Newbie Tuber Scores at Willard 9-15-23 (With Video)

[TubeDude]

LINK TO VIDEO

BFT mod jjAnnie still hadn’t had a good fishing trip in her new tricked out float tube.  Our last try a couple of weeks ago saw us blown off the water…in spite of a calm forecast.  This week worked out better…weatherwise and fishingwise.
 
We met up at the south marina of Willard and got launched a bit after 7 am.  Air temps went from a cool 51 at launch to a toasty 79 at noon departure.  Water temps only raised from 68 to 70…and will probably drop another couple of degrees by the end of this next week in the cooling forecast.  That should help fishing.

 
The newbie is still working on some steering and speed issues so she pretty much went her own direction once we got out of the marina.  I kept in constant communication with her by walkie talkie and she followed directions well enough to find some fish.  In fact, she caught the first cat before I caught my first fish…a dink 7” perch.  But I also caught a smallish 16” cat a few minutes after and caught a total of about 10 cats for the day.
 

I was fishing mostly with a variety of colors on some of my new “drop-back” whirly fligs.  Instead of attaching the hook directly to the back of the foam whirly flig I add a piece of wire (2”- 3”) between the flig and the hook.  This is a takeoff on the old ice fishing lure, the Hali Jig…with the little chain between the body and the hook.  A lot of fish seem to like the (perceived) safety of munching a bait not attached to a lure.  And quite a few Willard cats voted for it today…in several colors.
 

Oh yeah, I also caught the smallest wiper I have ever caught in Willard…on a small jig I was casting to what looked like some bottom-hugging perch.  No other perch were harmed after that first one I caught right outside the harbor.
 

Not sure how many cats the newbie actually brought to net, but she had 3 in her basket at ramp time.  Her chatter on the walkie talkie gat a bit “animated” at one point when she reported having a double…a fish on each of her two rods at the same time.  She said she was able to bring both of them in, but lost one as she was trying to unhook it and remove the sharp spines before putting it in her basket.  She said she also lost another one or two the same way.  She definitely experienced some “float tube moments” on that trip and probably learned a lot to help her in the future.  Unfortunately, we were always too far apart for me to get any action pics or video of her catching her fish.  However, I did get one closeup of her in her purty new ride…and another posing with her 3 cat takehome basket.
 

A bit of info for those who wanna know:  Most bites came in 12 – 15 FOW…moving about .6 - .8 mph.  Saw lots of shad and lots of larger fish…mostly with mouths closed.  Saw a lot more on TV than on our lines.  Here’s a pic I got of a shad school that looked like one big fish.
 

The big downer of the day happened at the cleaning station…AGAIN.  This time the grinder was working fine…and the water…but there was no power to the electric outlets and I could not run my Bubba Blade electric knife.  Bummer.  Hadda take ‘em home.

[jjannie]

Another great adventure. It sure was better than our last Willard outing. 

Thanks again, Pat, for EVERYTHING! Including sticking with me to be sure I got back in safely. I'm learning so much still.  It's definitely different than boat fishing! But I'm enjoying learning something new. Jeff has been VERY helpful and supportive of this new adventure.

[TubeDude]

Another great adventure. It sure was better than our last Willard outing. 

Thanks again, Pat, for EVERYTHING! Including sticking with me to be sure I got back in safely. I'm learning so much still.  It's definitely different than boat fishing! But I'm enjoying learning something new. Jeff has been VERY helpful and supportive of this new adventure.

You have been a great student of floatology.  I am happy to help anyone when I can...especially when they are sincere and are fast learners...like yourself.  I'm happy and impressed with Jeff's abilities to fabricate all of the attachments and PVC goodies on your tube.  It has taken me many years to learn (and relearn) what I think I know.  But Jeff picked up on the basics...from pictures and writeups...very well and very quickly.  He's a good guy.  Just be careful he doesn't insist that you pull him around on water skis.

[jjannie]

Another great adventure. It sure was better than our last Willard outing. 

Thanks again, Pat, for EVERYTHING! Including sticking with me to be sure I got back in safely. I'm learning so much still.  It's definitely different than boat fishing! But I'm enjoying learning something new. Jeff has been VERY helpful and supportive of this new adventure.

You have been a great student of floatology.  I am happy to help anyone when I can...especially when they are sincere and are fast learners...like yourself.  I'm happy and impressed with Jeff's abilities to fabricate all of the attachments and PVC goodies on your tube.  It has taken me many years to learn (and relearn) what I think I know.  But Jeff picked up on the basics...from pictures and writeups...very well and very quickly.  He's a good guy.  Just be careful he doesn't insist that you pull him around on water skis.

He is a great guy, but water skiing will never happen with his double knee replacements! Besides, my steering isn't smooth enough anyway, LOL, and I haven't fully mastered "fin" steering. But hope/plan to someday given LOTS of practice!

[Cowboypirate]

Loved the video. Glad to see J get some good action. Really liking those new lures with the behind hook set up

[TubeDude]

Loved the video. Glad to see J get some good action. Really liking those new lures with the behind hook set up

Thankee sir.  Those "drop-back" fligs are kind of a natural link in the evolution of my flig making.  I started making "dropper jigs" many years ago...after successfully using Hali Jigs for ice fishing.  But instead of using the little chains...like the Hali Jigs (and the newer Johnson Spoons)  I used light stainless wire.  The fish didn't seem to mind and I caught quite a few different species on them...both under the ice and in open water.  

Last fall, when the perch were hitting well at Willard, Curt and Ira were catching some on Johnson Spoons.  So I made up some new types of dropper jig...in my fave Willard colors.  Caught a lot of perch on them.  So I recently decided to try the same dropper principle with the whirly fligs.  They work.  They are designed for dragging at slow speed behind a boat, tube, toon or yak.  But I caught some perch at Rockport last week by casting in to shore with them and retrieving slowly back to the tube.  So I gotta get you a few samples to try from shore...with a suitable clean bottom.  Here's a writeup I put together a while back on the dropper lure concept.

[wiperhunter2]

Way to go, good to hear you both had successful trips. Glad to read your latest addition to the flig arsenal have proven successful yet again Pat. Were you using a piece of crawler or chub for bait on the drop back flig? Pretty amazing how the shad look like a big fish on the finder.

[TubeDude]

Way to go, good to hear you both had successful trips. Glad to read your latest addition to the flig arsenal have proven successful yet again Pat. Were you using a piece of crawler or chub for bait on the drop back flig? Pretty amazing how the shad look like a big fish on the finder.

You can use any kind of bait...worms, cut bait or minnows.  I caught perch on worm baited drop-back fligs last week at Rockport...and the week before at Deer Creek.  But on Willard I was using small chub minnows...as in the pic below.  But I know that a small piece of chub cut from a larger chub would work as well.



And yes, that shot of the shad was amazing.  Just happened to look down and see it...and get a shot of it...before it disappeared off the other side.  Never seen anything like that before.  Now if I see one that looks like a big catfish, I'm gonna get off the lake.

[jjannie]

Way to go, good to hear you both had successful trips. Glad to read your latest addition to the flig arsenal have proven successful yet again Pat. Were you using a piece of crawler or chub for bait on the drop back flig? Pretty amazing how the shad look like a big fish on the finder.

You can use any kind of bait...worms, cut bait or minnows.  I caught perch on worm baited drop-back fligs last week at Rockport...and the week before at Deer Creek.  But on Willard I was using small chub minnows...as in the pic below.  But I know that a small piece of chub cut from a larger chub would work as well.



And yes, that shot of the shad was amazing.  Just happened to look down and see it...and get a shot of it...before it disappeared off the other side.  Never seen anything like that before.  Now if I see one that looks like a big catfish, I'm gonna get off the lake.

 After reviewing the catfish video, we're more motivated to be able to try some of those, eventually. But for dinner tonight we'll stick with the catfish fingers, and we'll pick up some of that shrimp bullion tomorrow while we are in town to use for all our trimmed off pieces.  Almost can't wait to give them a try.

---

Way to go, good to hear you both had successful trips. Glad to read your latest addition to the flig arsenal have proven successful yet again Pat. Were you using a piece of crawler or chub for bait on the drop back flig? Pretty amazing how the shad look like a big fish on the finder.

You can use any kind of bait...worms, cut bait or minnows.  I caught perch on worm baited drop-back fligs last week at Rockport...and the week before at Deer Creek.  But on Willard I was using small chub minnows...as in the pic below.  But I know that a small piece of chub cut from a larger chub would work as well.



And yes, that shot of the shad was amazing.  Just happened to look down and see it...and get a shot of it...before it disappeared off the other side.  Never seen anything like that before.  Now if I see one that looks like a big catfish, I'm gonna get off the lake.

Mine we're pretty much evenly baited between the minnows or the crawlers, it just didn't seem to really matter.

[Cowboypirate]

Loved the video. Glad to see J get some good action. Really liking those new lures with the behind hook set up

Thankee sir.  Those "drop-back" fligs are kind of a natural link in the evolution of my flig making.  I started making "dropper jigs" many years ago...after successfully using Hali Jigs for ice fishing.  But instead of using the little chains...like the Hali Jigs (and the newer Johnson Spoons)  I used light stainless wire.  The fish didn't seem to mind and I caught quite a few different species on them...both under the ice and in open water.  

Last fall, when the perch were hitting well at Willard, Curt and Ira were catching some on Johnson Spoons.  So I made up some new types of dropper jig...in my fave Willard colors.  Caught a lot of perch on them.  So I recently decided to try the same dropper principle with the whirly fligs.  They work.  They are designed for dragging at slow speed behind a boat, tube, toon or yak.  But I caught some perch at Rockport last week by casting in to shore with them and retrieving slowly back to the tube.  So I gotta get you a few samples to try from shore...with a suitable clean bottom.  Here's a writeup I put together a while back on the dropper lure concept.

Ya i would love to try them out. I think you have added a few other trinkets to the arsenal since I last went shopping at Pat's Fish Emporium. Got to get up to date.

[TubeDude]

[quote pid="1148928" dateline="1694953486"]
Ya i would love to try them out. I think you have added a few other trinkets to the arsenal since I last went shopping at Pat's Fish Emporium. Got to get up to date.

[/quote]

You know you are always welcome.  I'll gladly donate a few samples for you to try.  They are also good when reeled faster mid-depth...for troutkind..in the right colors.  If you and Cookie want to try making your own, a visit to my playroom might include some show and tell on the process.  Here are some pics of the color options...including some I made up with just a mono extension instead of the wire.