Willard Perch Search...With Video 11-29-21

[TubeDude]

I got some inside info that there were some perch showing up off the south marina at Willard.  Since the low water conditions are keeping it “boat free” I figured it might be my chance to score a few footlongs without having to bounce off the boats…like at the north marina.  Got that part right.  Didn’t see ANY boats on the lake all morning.
 
I got launched about 7:30 am.  Cold.  26 degree air temp…rising to 51 by 1 pm departure.  Glad I brought some little hand warmers.  Water temp just under 37 degrees in the shallow marina but almost 38 in the open lake…rising to 40 by departure time.  Good perch temps.

 
Based upon the intel I had received, I motored out to an area a ways from the marina entrance and started dragging fligs baited with chub minnow pieces.  Didn’t see much on sonar but kept moving around.  Picked up my first perch just after 8.  Thought it was gonna be gangbusters.  NOT.  No other perch in the next hour, but did score one chilly catfish. 


Kept looking for a school of perch but only saw singles here and there. (No married ones)  Had a couple of “pop n drops” and then nothing.  Just before heading out to another potential spot to the north, I went bendo on a buglemouth (carp).  It was fun until I saw the big golden scales.  Fortunately, he decided to give me my flig back before I put the net under him.  Good for both of us.
 
I finally motored down off the feed lot structure visible from the water.  Often do well down there earlier in the year…when water levels are higher and there are more active fish species.  Saw a couple of perchlike marks on sonar and put out my offerings.  Over the next hour and a half I picked up two more nice perch and two more catfish.  Worth the move.  Sorta.
 

After a long period of nothing on TV and nothing on my line I motored back to the channel outside the marina.  Another half hour there produced my smallest perch of the day…a 10 inch male.  Gave myself another half hour to score…or bag it.  I bagged it.  Water still like glass all over the lake and no boat noises.  Not all bad.  And even though I didn’t load up on big perch it was a good day,  I’ve had better days…and worse.


  


LINK TO VIDEO

[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Pat that looks like a fun trip, thanks for taking me along, even if it was on video... gives me a chance to join you one way anyway... Didn't even have to miss a day of work... I probably caught the same amount too... Thanks Jeff

[TubeDude]

Hey Pat that looks like a fun trip, thanks for taking me along, even if it was on video... gives me a chance to join you one way anyway... Didn't even have to miss a day of work... I probably caught the same amount too... Thanks Jeff

The pleasure was all mine...at least most of it...the best parts. 

Are you going to hit Bear Lake next week?

[SkunkedAgain]

I'm kicking around taking Thursday off to try Bear Lake... Have a family wedding on the weekend, so I hadn't better go fishing then... Told my niece she needed to postpone the wedding, but she didn't think that was a good idea... If I start to see some active reports from Mike or Scott, I'll probably pull the trigger on the Thursday trip... Are you going over this year? I've got room in my boat, but it's not very fancy... if you're interested let me know... Have you tried your fligs or whirly fligs on the whitefish before? If so do they work? Seems like they may be easier to hold in the correct zone to get the whities to play... I'm sure hoping I can make this trip, if not the ice season is calling so I'll probably be putting the boat away soon... Maybe you're looking at a tube trip like we did a few years back, that was sure fun... The weather report doesn't look too bad for Thursday so I'm hoping the fish are ready for the party... Later Jeff

[wyoguy]

I got some inside info that there were some perch showing up off the south marina at Willard.  Since the low water conditions are keeping it “boat free” I figured it might be my chance to score a few footlongs without having to bounce off the boats…like at the north marina.  Got that part right.  Didn’t see ANY boats on the lake all morning.
 
I got launched about 7:30 am.  Cold.  26 degree air temp…rising to 51 by 1 pm departure.  Glad I brought some little hand warmers.  Water temp just under 37 degrees in the shallow marina but almost 38 in the open lake…rising to 40 by departure time.  Good perch temps.

 
Based upon the intel I had received, I motored out to an area a ways from the marina entrance and started dragging fligs baited with chub minnow pieces.  Didn’t see much on sonar but kept moving around.  Picked up my first perch just after 8.  Thought it was gonna be gangbusters.  NOT.  No other perch in the next hour, but did score one chilly catfish. 


Kept looking for a school of perch but only saw singles here and there. (No married ones)  Had a couple of “pop n drops” and then nothing.  Just before heading out to another potential spot to the north, I went bendo on a buglemouth (carp).  It was fun until I saw the big golden scales.  Fortunately, he decided to give me my flig back before I put the net under him.  Good for both of us.
 
I finally motored down off the feed lot structure visible from the water.  Often do well down there earlier in the year…when water levels are higher and there are more active fish species.  Saw a couple of perchlike marks on sonar and put out my offerings.  Over the next hour and a half I picked up two more nice perch and two more catfish.  Worth the move.  Sorta.
 

After a long period of nothing on TV and nothing on my line I motored back to the channel outside the marina.  Another half hour there produced my smallest perch of the day…a 10 inch male.  Gave myself another half hour to score…or bag it.  I bagged it.  Water still like glass all over the lake and no boat noises.  Not all bad.  And even though I didn’t load up on big perch it was a good day,  I’ve had better days…and worse.


  


LINK TO VIDEO

Weii Pat, you may not have got a grundle but you got some good ones!

[TubeDude]

I'm kicking around taking Thursday off to try Bear Lake... Have a family wedding on the weekend, so I hadn't better go fishing then... Told my niece she needed to postpone the wedding, but she didn't think that was a good idea... If I start to see some active reports from Mike or Scott, I'll probably pull the trigger on the Thursday trip... Are you going over this year? I've got room in my boat, but it's not very fancy... if you're interested let me know...  Have you tried your fligs or whirly fligs on the whitefish before?  If so do they work? Seems like they may be easier to hold in the correct zone to get the whities to play... I'm sure hoping I can make this trip, if not the ice season is calling so I'll probably be putting the boat away soon... Maybe you're looking at a tube trip like we did a few years back, that was sure fun... The weather report doesn't look too bad for Thursday so I'm hoping the fish are ready for the party... Later Jeff

If I go, I want to tube it.  I went with Scott  last year and we got blown off the water before we had much of a fishing trip.  Didn't get to experiment with the fligs like I wanted.  I truly believe that fishing them with a "hanger shot" rig will get some fish.  And the little whirlies with the propeller blade should be deadly.    If nothing else I KNOW they will catch cutts...and maybe a mack or two.  I am supposed to get some reports back after next weekend so I will be able to make my plans...probably toward the end of next week.

[wiperhunter2]

Thanks Pat for the detailed info on water depth in the marina and the channel. Is the buoy still in place that says you can't go past this point in the channel, toward the pump house? Just wondering if perhaps you went down the channel a little to check it out? Glad you were about to find some perch, even if it wasn't the mother load. I'll have to look at your video next to get this answer perhaps but was there a certain depth that seem to produce more perch.

Edit: I could not see the depth on your fish finder after looking at your video.

[TubeDude]

Thanks Pat for the detailed info on water depth in the marina and the channel. Is the buoy still in place that says you can't go past this point in the channel, toward the pump house? Just wondering if perhaps you went down the channel a little to check it out? Glad you were about to find some perch, even if it wasn't the mother load. I'll have to look at your video next to get this answer perhaps but was there a certain depth that seem to produce more perch?

No buoys in the channel.  Guessing it is not much more than wet mud all the way to the baffles.  Usually not more than about 6-7 feet...even during high water.    The past dredging went about 20 yards up the channel from where they usually put that buoy.  Then it shallows up a lot.  So it will be 4-5 feet for a ways and then wet mud.
Here's picture I shot up the channel as I was heading out to fish.  No buoy.


Almost all of my bites...for all species...came at about 9'...or close to it on either side.  I kept making S turns going from about 8 feet out to as much as 10.5 feet.  Saw shad and a few other fish in shallower but almost nothing deeper than 9.5 feet.  There were more shad in the channel outside the marina than anywhere else I saw on sonar.

[wiperhunter2]

OK, that is where we have been finding them, 9 FOW or so. I had not noticed you had side scan on you Garmin, that can help with a perch search, if they are grouped up.

[TubeDude]

OK, that is where we have been finding them, 9 FOW or so. I had not noticed you had side scan on you Garmin, that can help with a perch search, if they are grouped up.

Yeah, the side scan is a great tool...if there are fish in the area.  But I used it to scan a whole lotta water Monday without seeing much.  And ya cain't ketch 'em where they ain't. 

Sonar can be a great help if it helps you to find fish...and it can help keep you from fishing fishless water.  But it can also be frustrating when you find fish and can't get them to bite.  Then it becomes a "you suck" instrument.

[SkunkedAgain]

Pat, if I go tomorrow I'll let you know how I did... Haven't heard anything since the first few fish came in over the weekend... So they may not be there yet... Part of my reason to try this week is to catch some calmer weather, I've been pretty blown and tossed the last few years so I'm looking forward to being able to get on the water for a change... Rode down past the marina yesterday and I don't know when I've seen the water so glassy and flat, it was dead calm... not even a fish jumping... Only ripple was a golden eye duck swimming around... Bear Lake report looks like 5 mph max winds... So that's a little better than the 15 to 20 the last few years... Just hope the prediction is close to accurate... Anyway I plan on trying at least one rod with the whirly fligs and hanger shot, they sure seem like they should be a better way to keep that bait in the strike zone... In the past I think I'm either reeling too fast and above the fish or snagged up in the rocks, but when I get it just right, I catch some fish... Let you know what I find... Later J

[TubeDude]

Pat, if I go tomorrow I'll let you know how I did... Haven't heard anything since the first few fish came in over the weekend... So they may not be there yet...  Part of my reason to try this week is to catch some calmer weather, I've been pretty blown and tossed the last few years so I'm looking forward to being able to get on the water for a change... Rode down past the marina yesterday and I don't know when I've seen the water so glassy and flat, it was dead calm... not even a fish jumping... Only ripple was a golden eye duck swimming around... Bear Lake report looks like 5 mph max winds... So that's a little better than the 15 to 20 the last few years... Just hope the prediction is close to accurate...  Anyway I plan on trying at least one rod with the whirly fligs and hanger shot, they sure seem like they should be a better way to keep that bait in the strike zone... In the past I think I'm either reeling too fast and above the fish or snagged up in the rocks, but when I get it just right, I catch some fish... Let you know what I find... Later J

Good luck if you get out.  I was looking at Thursday or Friday this week too...with the calm forecast.  But unfortunately I have some commitments that will keep me home until next week.  So far the forecast for next week looks more typical...with "breezes" likely.  And I fish for enjoyment...not endurance.

[SkunkedAgain]

Looks like I got clearance to go in the morning, so I'll give it a try... They are predicting 6 mph winds now, figures, but I hope that won't be too much... Guess next weeks weather forecast is what has pushed me into trying it tomorrow... Still not much for catching being reported, but maybe I'll find a cut or mac to keep me casting... Let ya know how it goes... Later J

[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Pat here's my report, be really careful in Logan Canyon, I was heading up this morning in the dark and as I got to the first passing lane my truck went into an out of control slide... Roads looked dry and good, but apparently they had black ice on them, I recovered and slowed way down.... About the time I got to the next passing lane my truck went into a slide again.... really freaked me out to be on what looked like good roads and my truck was behaving worse than on snowy roads... Slowed way down to old time grandpa mode for the rest of the trip through the canyon.... Got passed by half a dozen outfits, which really never happens to me... Anyway went to Cisco beach to launch and holy crap that ramp is a mess, so I drove back to first point to launch.... Not knowing any intel I started scouting with the side finder and I really blew it, seen a bunch of fish in a group around 1st point, but since there weren't any rocks near by I figured they must not be whities so I kept moving, mostly wanting to go to cisco beach since I sort of know how to fish it there... Anyway I tried to search out second point really well, but didn't see anything on the side finder so I kept moving and not very fast my boat sucks, I could only get up to 7 mph today... Well got to cisco eventually and what do you know but there was a white fish dumb enough for me to catch it, and shortly after I got a second one.. I fished for about an hour on cisco and then since my boat was so slow I quit about noon and headed back... Took me till 1:00 to gest back to first point and I seen a guy catching a whitie off second point and when I got back to 1st point I found that I'd left a good spot to look for fish elsewhere... A guy in a tube had caught 5 and a couple other boats were fishing pretty hard off there and looked like they must have been onto something... Anyway to sum it up, I really screwed up today and moved way too much and still caught two fish so it must be pretty good right now... I sacrificed some tackle to the snag god and found that most of my rigs didn't work very well.. 1/4 oz jig worked best for me, it was the only thing I could get to the bottom without snagging... The hanger sinkers didn't work very well for me today, maybe I needed heavier ones, however that was what I was using when I lost my favorite homemade whitefish catcher, it was working really well and if I wouldn't have snagged on the second cast I think I would have caught fish with it, but now I'll never know... I had set up a santee type rig that I thought would work really well, but my float was too floaty or my weight too light, so that one didn't see action... but it was fun and most of the day was nice flat water... I did see a few white caps as I was trying to load my boat, but I still got it loaded okay... Anyway next time I'll try not to be such a scatter brain and do a little more fishing... Later J

[wiperhunter2]

Glad you were OK Jeff and ended up getting some tugs. That black ice going up that road is a killer, I can't count how many times I've seen roll overs or cars in the river there and after three accidents with three different people, I was involved it, I never like going up that road in the Winter. It is out of the way but I'd much prefer going through Evanston in the Winter, especially when fishing the East side of the lake, it's a little out of the way but it's much safer.

[TubeDude]

Hey Pat here's my report, be really careful in Logan Canyon,  Anyway next time I'll try not to be such a scatter brain and do a little more fishing... Later J

Thanks for the report.  Sorry it didn't go better for you.  But I think you know all the reasons (excuses) for why you didn't score too well. 

I hear ya on the canyon.  If I have to go that way...to meet someone at the marina...I really watch my speed and try not to doze off.  That whole drive can be an accident waiting for a bit of carelessness.  If I am heading for the east side there is no question.  I go through Evanston.  Much better driving and even a bit quicker from Salt Lake.

Weather fourcrash for the next few days does not look favorable for an old tuber.  Too much wind, weather and cold.  I'll keep a watch on it but may miss Bear Lake this year.

[SkunkedAgain]

Yup I should have done things a little better, but still had enough fun to make it worth it... As many years as I've drove that canyon, I've never seen it this slick on clear roads, but knowing what I know now, I'll treat it with more respect... Maybe we'll get some snow so it looks like it drives... Later J

[Coldfooter]

Pat its good to see you're still floating your butt around the ponds and putting a bent in the #'s

[TubeDude]

Pat its good to see you're still floating your butt around the ponds and putting a bent in the #'s

Hey Don, haven't heard from you for a long time.  Hope you are doing well. 

I ain't doing much float tubing on the ice...and I gave up ice fishing a few years ago.  So I'll be on the inactive list for a while now.