Everlovin' Willard Kitties

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I had some minnows left over from my trip to Utah Lake yesterday. Figured I would take 'em up to Willard this morning, ahead of the storm, and turn them into some wipers. Figured wrong.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Launched just after 7 at the north marina. Figured I would get in on the early bite. Figured wrong. Air temp 45, water temp 62. Only warmed up one degree by 1 PM. Light north breeze picked up to a chilly north breeze for a couple of hours.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was a great morning for shooting the changing sunrise colors. Got a whole series starting with dark grey, going to bright pink and then changing to gold. I know "red sky at morning" and all that, but what do they say about a gold sky? [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Nary a nibble until after 8:30. Finally got a cookie cutter kitty to get rid of the skunk. No more bites for another half hour. Then, I got into my "zone" over in the NE corner and started going through my minnows pretty fast. Glad I brought another package besides the leftovers. Ran out of bait before 10 AM. Probably caught 20 to 25 cookie cutter kitties before the minnows were gone. No wipers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As the lake turned to glass, it looked like it was raining. All over the NE corner there were little rings where tiny shadlets were rising. Sometimes they would pop out of the water, but there was nothing chasing them. They were just feeding on top.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I saw a lot of wiper-looking marks on sonar, but they all had their little mouths closed...and their middle fins raised. Tough fish. Threw all sizes, colors and types of crank baits. Had one hit. Shoulda used CRACK baits like yesterday. They would have been "hooked". Also threw a variety of plastics. ZIPPO.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Dragged crawlers and casted lures on my way back to the launch ramp, after keeping a limit of kitties. No inquiries on worms. It was really starting to bug me that I hadn't got at least one wiper. I read something some guy posted on the board this week that said if there were shad in the area to fish a lure that was about the same size and color as the shad. So, I rigged a tandem jig rig with the top jig being a 1 1/2 inch blue/clear sparkle tube and the bottom being a 2" silver sparkle white, with a white head with a red eye. Both have caught finicky wipers before. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]About the time I was beginning to think that guy must not have known what he was talking about, I got whacked and went bendo...but on a small kitty on the blue jig. Okay, better than nothing. A few casts later, another solid whack and a hookup. But, this one had shoulders and attitude. Screamed some line off the drag. No cookie cutter kitty here. Turned out to be a nice 18" wiper. Maybe that guy knew what he was talking about after all. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That kept me there about a half hour longer than I had planned. No more hits. Finally headed for the ramp and then the fillet station.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A couple of notes. Heard some MONSTER skeeters in the marshes this morning. Then I figured that since it was duck season that they were probably airboats. Heard quite a bit of shooting early but it died off quick. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Didn't see any flocks of "regular" ducks or geese. But, did see a lot of ducks disguised as other birds...like terns, gulls, grebes, cormorants and pelicans. Even saw one suited up as a bald eagle. Good work. Nobody is gonna shoot at them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When I filleted that one lonely wiper, I found the reason why they were playing hard to get. It must have had about 20 baby shad in its stomach...pretty well digested. Looked like they probably fed the night before and were too full to be chasing many lures...or eating big minnows. (See pic) Those shadlets were only about the size of a quarter. The gizzard shad either spawned later this year or the food has been sparse for the little ones. They are almost always a couple of inches by now.[/#0000ff]
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[Lingwall]

thanks for the post. as you know i am headed up there. do red shiners work?
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[lunkerhunter2]

Nice way to get rid of your minnows Pat. I guess i need to invite myself on an upcoming willard excursion.[blush]
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[TubeDude]

[quote Lingwall]thanks for the post. as you know i am headed up there. do red shiners work?[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]Redsides will work, but I usually don't use them because they get too soft and the small cats tear them off the hook without getting hooked. Bigger fish will "gulp and go".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can also use cut pieces of anchovies, carp meat, perch meat, mackerel, hot dogs or a hundred other things. Heck, plain old crawlers catch a lot of cats and wipers up there.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Have your peeps contact my peeps.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I'm lookin' hard at Pineview for sometime next week. Gonna trudge my tube down the hill and vertical shot some perch and crappies near the dam. Bout time.[/#0000ff]
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[stout_trout]

TD...or anyone who knows.

Are the fish stations open at Willard? (Either marina)

Thanks!
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I used the one at the north marina on Thursday. They usually keep them open until night temps drop to freezing...maybe this weekend.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Not sure about the south marina. They will probably be closing it down for the winter pretty soon...the whole shebang. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Last year it was sometime in May before they opened up the fish cleaning stations at the north marina and later than that at the south.[/#0000ff]
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[stout_trout]

Thanks TD!

So...would it be a waste to try to got wiper hunting tomorrow (with the weather front coming in)?

I'm sitting on the fence, but I'm thinking the cold front will negatively affect the already tough wiper bite. What are your thoughts?

Thanks!
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[catfish-logic]

I would be careful about gutting Wipers at Willard with Gizzard Shad in their stomachs! You get caught with any Gizzard Shad and you will get a ticket from the DWR!

I know I got ya there har har har!

Have you tried Gizzard Shad Sushi? They sure do smell good why not?[laugh]

One fun thing my friends and I do with Gizzard shad is take them out of the Wipers stomach then toss them and let them stick to the ceiling in my apartment, some of them stick to the ceiling. Which ever ones stick the longest you get bonus points, you get more bonus points when you catch them in your mouth....but they have to stick to the ceiling for more than 2 seconds....

I think I'll go back to learning guitar....
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[TubeDude]

[quote stout_trout]Thanks TD!

So...would it be a waste to try to got wiper hunting tomorrow (with the weather front coming in)?

I'm sitting on the fence, but I'm thinking the cold front will negatively affect the already tough wiper bite. What are your thoughts?

Thanks![/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]My thoughts are that Willard is tough enough when it is clear and calm. When a storm kicks up, it is better to stay home and tinker with tackle. Safer too.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

"I think I'll go back to learning guitar...."

[cool] [#0000ff]I think ya better go back on your meds.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I do like sushi...but I prefer it a bit fresher.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Interesting point about the "possession" of the shadlets. The wording in the proclamation is very specific...and does not allow for "second hand" possession. Score another one for the DWR reg writers. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Might have some fun posing that question to one of the COs next time I see one. Haven't seen one on Willard for years. But, Murphy's law bein' what it is, all I would have to do is come ashore with a barfed up shad somewhere in my tube and there would be a DWR welcoming committee.[/#0000ff]
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