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[#0000FF]Had a loosely joined fishing session today with RockyRaab and r2U2 at the south marina. Loose? We all went our separate ways after launching.
Good news? The fish cleaning station is operational. The really good news? I got to fillet 8 fat cats for the smoker. The bad news? No wipers, walleyes or crappies were harmed on this trip.
Launched before 7 am. Air temp 49 and water temp 59 in the main lake...warming to almost 64 by noon. Also, the water is super clear.
Saw little on sonar to excite me going out the channel. Headed north up the dike after clearing the harbor. Stayed close to the rocks for a while. I was dragging a minnow on one rod and throwing plastics and cranks on the other. No love.
Brought in the lines and motored out into deeper water, watching for fishy evidence. Nada, zip, zilch. Moved down the dike some more and in closer to the rocks. Finally...in about 10-11 feet of water I got my first inquiry...a cookie cutter kitty on a fire tiger flig and minnow. Skunk repellent.
Wanted to try a variety of baits and lures today and try to hook something besides cats. I love those kitties, mind ya, but would really like to change up the game a little. Had a couple of non-cat type hits but no verifiable hookups on anything besides Mr. and Mrs. Whiskers.
Howsomever...in working through the lures and baits I did catch some cats on a variety of offerings. Some came on the old tried and true fire tiger fligs. But besides minnows, I also caught them on a piece of crawler and on Gulp Minnows. A couple of my largest cats came on the old standby...a LHBE minnow dragged on the bottom behind my tube. The most fun were a couple that smacked a blue and white plastic grub cast into the rocks. The hard hit and short run had me thinking wipers...but turned out to be whiskery wipers. Still fun.
Not sure how many cats I caught...maybe 10-12. I did keep 8 for the smoker. The first batch I did a week ago disappeared fast. I got too many smoke addicted friends and relatives. Hard to get any for my own self.
Rocky and Richard both caught cats too, so there was at least some measure of success all around. It was a lovely day...and we didn't have to mumble that as an excuse for not catching anything.
I really was pleasantly surprised to find the fish cleaning station open and operable. There had been a report that it was uncovered and set up but without water. I can verify that water and power are both ready for the successful angler. And the grinder works very well...if you turn it on and let it run before putting fish in it.
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So you gave all of use a little peak behind the curtain. I have been looking for a better electric fillet knife and noticed that you are using an American Angler. My immediate thought was "if it is good enough for TD, then this is the one I need to get". What is your rating on this knife?
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[#0000FF]I have been using American Angler almost exclusively for quite a few years. I carry both the 110 volt and the 12 volt in my fillet kit. And the 12 volt motor is almost as powerful as the 110 for times when I do not have power from an outlet.
There are several models and they are pricier these days. Spend a few dollars more for stronger gears and other refinements. I do a LOT of filleting and I have had American Angler knives last for years beyond when I expected them to go kaput. Haven't had any other knives that fit the hand better, made better fillets or lasted longer.
I guess you could say I like them.
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Another vote for it being a beautiful and fruitful day. We were treated by a little aerial visitation...
![[Image: AN9mxxql.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/AN9mxxql.jpg)
And I managed to bring home two fat cats...
![[Image: CVmWv1Pl.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/CVmWv1Pl.jpg)
Caught one on a chatterbait and swimbait I was throwing for walleye. Hit right off the rocks. The second cat came as I slow-trolled back to the dock. Got it in eight feet of water, right near the rocks, bumping an "electric chicken" dive bait along the bottom at about 1 mph.
I was surprised that there were no crappie in the brush inside the marina. Fully expected them to be there by now.
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"Caught one on a chatterbait and swimbait I was throwing for walleye. Hit right off the rocks. The second cat came as I slow-trolled back to the dock. Got it in eight feet of water, right near the rocks, bumping an "electric chicken" dive bait along the bottom at about 1 mph."
[#0000FF]Two more things to put on the list of "what worked" today. The fish were scattered and tough to find but they seemed agreeable to almost anything we served in the right place.
That little flying boat was a noisy sucker. Thought it was a big mosquito on steroids. Then I saw it making the touch and go landing and wondered if maybe you had traded in your kayak for some aerial amusement.
Yeah, verily. 'Twas a lovely day on the water. Glad you could make it out too.
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Sounds like a good day of fishing. Thanks again for my rod repair and a few FLIGS, just need to find the time to try them out.
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Pat, Rocky, I can hardly wait for the time when I am no longer the employed servant of the USAF and I can get out on the water in mid week. Nice couple batches of Cats. How did Richard do? Or did I just miss his post?
Had a float plane land on Pineview several years ago while my son and I were just drifting and enjoying the mid week quiet before the power squadrons hit the water. They can be quite a surprise when they come in from behind you, buzz over your head no more than 200 feet of the water then land (of float as it were) and turn around and "taxi" back to withing about 300 yards of the boat.
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This one was clearly a flying lesson. Made several landings and takeoffs, then taxied into the south marina, turned and came back out before flying off for good.
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[quote catchnfish]Sounds like a good day of fishing. Thanks again for my rod repair and a few FLIGS, just need to find the time to try them out.[/quote]
[#0000FF]When it comes to fishing, you need to MAKE time...not just FIND time. Fishing is not a luxury. It is a necessity.
Glad I could help with the guide replacement. Hope the new trinkets treat you well.
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"How did Richard do? Or did I just miss his post?"
[#0000FF]I think he said he caught 4. He left early with us. Said he was getting a twinge of "senior knee-monia".
Sure is easy to spot him anywhere on the lake with that standout yellow yak.
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[#0000FF]Here's a fairly clear shot of that plane...as it buzzes me for about the third time.
[inline "BIG MOSQUITO.JPG"]
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Hey Pat,
sounds like a great day on the pond... Glad you guys got out and had a nice one... Been a crazy couple weeks for me, so I'm hoping things slow down to where I can get out again... been too long, don't think I've been on the pond since the flotilla... Hopefully tonight I can try those new rod tips out... Pretty excited to put them into action... Thanks for the report... J
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Pat,
Thanks for the report. I've hit Willard pretty hard this spring and have not found the success I've had in previous years with the wipers and walleye. This past Sunday I was stoked to see water temps in the 60s; I thought "boom, game on!" I found most of the fish on the sonar along the north and west dikes. However, they were as tight-lipped as ever. No bites, no sniffs, nothing - on all the usual rigs and colors, crawler harnesses, flicker shad, rat'l traps, tail dancers. I threw the whole damn Sears catalog in there and never heard back about what they wanted.
Will try again this weekend.
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[#0000FF]Don't jump off your tackle box yet. DWR netting surveys show that the numbers on wipers are only a small percentage of what they have been in previous good years. And in spite of all the walleyes they claim are ready and waiting for anglers there aren't many showing up...at least not as many as there were in the inlet...BS (before snagging).[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]And just to confuse the issue and keep fishermen talking to themselves there are some good sized schools of fish showing up on sonar. Well guess what. A lot of those are spawning mode shad...just hanging out during the day and waiting for the evening frivolities over sandy bottom near shore. Not all of them...but enough to create false excitement.
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[#0000FF]I had an "intervention" discussion with a fellow tangler a few days ago who just knew those closely packed fish on his sonar screen were huge crappies. And he was beginning to doubt his knowledge and skills at catching them. His sniffling subsided a bit when I assured him that maybe...just maybe...those were shad and not crappies.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]My forecast is that the fewer wipers will get more active in the very near future. Not as many, but some good quality fish. And June is the magic month for walleyes. Still early. Hope they show up and put on a good show.
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[#0000FF]In the meantime, keep on keepin' on...and honing your skills. Don't be disappointed with lower catches and be properly grateful for every fish you fool.
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Nice catch of cats Pat, now that the walleye fishing is headed for the crapper in Willard I will turn my attention toward Starvation to carry on for the summer months in search of the walleye.
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In the meantime, you can enjoy TD's recipe for Buffalo Catfish Wings. That's what wifey and I had tonight. 'Scuse me while I recover from stuffing myself...
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[#0000FF]Too bad about the walleye (or lack thereof) in Willard. Sorry for you...and for me and others who used to enjoy good fishing for them. We have been told there are vast numbers of them in Willard now. But if you look at the fishermen's success rate it is only "half vast" at best.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Couldn't at least be partially the result of the heavy harvest at the inlet each year. Heck, those fish aren't going to successfully reproduce in the silty channel. But they would sure feel good on our lines...and taste good on our tables.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]After last year's heavy showing of "footlong" wallies at Starvation I am thinking there should be plenty of good eaters available for skilled 'eye specialists. Just wish it wasn't such a long drive. But if it was closer it would probably turn into another Willard.
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True, TD. And as I keep thinking, the walleye that are taken out of the channel may not spawn successfully THIS TIME but they could have succeeded for years to come - if they hadn't been snagged into buckets.
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[#0000FF]Preaching from the choir boys.[/#0000FF]
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It was good while it lasted I was fishing walleyes in that lake before most of these biologists were born, but they have a degree I don't [  ][  ][ ] hope the channel snaggers and the rest of the experts enjoy their fishing on the Bay. [pirate]
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