Willard Catfish

[TClutch]

My son is begging me to find some catfish for him and I was hoping to hit Willard Bay in memorial day. We will be fishing from shore. Does anyone have some good advice for bait, time of day, general area, those types of things. I haven't targeted catfish before and generally a mediocre fisherman but I thought we could give it a shot.

If there are better places to go I would take suggestions. I am in Davis County.
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[RockyRaab]

One problem with shore fishing Willard is that with the all-time high water level, there's a lot of submerged brush 30 - 40 yards from the bank. Snagolopolis. So don't try to cast a mile.

Fish from the dikes around either the north or south marinas, or in the inlet itself (south marina).
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[Squawminnow]

I have done well at Willard in the past fishing close to the rocks off the south dike from freeway bay all the way to the inlet at the south marina. If you fish bait under a bobber and cast parallel to the dikes you should get bit. Sportsmans Warehouse sells frozen anchovies that work great cut in half on a circle hook. I like cut bait like anchovies or sucker meat because the carp usually won't touch it. You can use small Gulp baits and possibly get a Wiper too, but carp will take Gulp baits.
The cats feed pretty much all day this time off year, they will get more sluggish and deeper during the day once it gets really hot. If you can handle the bugs, Willard is good night fishing in the summer.
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[BRL1]

My experience has been,
west dike along the rocks,
worm 3 to 4 feet under a bobber,
No more than 25 feet from shore and let it drift back toward shore,
Have caught all species of fish except Carp this way, mostly cats.
But the road North along the West dike is very rough, but I don't have to pay the entrance fee to the marinas.
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