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[url "javascript: addTag('cool')"][cool][/url][#0000ff]Had enough unpacking boxes. Needed some fish therapy. TubeBabe and I trucked our Fish Cats to the Southwest corner of Willard early this morning. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hit the water just after 6 AM. Air temp around 55, water temp 73. Started out calm but quickly started blowing from the north. Powered out against two foot chop and wondered about my sanity. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The water was quickly turned murky by the wave action. Saw some fish marks on the sonar about mid depth, but they were either the wrong species, inactive or negative. I suspect that sight feeders like the wipers probably just shut down to wait for cleaner water to chase shad. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Threw every kind of plastic and hardbait I could come up with. Fished fast and fished slow. Zippo. Saw some strange looking dude walking with his dog along the shoreline. Turned out it was Petty, who said he might look us up. He was too bashful to wave, so I didn't get to shore to do the howdies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Finally decided to go with the flow. Put on a double jig rig...two different flavored bait bugs. Tipped them with a piece of crawler and began prospecting for walleyes or cats. Finally started picking up some 12" to 13" channels. Got one small yellow perch, about 6 inches.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I walkie-talkied the pattern to TubeBabe and she picked up some kitty-ettes too. Better than blanking, especially on light tackle. We released a few but kept about 10 for the fry pan. First batch of fillets was done "scampi style" (sauteed in garlic butter) tonight and was as toothsome as anything we have had for some time.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was interesting. The lake is a catastrophe. The water level is so low that the deepest spot I could find was only 11.5 feet. I am sure there are a couple of holes deeper, but not near the SW corner. In days of old, that would have been a 20 foot hole with summer walleyes laying on the bottom for someone who knew how to fish them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was a reinforcement of a couple of things I have preached about fishing and tubing over the years. First, you can't catch them where they ain't...or where they ain't bitin'. Second, while tubes are great for fishing in "fish country", they severely limit your ability to prospect large waters to find the fish. Willard is a boaters lake, even though the fishing can be fantastic from a tube or toon when you are fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If anybody else is interested in chasing the little kitties, they started out biting in about 8 feet of water and then moved shallow as the water warmed. By the time we got off the water, around noon, the water temp had warmed to about 79 and we were getting the scrappy little tykes in about 4 feet of water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Also. After the blow of early morning, the water layed down and became glass calm. Terns could be seen picking off the stray shad that were feeding on the surface, but there were no boils or other evidence of predators working the shad. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One last note: I wish I had brought a bow. The skinny water around the edge of the lake was FULL of carp moving along with their mouths gulping stuff off the top. On several occasions there were huge groups of them covering a large area. When we went into the shallows to get out, the carp were swimming all around us. They are not spawning still, but they are hanging in the shallows, as easy targets for those who like to perforate them with arrows.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We didn't get towed by wipers, but we had a good trip. It is good to be back in Utah. That was good enough to sustain me through opening some more boxes.[/#0000ff]
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Man what a report! Sounds like the action was not too hot, but at least you guys didn't get skunked.
I'd love to get out and stick a few of those carp, but my bow is all tuned for the bow hunt next week, so I hate to switch over now. But when I return, I'm going to head back out there to poke some fish. Well maybe on second thought...I'll just talk to them[  ]
Hope to see you around. Good luck on your next trip out.
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Thanks for the report. Sorry it wasn't better. Afew years ago the water level was high enough that my son and grandson could catch what we call pumpkin seeds right through holes in the rocks.I don't think we will ever see it that high again.
Good to hear about the carp, my son has been wanting to get him some with his bow and he wants to show his sister how to do it. Maybe we will hit it next week sometime.
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Great report Pat. And, good to hear the lil kitties were in the mood to fill yer fry pan.
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It's good to read your first report from Willard, a lot of the cats we were catching last year were 8 or 9 inches but this year the 13 inchers are a lot more common. Willard must be a lot lower than you have ever seen it, unless you were there when it was filling. I hope to be reading a lot more of your post soon, where you going next? WH2
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[url "http://javascript:%20addTag('cool')/"][cool][/url][#0000ff]Yeah, Willard is the lowest I have ever seen it. I started fishing it in the mid 70's. At that time it was one of the very few lakes in Utah open to ice fishing. Typically, it would freeze about the first week of December and would have safe ice until some time in February.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As a lot of folks remember, Willard used to be a great place to catch a lot of crappies. The "spring fling" would find the bank around the marinas lined with folks soaking a jig below a bobber and filling stringers with spawning crappies. You could catch them all year if you learned their habits.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Walleyes? Fuggitaboudit! I was one of only a very few dedicated walleye chasers. The lake was full of 'eyes up to over 30 inches. They grew big and fat feasting on the overpopulated crappies. Some were too overconfident and paid the price. It was common to find big walleyes floating or washed up on the rocks, with a crappie (too large to swallow) stuck in their throat.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I fished them a lot at night and had trips of up to 100 fish a night. Like all walleye anglers, I also blanked on occasion.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Channel cats were the other major attraction in Willard. In those days, the average was between 2 - 3 pounds, and there were a bajillion of them. I regularly caught many cats over 5 pounds, with quite a few over 10. And, they hit lures almost better than they did bait. Size 7 countdown Rapalas along the rocks would catch cats (and occasional walleyes) all day long. If the water was murky, I switched to 3" plastics, on light heads, in black, yellow, white or chartreuse.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Wipers have been a great addition to Willard. They are fiesty and they grow big enough to stretch your string. Once you learn how to catch them...and get lucky...you can count on catching at least a few on most trips. But, they have forever changed the ecosystem in Willard.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The gizzard shad are probably more responsible for reducing the numbers of the other species than the wipers. Since they feed on zooplankton, algae and other small fare, they compete directly with the young of all other species...especially crappies. It is true that crappie and other predators feed heavily on shad, but they have to get large enough to do so first. If the new hatchlings do not have enough mini-groceries to sustain them, they die before ever reaching more than an inch or two. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]With the decline of the crappie forage base, the walleyes and cats have had to try to subsist on other small fish. And, while they do eat gizzard shad, they are not as efficient as the roaming wipers in making them a regular item on the diet.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Now, we add several years of drought to the mix, and it is a wonder the poor old lake supports the biomass that it does. It is still deeper than Utah Lake, and it does still have a sustained population of shad for fish fodder. However, if the water level does not come up soon, and more nutrients do not get into the lake through runoff, it is anybody's guess as to where it might end.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I fished near the outlet pump on the southwest corner yesterday. On the other side of the dike, the water was pouring into a ditch at an alarming rate, as the motors on the pumps ran on and on. I had to ask myself the question, "DO THESE WATER USERS REALLY CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE FISH IN WILLARD?"[/#0000ff]
[#ff0000]Sorry 'bout the soapbox. And, our next planned trip is with Kent, on Jordanelle, this Saturday morning. That will be our first visit to Jordanelle, which was not completed until after we moved in the 80's. I guarantee it will be the first of many. Love perch and smallies. And, I don't mind playing with misguided spotted "slimers" once in awhile.[/#ff0000]
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Dude & Babe,
WOW! I was anxiously waiting for your report. I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. Sorry I couldn't join you guys. All year I have been thinking about going with my tube and Sparky but couldn't gather the courage. You have confirmed my own abservations, suspicions and guesses. Is there any real hope for us tubers for wipers? We are always going to be limited in traveling the lake. Is it always going to be luck of being at the right place? Later in the year? By the way, how were the bugs? That was one of the things that helped delay my going. One thing good, Your comment about the brown guys [url "javascript: addTag(' ')"][ ][/url](carp) is good. I may just go out there with a bow. My concern is I want fresh water carp and Willard may be a little suspect. Any comments?
[url "javascript: addTag(':/')"][unsure][/url] Leaky
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are you sure that was petty??[url "javascript: addTag('  ')"][ ][/url]
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Hey Leaky. Clear water carp.
Heres a thought,, Last Saturday evening the Carp were surfice schooling at Pineveiw about 100' off shore in the south bay just before dark when the water got claim as the boats were leaving. Have you shot carp with a bow from your tube?
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[url "javascript: addTag('cool')"][cool][/url]Nice report, TubeDude. It's good that you could get out on your tube and get some fishing done to keep your sanity. It's interesting to hear your memories of how Willard use to be when compared with the present. I sure hope we get a massive winter to help fill that place and others up!
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[url "javascript: addTag('cool')"][cool][/url][#0000ff]Hey old pal, tubing and wipers are a natural go-together. I suspect that on most tubing trips, under average conditions, you can probably find at least a stray wiper or two, if you throw the right stuff the right way long enough. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]With a boat, you do not have to wait for the wipers to cruise into your effective range. You can go after them and then fish them hard when you find them. But, there are plenty of wipers that come out of Willard to both bankers and tubers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Bugs? We parked on the other side of the dike, away from the lake. It was still not quite light at 5:45, and the state birds (skeeters) and some midges were active. A few sprays of Deep Woods Off, however, and we were bug free. And, once we were on the water and away from shore we hardly saw any other bugs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Eating quality of fish from Willard? I have eaten lots of fish from this lake and have always found them to be first rate. The little cats we took home for dinner were as tender and tasty as the finest flounder. The overall quality of water in Willard is good, especially when compared to Utah Lake. And even Utah Lake gets a bad rap, because of the abuses it used to get from Geneva Steel and other pollution. In short, the water in Willard is not as clear as the Gorge, but I doubt you would find the fish any less palatable.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am looking forward to hitting Willard as often as possible for the rest of the year. The wipers should remain active, when you can find them, until water temps drop below sixty. That is typically about mid September. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Coincidentally, that is about the time the walleye wake up for a fall glut. Some of my best walleye tubing action on Willard usually started about the third week of September and extended until there was a cap of ice on the lake in mid to late December.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The contours I found on the bottom at the Southwest corner lead me to believe that it could be a good area for late fall fishing. I plan to test that theory.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When are you up for a trip to Pineview? I need you to show me how to wrestle with those tigers from a tube. Or maybe I'll just settle for a few of your 30" smallies.[/#0000ff]
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[url "javascript: addTag('cool')"][cool][/url][#0000ff]He told me it was, but you know how fishermen can be sometimes. I won't use the word "lie", but I think we can safely say that there can be "credibility gaps".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Actually, I was going by the "aura". The glow from the divine presence could leave no doubt that we were being watched by an exalted personage.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Ya shoulda waved, dagnabbit. I thought it might be you, but I am so used to being watched by wierd people from the shoreline. I didn't want to power over there only to find some (other) wacko who would waste my day with a million dumb questions. Like, "Do those things got waders built in?" Or, "Are you really walkin on the bottom out there?"[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Did your lab recover from the sting on the snoot?[/#0000ff]
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he seems to be doing fine now. man whed whatever got him he jumped 3ft straight up i was amazed.
by the way im not a weirdo or a wacko... im a freak...
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i have caught more wipers from my tube than i can count. its the wrong time of year right now for them in a tube.
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Hey bud, when is the right time? [url "javascript: addTag('shocked')"][shocked][/url]
Leaky
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if they will boil properly then you can kick out to the boils. the float tuber has the advantage at this point compared to shore. you have to be fast to keep up with them but ive done it before.
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Glad to hear you caught something out there.I went last thur 8-12 to the southern end .I went into the state park and man there was no water there!We did fish the channel that was there but no bites or no signs off life.I was told the northern part is still some good fishing there going to try it in sept.
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[url "javascript: addTag('cool')"][cool][/url][#0000ff]Hey ocean, sorry about your busted trip. That's the way it can be with fishing some times. It breaks my heart about the low water level, especially around the South Marina area. That used to be a favorite place for me to launch my tube, or to roam the rocks too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The wipers are still there, and they are feeding heavily right now. It's just that there is not the usual flotilla of boats keeping tabs on their movements. If you get lucky enough to find them, you should be able to score some fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am planning another daybreak shot next Saturday, the 22nd. I will be starting at the SW corner, as per my last trip, but I intend to power up the west dike fairly quickly, casting and watching as I go. If I move in and out in my tube, from shallow to deeper and back, I should be able to intercept at least a couple of dumb ones.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I can only hope that the wind gives me a break this next trip. It came up early last week and ruined my plans for a major exploration of the west dike area.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If anybody else wants to help prove me wrong, we will be launching a little after 6 AM. We plan to throw a variety of plastics and hardbaits. Will also rip some spoons and maybe even some big feather jigs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you have to wait until September, that is okay too. Sometime after Labor Day, there is a break in the weather and temperature patterns. All of a sudden, the water drops several degrees and that seems to trigger a desperation feeding period for most of the species in the lake. Walleyes often get more active then, and they bite good early and late clear up to iceup.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It is surprising how aggressive the cats can become at that time too. I have had days when a cat smacked a jig everytime I let it sink near the bottom, while fishing for crappies and walleyes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It won't be good times for boaters for awhile, but for bankers and tubers, Willard just might be a great pond for the next couple or three months.[/#0000ff]
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