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Willard final finale 12-23-19
#1
[#0000ff]Stick a fork in me...I'm done. Our weird weather pattern this December allowed me one last shot at the north marina. It is typically total hard deck about the first week of December.
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[#0000ff]Launched a bit before 8am. Stiff breeze out of the south making waves even in the marina...on the half not already iced over. Air temp 41 but the wind chill made it feel much colder. Water temp inside the marina 36. Main lake temp two degrees colder.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Started inside the marina. Hoped there would be a few fish inside, since it was a bit bumpy outside. Covered virtually all of the open water without seeing anything on sonar...or the end of my line.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Decided to brave it outside the marina. The steady breeze marching across the lake was making some "Willard Wipples". No whitecaps but still bumpy. The bottom line on my sonar looked like a saw blade from the steady up and down of my float tube.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Success. Within a short time of putting out my lines outside I got a munch on my "traffic light" flig. The fat 13 inch perch put up a pretty spirited battle. I was thinking that maybe I had found some fish and might be able to salvage the day after all. WRONG.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]That was the first, last and only perch I got all morning. Only had a couple of other "maybe" taps.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did get some good tugs from a couple of "golden wipers" (carp). For some reason those chilled buglemouths seemed to like my chartreuse perch flig adorned with perch meat. The first one grabbed on, put the line over its scaly shoulder and ran off some line. I actually thought I might have a wiper...for at least a few seconds. Then it slowed into a steady pull and a few sluggish head shakes. I netted it for an onboard pic and sent it back in for Fishskibum to catch next spring.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The second carp was a tank. Probably close to 15 pounds. Since I had nothing else going on I fought it for a long time and eventually got it close to the tube. I could see it was hooked by only a thin piece of the rubbery mouth. So, instead of bringing it to net I grabbed the line and gave a hard jerk to pull the hook free.
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[#0000ff]That was it. I did motate around under power to see if I could locate any fish on sonar...from shallow to deep and both to the north and south of the marina. I did see one small group of fish (see pic) but they all had their little mouths closed and their middle fins upraised.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Went back inside the marina...hoping some fish might have showed up. Nope. Silly me. There had been one dock dunker fishing through the ice from the docks on the north side of the marina...and a pair doing the same from docks on the south side. By the time I came back inside the marina about 11ish there was nobody else fishing the docks. They had either limited (yeah, right) or had enough of the cold wind (most likely).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I loaded up my gear and left about noon. I reflected that Lady Willard had not been too unkind this year. I only blanked on one trip. But that has been about the standard. One trip early in the year I might smell skunk, but I almost always get something. I am properly grateful and look forward to next season.
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#2
I literally have the gear in my truck to go and try one more dock run at Willard this morning but have not turned on the key yet. Maybe your post is enough Intel to get me to swap to my fly rod and go bounce some sow bugs on the Weber.
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#3
[#0000FF]DISCLAIMER: My success or failure on any particular body of water...on any particular day...should not influence the fishing plans of any other anglers.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]As we all come to know, fish are fickle. They move around a lot and their feeding patterns are subject to their own whims and motivations. Whatever happened yesterday is yesterday. Today could be completely different...or the same. The only way to ever know is to just go fishing and do the best you can to make it happen. The best time to go fishing is whenever you can.
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[#0000FF]All that drivel aside, I do have some basic guidelines I try to follow to help improve the odds. One of those is to plan my trips for a day when there have been at least a couple of nice stable weather days ahead of it. Fish do respond to changes in the barometer and wind conditions. And it may take them a couple of days to settle down and resume "normal" activities...like feeding.
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[#0000FF]Yesterday was not a "prime" day...and I was not anticipating stellar success. Even catching the one nice perch was a pleasant surprise. Woulda liked to have put more in the basket but at least I avoided the smelly kitty.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]My personal prediction is that as soon as the marina is fully capped with good walkable ice the perch will move in around the whole marina. The depth right now is higher than it has been during the winter for many years. Also likely that there will be some crappies, wipers and even walleyes come through the ice at Willard this winter. Of course those silly catfish are always there to play...and they seem to bite well under the ice.
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#4
Well, it did not matter, I was also waiting for Cookie to come down stairs and she did, but with her cane in hand. That is code for bad MS day and I did not want to go alone again, so, I am going through a box of nickles looking for a couple oldies that have alluded me. Besides, I peaked and know she slipped somthing under the tree and I really want it along when I go water bound again.
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#5
[#0000FF]Merry Christmas to you and your crew. Have enjoyed your contributions this year.
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[#0000FF]Oh yeah, congrats on the largie from Willard. There aren't many in there any more. And most of them seem to come from the protected marina areas.
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#6
[quote TubeDude][#0000FF]DISCLAIMER: My success or failure on any particular body of water...on any particular day...should not influence the fishing plans of any other anglers.[/#0000FF]
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I love this

hope there is some open water in Feb. someplace
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#7
[#0000ff][font "Arial Black"][#000000][size 3]"hope there is some open water in Feb. someplace"[/size][/#000000][/font][/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][font "Arial Black"][#000000][size 3][#0000FF]I can guarantee that. However, it may require traveling out of Utah...since you were non specific on location.[/#0000FF]
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#8
Lake Powell. I will.meet ya there (but I prefer April)
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#9
Well, it's been a long time since I was on BFT.
Now that I am, and I seen a post from you Pat, I am at one with the world again.

So glad to see you are still kicking a tub around.

..w
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#10
[#0000FF]Thanks...and merry Christmas.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Glad you popped in. Been fishing?
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#11
not much since it got hot. prob early July was my last cat fishing trip. stumbled around the docks a little since it got cold, but nothing else.
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