New stuff at Willard 9-10-20

[TubeDude]

Made a solo tubing trip to the north marina at Willard this morning.  6:30 launch in calm 77 degree water.  Air temp a lovely 60 degrees.  Water level is dropping...about 3 feet from the "bathtub ring" on the dike.  But pretty clean.

Wanted to try some of my newest models of the "U-Rig"...the 3 hook Utah version of the famed A-Rig (Alabama).  I had caught a couple of wipers on an earlier version several years ago but haven't tried them since.  With the wipers and walleyes practicing antisocial distancing...with no-bite masks on...I figured maybe something different might get their attention.  Nope.  But the everlovin' kitties showed some love.  They also chomped on some of my newer model "Pistol" jigs...with the little airplane spinners on the front...and also my "whirly fligs". 

Forecast called for light breezes from the north.  You guessed it.  A stout southerly breeze came up about 7:30 and the water was bumpy for my float tube for a while.  Attaching a picture of what the up and down motion did to the sonar screen.

Normally...even during this wacko covid crud session...the power squadron stays in bed until after about 10 am.  Not today.  I was surrounded by jet skis before 8:30.  Most of them stayed a respectful distance away but my crotchety old man soul was irked by the sounds of their revving super mosquito motors.  Grrrrrr.

I started out by dragging one of my 3-jig U-rigs with each of the 3 hooks dressed with 3" white Gulp grubs.  I have been having a lot of success on those this year and they got lotsa thumps today.  After rasslin' a couple of kitties on the U-rig...and proving they would hit it...I rotated between pistol wobble jig heads and Gulp grubs to "whirly fligs"...flig bodies with spinner blades...dressed with small chub minnows.  Bless those catfish.  They accepted whatever I was serving.  An old man needs his tugs.

The chop on the water laid down about 9:30 and the rest of the power squadron began filling the ramp parking area.  The sounds of big engines and the combined smell of  gasoline and sunscreen was filling the air.  Time for this old dude to depart hence.

The final downer?  Went to fillet the 3 cats I had kept for a fish fry and found the cleaning station inoperable...AGAIN.  All 3 times I have hit the north marina this year I have been unable to use the cleaning station.  TubeDude out.

[doitall5000]

I've seen those umbrella rigs have been successful for stripe bass. Some have five jigs. I wonder if legal in utah.??
I've made a bottom bouncer with two spinners and two crawlers, works good but not caught a walleye yet, i'll keep trying.

[FatBiker]

Good job Pat. I hit the south marina a little before 6 AM last week
3 boats, none of wich were fisherman, lined up in front of me. My luck two of the three ran up and down the dike I was trying to fish for the first hour and a half. Just thinking of hitting the north marina this week. Sounds like it would be a worthwhile trip.

Larry

[Cowboypirate]

I gave not seen much in the way of "boil" reports. You see and surface activity?

[Gone Forever]

Is that considered "one" lure because of the way it is attached to the line and the three hooks considered part of that one lure or do you think they would consider that 3 separate lures?

[TubeDude]

I've seen those umbrella rigs have been successful for stripe bass. Some have five jigs. I wonder if legal in utah.?? 
I've  made a bottom bouncer with two spinners and two crawlers,  works good but not caught a walleye yet, i'll keep trying.

Maximum of 3 hooks in Utah.  But I am making some 5 wire rigs...3 for jigs and two for attractor spinners.  That is also a popular model...especially when the #5 wire is a long one down the middle with the rear lure trailing all the other stuff.  90% of the hits come on that rear trailing jig.

When UtWalleye (Chuck Peck) still lived in Utah I made him some 3 wire rigs that he used to catch some big Utah Lake walleyes.

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Good job Pat. I hit the south marina a little before 6 AM last week
3 boats, none of wich were fisherman, lined up in front of me. My luck two of the three ran up and down the dike I was trying to fish for the first hour and a half.  Just thinking of hitting the north marina this week. Sounds like it would be a worthwhile trip.

Larry

I had lots of action in Kitty City...off Eagle Beach...but caught more fish faster just off to the south of the channel in 18' of water.

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I gave not seen much in the way of "boil" reports. You see and surface activity?

I have only heard of a very few "slurps" and fewer actual boils.  End of August through mid September is usually prime...if there are going to be any at all.  It is generally a function of having a lot more wipers that school up and corral a school of shad and then blast them.  But with the low numbers of stripers that may not happen.

I saw a couple of small groups of grebes working an area this morning but when I cruised through with the sonar I did not see a lot of shad...and no discernible wipers.  However, I may not have recognized them on my sonar with their little masks on.

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Is that considered "one" lure because of the way it is attached to the line and the three hooks considered part of that one lure or do you think they would consider that 3 separate lures?

Generally considered 3 separate lures on one line.  That is the legal limit in Utah.  But other states do not have that restriction and there are some scary creations being fished there.