Willard Tubing NE Corner 6-2-08

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I were supposed to meet up with Flycasting at the north marina in Willard this morning. Had a PM when I checked in early this morning, advising that Tyler's young son had a dislocated shoulder and that he could not join us. Bummer. Hope your son feels better.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe and I launched about 6:30. Lots of clouds and a few sprinkles at the ramp. But, that was it for the day. Air temp mid 50's. Water temp 65.8 at launch...but dropped a degree when the cool north wind came up a few minutes after launching. Never got real windy, and most of the morning it was flat calm. Water temp stayed under 66 until about 10 oclock, when the sun finally broke through the clouds for good and started the warming process.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In spite of the brisk "breezes" last night, the lake was pretty clean and green. We had expectations of having a good day. And, we did, if you count only catfish. We both caught plenty of kitties, but nothing else. Unless you count a carp. I did finish up by rasslin' a big ol' buglemouth for awhile.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The carp were laying literally right on the bank in some places today...with their backs out of water. Periodically a group would explode into a frenzy of thrashing and splashing. More carplets on the way for Willard.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I fished a minnow below a bobber for a long time, while throwing cranks and plastics for wipers or walleyes. Never got a whack on anything but minnows...on the bottom...unless you count one misguided cookie cutter kitty that snarfed a little tube jig being fished for crappies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We did get some larger than average cats again today. We both got some over 20 inches, including a 22 inch young daddy cat that put up a pretty fair scrap.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]On our last trip, we wondered if our "Colonel Walleye" was still around. He did the "brush by" troll on us just about every time we went out last year. Sits in the bow of his red Tracker, trolling for walleye at paint-drying speed, and pretends you are not even there as he goes past only a rod length away. Today he "blessed" TubeBabe with a once around and then headed for me. He tried hard to ignore me as I brought up the camera and took his picture.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Water temp was past 68 when we ramped at about 12:30. One boat that came in just after we finished filleting the few kitties we kept, had a pretty hefty stringer of wipers. Quite a few of them looked small though. Didn't talk to them to get any useful info. So sue me. Isn't that the name of that new Jewish Japanese Restaurant? (Sosumi)[/#0000ff]
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[lavaman]

Great job TD and TB!!! Always love your reports, and your pics always make great wallpaper!

When catching those kitties with jigs, do you fish them close to the same way you fish for the perch/bluegills? It's amazing to me that catfish will aggressively follow and chomp on an artificial bait. (As you can see, I've lots to learn about catfishing.) [:p]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I seldom fish just for cats, using jigs. I am usually fishing for something else...with jigs...when a cat takes a whack at it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In waters that are clear enough for the cats to become "sight feeders", they will chase down live prey...like crawdads, minnows, etc. So, it is nothing unusual for them to take lures or flies.[/#0000ff]
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[ajensen83]

I fished Willard for the first time last year, I was fishing from my pontoon boat with my fly rod and I caught approximately 10 catfish on a woolie bugger and a clauser minnow... they were hitting my flies as I stripped them in... it was interesting...
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Back in the days before wipers and smallies, I used to float Willard with a flyrod in hand. I fished mostly for crappies and walleyes along the rocks (remember when there used to be water?). Caught bajillions of crappies on flies, but it was a rare day when I did not also catch a few cats on them too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I actually organized a trip for some of my fly flinging friends to specifically target cats from float tubes with fly rods. Everybody got more than enough to gain an appreciation for the sporting qualities of kitties on flies.[/#0000ff]
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[Utcatman]

hey td.... i saw you out there i was going to come introduce myself to ya but i didnt want to disturb your quiet tube tactics lol..... i fish from my tube all the time and i hate when people get too close...

i was in the little 13ft aluminum with my buddy..... we drove by ya around 10:00 or so.... we only caught 2 wipers and 2 fatty cats.... all on cranks.
joe
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]You should have come over and said howdy. I already had about all the kitties I could stand by then anyway and was just wasting my time trying to find some wipers...that never showed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you can dodge your way through the bullets and foul language, you are always welcome to come visit. Just keep it down to wakeless speed, please.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Always open to visiting with BFTers. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Glad you found a few. At least the water is warming a clearing enough for crankbait fishing. Now all we gotta do is find the fish on any given day.[/#0000ff]
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[Out4Trout]

Man, that really sucks that that red manace boat thinks that the rules apply to everyone else but him when it comes to the 150 foot rule. What a putz! Have you ever sent your photos to the DWR or Park Rangers? And, if so, what have they said (if anything) about that "character?"
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[moby_dick]

Nice job TD!
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]The regulations only specify that a boat stays 150 away if it is "under power". No such rule for wakeless speed. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Actually, it is hard to get mad at the old guy. From what I have heard, he is retired air force with no family or friends, and trolling for walleye is about all he's got. Yeah, it is not cool to drag your gear too close to someone else fishing...especially when they are the only other people on the lake...but he is probably just curious. He just about breaks his eyeballs looking out the side to see the fancy tube setups we have...and what we are doing to catch all the fish he usually sees us catching.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]In short, I find it simultaneously amusing and , rather than annoying. I just hope I don't end up having to fish alone and snuggle up to other anglers for my only companionship.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]I would much rather have a "close encounter" with the Colonel than to even HEAR a PWC on the same lake. There have been too many trips when our successful catching shut off completely when the power squadron took to the water.[/#0000ff]
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