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Got out to Willard today with Wiperslayer and decided to try a different part of the lake, so we headed to the SW corner. We were fligging it on a slow troll, .5 mph. It took us an hour to find some active fish, little after 8:30 am we found them and it was game on. Ira wanted to get a cat on his new 14' rod and they did not disappoint. Ira got the first 4 cats before I got my first one, after discovering his secret bait, then it was back a forth on who would catch the most for the rest of the day. Before we got off the water around 1pm we caught two that were 24". The predictions were a strong wind would come up around 11 or 12 but it never happened and it turned out to be a very nice day. Saw a number of boats in the area we were fishing but was very surprised when we returned to the South marina and there were over a dozen boats trailers in the parking lot.
DWR have gill nets in the channel before you get to the baffles, undoubtedly trying to catch the eyes before they get to the snag fest at the end. That new parking lot was almost full of cars and trucks trying to get in out "snag a lot" going on there at the end of channel[  ].
Hopefully the eye bite will turn on in the main part of the lake before long but it likely won't, until the spawn is over. Water temp got up to 48 degrees today around 1pm.
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[quote wiperhunter2]
Ira wanted to get a cat on his new 14' rod...
[/quote]
Wow, why a 14' rod?
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Do you have a link to this "light action" rod?
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I think he originally bought them to fish for crappie but they also act like a side planer, getting the lure away from the boat while trolling. Here is a pic of one of those 24" cats.
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What was the bait of choice this day?
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We have been using chub meat but today it was a secret bait that Wiperslayer brought.[  ]
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When does the walleye spawn end usually?
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Yes I have two 9 foot medium weight, and soft tips. Love them for fishing out each side on planner boards. I can run four rods easily.
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Congrats Curt it sounds like a lot of fun. I’ve been surprised how strong the cats are fighting already. Usually the cold makes them sluggish but I’ve been finding a lot of fight in them. How about those Willard cats? Love to battle a big kitty. Thanks for the report. J
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I have a brother on Lake Eire that uses two 15ft Okuma surf rods for outriggers- work great.
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It depends on the year but it is usually done around the 1st of May and after a two week rest, the females we start biting pretty good.
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Thanks Jeff. Oh yea, they are putting up a good fish, especially those big ones.
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I think that was one of the reason he bought them. Cats love to tangle up two lines, when they are close together.
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Hey Curt, were the docks at the south marina still out from the bank. I didn't have any waders with me yesterday didn't want to get wet getting from dock to truck, then from walkway back to dock.
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"OCD = Obsessive Catfish Disorder "
Or so it says on my license plate holder
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It was like that when we got back too, we just beached the boat on the east shore by the ramp there. You have to walk through the willows to get to the ramp but it's deep enough that you won't get wet.
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Great report! Glad to hear the H2O temps are on the rise. How was the water clarity?
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Thanks Chad, the runoff has begun and the water coming down the South marina(SM) channel, into the bay is muddy but over in Freeway bay it is pretty clear and the SW corner is very clear, for Willard. Here is a pic of the muddy water coming out the SM channel. You might have to zoom in or enlarge to see it.
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Oh man, you're killing me. On my last trip to Willard in my tube, I managed to blow out a knee. Haven't been back since. Sure would be nice if the doc had good news for me next week, but I'm not expecting it. Guess I'll have to live through your reports.
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Larry, that sucks, sure hate to hear that for you...hope you get better news than you're fearing... Somehow when the knee goes, it doesn't give you a lot of choices on whether you're going to take care of it or not... I tried to ignore my knee issue and got on the roof with a bundle of shingles to fix the roof and my knee tried to go backwards on me... At that point I knew I had to go in for surgery... Glad I did, because it's back almost to normal, but it sure took a long time to get through all the surgery, rehab and recovery... but I don't think I could have continued back packing and hunting and all that I like to do if I wouldn't have taken care of it... Best of luck to you on this issue... hope you're back at it for the wiper run... Later Jeff
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Sorry to hear that Larry, hope it doesn't rule out you getting out there in your boat too[:/]. Good luck on the Doc report, hope the news is better than you expect.
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