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Hit the ramp at 2:45 and headed to the sw corner. Got a tip from a good friend about the wipers over there. Nothing! Fished for 2 hours without a bite.
Headed to the island/boat eater and anchored in 5.5' of water and threw out chub and sucker minnows on bobbers. Within 30 seconds had the first 19" fish in the cooler. Over the next 3 hours, i caught 14 more cats ranging from 16" to 20" and 3 tiny wipers on the same minnows. I had to take the bobbers off after a while because they started taking it off the bottom instead. Brought home 4 cats for dinner and released all the other fish for next year.
The water looks so muddy, it almost appears that you could walk on it. Bad news for boils. I won't be going back out there this year till ice up. Saw a few other fishing boats but nobody was doing any good and i was the only one at the cleaning station.[cool]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800080][size 4]At least your was not skunked, Sound like the year is coming to an end for Willard, Bummer dude[frown]Thanks for the report![/size][/#800080][/font]
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[cool][#0000ff]Nice work, young man. Sometimes ya just gotta improvise to get 'em to bite. That muddy water sure doesn't have them up chasing shad.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Where there's a will...there's a lawyer. Or something like that.[/#0000ff]
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What were you doing at Willard? There's no Kokes in there Brody. [sly]
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Willard was close, and i can't keep the kokes for a while. I need to let them have a break.[sly]
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TD in your notes form last year didn't Willard seem to do this same thing. Get real muddy and stay that way until winter?
LH2 good work on finding dinner, Sounds like the new boat is treating you right.
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[cool][#0000ff]The lower the water level, the more muddy shoreline is exposed. When the winds blow...like during the summer "monsoon season", wave action stirs up the mud into the water and it takes several days of calm weather to get it to settle out enough for best fishing clarity.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yes, the water was muddy for long periods during the late summer last year. And, even though there were occasional boils last year, there was nothing comparable to what we see during high water years when the wipers herd the baby shad up into the rocks...in cleaner water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The fishing is different, during the low water conditions, but there is fishing to be enjoyed by those who find a way around the muddy water. And, the wipers are not starving. The fish I have caught have all been healthy...even though I have not caught any with identifiable food in their stomachs. Two years ago, during the last high water year, we were catching grundles of boiling wipers and they all had multiple shadlets in their guts. Last year was like this year. The fish are sustaining life but not really putting on a lot of weight. Too tough to make a good living in muddy water. Sight feeding fish like wipers need to be able to herd their prey and to wolf pack it. Grubbing on the bottom, like catfish, is not the norm for wipers but they will do it to stay alive. That's why so many bank tanglers are catching so many wipers on worms right now.[/#0000ff]
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Thanks for the info TD I thought if anyone knew it would be you. When it comes to wind it is hard to get a several day break up in that neck of the woods. If I remember correctlly on one or two more fishing seasons to go until they start filling that sucker again.
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[cool][#0000ff]The last "official" word I heard was that they are planning to let it fill in 2010. One more year of low water and then (hopefully) a return to greatness.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Better never late...or whatever.[/#0000ff]
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Yeap. And that would nto be a ride I would want to take if the dyke let go while I was bobbing around on my float tube, even though it is rated for white water.
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