Willard Weport 4-27-07

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I launched at the south marina about 6:30 this morning. First time there since the big drawdown. Ouch. Water is so low the fish are wearing tennies to get around. Almost.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Had about 3 feet of water off the end of the launch ramp. Water temp inside at launch only 54. Reached 57 by the time we kicked out to the channel entrance. Saw lots of fish on sonar but nothing wanted any of the plastics or hardbaits I tossed on the way out.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]About 7-8 feet of water in the channel. When it started to shallow up out past the buoy I put a minnow on one rod and kept throwing lures with the other. The kitties wanted to play. Three quick cats on minnows. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Saw some surface activity in less than 4 feet of water and it did not look like carp. Started slinging a fire tiger finish diving minnow. BOINK. Wiper on. Turned out to be a chunky 18 incher. Looking good. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Kept catching catfish every time I threw out a minnow. Also got a couple on the hardbait. Had quite a few hits on the crankbait. Some were likely small cats, but a couple I had hooked briefly fought more iike wipers. About 8 I landed another wiper, just about a twin to the first. Looking good again some more.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Shortly after that a boat approached from the harbor entrance. Wiperhunter2 and Petty4Life had warned me that they planned to show up too. We went fishing anyway. No sense staying off the lake just because those two might be using it. As it turned out, they didn't abuse it much. On their way back in about noon, as we were heading in too, they cruised by and said they had only had a couple of hits trolling.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe stayed close to the marina area and caught a bunch of kitties. She had some wipers on, but did not put any in her basket. She still had a good time and kept a limit while tossing quite a few others back.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I absolutely spanked the cats. I went through two packages of a "long dozen" (14-16) minnows. One package of chubs and one package of redside shiners. The cats munched them both as quickly as I could get them out there. I only missed a couple of strikes so I probably caught somewhere between 20-25 cats...from 15"-20". Good eating size. No biggies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The shiners were their usual soft selves. So, I tried an experimental "jigger" hook...a wrapped and painted jig head on a size 1 red matsuo jig hook. Fine wire, and sharp. I pinned the hook up through the head and tight lined it. When the fish grabbed the bait that sharp hook hung them almost every time. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just about the time I ran out of bait, and started kicking back toward the marina, I saw some more surface activity. I fired a blue back chrome crankbait out and had it about halfway back in when WHAM...nice wiper on. Hit hard and stripped a lot of 6# line off my light reel. Much fun. Finally got it in and introduced it to the other two stripers and the 8 kitties I had kept.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I kept casting on the way back in, but only a couple more light whacks. I noticed that the water temp had risen to just over 60 degrees on the outside. I figure it's gonna get a lot better pretty soon.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My biggest wiper decided he would decline my invitation to join us for dinner. Just before we rounded the corner on the marina entrance, I looked down in my basket to gaze upon my harvest. WOW. Half my fish were gone. I raised the basket to get a better look and saw a fist sized hole in the outside of the metal basket. Mr. big had found a broken wire and had punched his way out...inviting 4 of his whiskery cell mates to join him in freedom.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I made a temporary repair on the hole with some heavy monofilament and we cruised back into the ramp. My basket was a bit lighter than when I had started back in, but that just meant less time at the fillet station. WHOA. They still don't have the fish cleaning station open at the south marina. So, I got to bring them home and make a mess in the kitchen.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There were some bank tanglers throwing bubbles and jigs across the channel from the rocks on the south side. One of them caught a small wiper as we were coming in. I have heard recently that some of the guys are doing pretty good from the shore. You can cast all the way across the channel and wipers are coming inside in the deeper water...deeper than outside anyway.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I'd like to say it was a pleasure seeing Curt and Jason again. I'd like to...but my mama told me to tell the truth.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Absolutely beautiful weather today. Couldn't have picked a nicer day to go fishing.[/#0000ff]
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[CROSSINEYES]

you 2 put the hurt on them kittys. nice pics again as always.
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[BEARCLAW]

As always, great report TD. Looks like you picked the perfect weather day to be out fishing. Did you head north, south or west out of the marina?
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[muskyhunter]

We too hit the bay today,started out north marina no problems launching 19' boat headed over by the light pole talked to WH2 and Petty for a few they had no luck when we talked to them. We did hook up on 1 wiper about 5 min after talking to them but that was are only fish of the day it was cought on a yellow colored shad rap. we also trolled a couple of spinner riggs with crawlers hoping to pick up an eye but not today. Good to see you two hombres out on the pond today! Hopefully the cutts and macks want to play tommorrow at the big blue pond!! Later M.H.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I kept working straight out into about 6 feet of water...maybe 200 yards from the channel entrance. Then, when I noticed surface activity in shallower water, I angled back in, kinda northesast...toward the feed lot. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I saw the most fish on sonar and had the most hits in about 4.5 to 5 feet of water. I kept moving in and out, shallower and deeper, toward the feed lot, but only got about 2/3 of the way there. I caught cats and had hits on the crankbaits all along the way. My first two wipers were almost straight out from the marina. The last one was at almost my furthest point north.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also saw non-carp splashes and seagulls diving on bait right out from the towers of the feed lot.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I sonared quite a few balls of fish...shad or crappies. I suspect the crappies will be sliding into the channel soon to spawn and the shad will be dumping their eggs around the shoreline too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It will be insane for bowhunting carp this year. With no rocks they will just swarm the muddy shallows all over and you will be able to slaughter them. I saw lots of huge carp on the surface today and some big eggladen females jumping to loosen their egg skeins. Gettin' close.[/#0000ff]
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[BEARCLAW]

Thanks for the info Pat. Enjoy that wiper/kitty dinner.
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[Flycasting]

Alright... I am completely jealous! Dang! Looks like you had a great day! []
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yeah, baby. That largest wiper just SLAMMED that lure, put the line over its shoulder and boogied. Probably ran off over 50 yards of line a couple of times. I was glad I got to net it but it would have been almost as great even if I had lost it...almost.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was remembering some of the wiperfests we had last year and thinking that you would probably have liked to be there.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Plenty more where those came from. And I'm sure that a few of them have your name on them.[/#0000ff]
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[catfish-logic]

Looks like the cats are getting fatter at Willard.

Is it legal to use Gizzard Shad oil at Willard, I wont think twice

about bringing Gizzards to Willard but the oil is that legal?
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[Flycasting]

I have been thinking about the wiperfests we had last year all Winter long... []

I'll have my people call your people. [cool]
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[Theekillerbee]

Sounds like a fantastic day on the water. Nice report Pat.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]The proclamation simply states that you cannot keep or possess gizzard shad...and that extends to using them for bait. However, the debate about using preserved shad from other parts of the country...as they are sold in stores...seems to be that as long as you keep the container, as proof of origin, it should be ruled legal.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Personally, that oil stinks so bad I don't know why anybody would want to use it. The fish like nice natural minnows just as well.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thankee sir. When are you going to give me my annual fishing lesson?[/#0000ff]
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[POWMOW1]

hay dude looks like a good one let me know
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[petty4life]

it was good to see you to Pat, well it was good to see tubebabe anyway...[]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yeah, yeah. I know. We gotta keep a low profile on the board or folks are going to wonder. I already do wonder. Wonder how I ever got myself into this situation...with BFT.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Don't wonder about you good buddy. Always great to share the water with ya...whatever the weather and whatever the results. It's all good.[/#0000ff]
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[petty4life]

LOL!!!![]
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