especially good for repainting ineffective crankbaits you bought on special but never catch anything.  But it is wunnerful for spinner blades, spinner bodies and jigs too.  Of course I use it on a variety of flig sizes and shapes. 

Here are some pics from Utah Lake, Deer Creek and Willard.  Got tons of pics of cats and perch but here are some other species as well.
 



Thanks Pat I am working on some.

[Redrebel]

I knew it was probably too early for a serious “perch search” on Willard.  Been a lot warmer this year.  Perch don’t start showing up in numbers until the water cools down a bit more.  But, hey, I figgered there would always be something to play with.  Right?  RIGHT!
 
Launched at the south marina about 7:30…along with Curt & Ira.  Air temp was a brisk 40 degrees…only warming to 65 by noon departure.  Water temps 62 inside the marina but 64 in the main lake…warming only about 1 degree by noon.  Calm and sunny all morning.
 

The “deadly duo” (Curt & Ira) headed out to pester some young wipers.  I started off by at least looking for some perch.  Slow dragged some minnow tipped small fligs just outside the marina…in the deeper channel and up on the shelves on both sides.  Saw a few perchlike marks on sonar but didn’t prove or disprove their species.  Nary a sniff.
 
Stowed the rods and began motoring toward the feed lot…making big S turns and watching the sonar and side scan for signs of life.  Covered water from the previously successful 13 feet out to over 18 feet…the current bottom in that area with lowering water levels.  A blip here and a blip there but nothing worth dropping my rigs back in.
 
About 8:10 I motored in closer to the dike…just for a looksee.  Saw some shad in about 12 feet of water and then started seeing other “bottom anomalies”.  Slowed my motor down to about .5mph and dropped over a couple of my new wired body fligs…tipped with small chub minnows.  Within a few minutes I went bendo on kitty #1…a feisty 2-footer that wanted the “pistachio” flig…chartreuse with 3 red spots.  As you can see in the attached pic, he was only in 11 feet of water…and came aboard at 8:23.


After that I really got busy…being hooked up almost constantly.  My second was another 2-footer that munched the blue-silver wired body flig.  I caught fish on those two colors all morning.  I often got hits on my second rod while bringing in a fish on the first rod…and actually landed several doubles.
 

I didn’t get an exact count of how many cats I caught.  I kept a fairly close count until about 15.  Then I had a fast and furious flurry of several more…including a couple of the doubles.  I’m guessing I probably netted around 25 total.  I had brought only one bag of minnows…with over 20 in the bag.  I started out using whole ones but as the supply started going fast, I began cutting them in half and getting two fish per minnow.  And  after I ran out of minnows, I tried baiting with crawlers.  Din’t make no never-mind to those active cats.  I caught a few on crawlers too.
 

I was more than happy with the size and vigor of the cats.  Most were between 22 – 24 inches.  At least 4 were honest “2-footers”.  2 were an inch beyond the edge of my 24” plastic “sushi board” apron.  And one was about 2 inches longer…a 26 incher.   One of the last fish I caught…on worms…was the smallest…somewhere between 18-20”.
  

Just as I was undoing a tangle caused by a rambunctious double…and getting ready to head back to the ramp for my noon curfew…Curt and Ira motored up to exchange pleasantries.  They had caught a bunch of small wipers but had not been fishing for cats.  I told them I had been doing well in the shallows and then left to troll cranks back into the ramp.  Had a couple of whacks on the way in but no hookups.  Nuttin’ but whiskery perch for the day.  But some problems are better to have than others.  Only kept 2 for the cleaning station…which was in good working order…thankfully.

I had the same results today. Lots of kitties wanted to play but no perch. My homemade flig caught over a dozen and paint was still good. I’m going to have to paint up some pistachio. 

[TubeDude]

I had the same results today. Lots of kitties wanted to play but no perch. My homemade flig caught over a dozen and paint was still good. I’m going to have to paint up some pistachio. 

You are progressing well, Grasshoppah...both in the making and the catching.  Ain't fliggin' fun?