05-01-2009, 10:42 PM
[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I launched our tubes at the north marina at Willard about 6:45 AM. Overcast skies and light drizzle. Air temp 45 and water temp 53.
The cool southeast breeze that was blowing when we got there let up a bit so we kicked outside and started dragging a minnow on one rod and throwing plastics on the second. No takers and the drizzle turned to a spit. Rained slow but steady until about 9. Ya cain't beat fun. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We decided to not try kicking over to the north dike...our original plan...because the wind kept changing around and we did not want to end up pinned to the rocks when it was time to go home. So, we were staying fairly close to the marina. Had several boats cruise by closely, trying to see if we were catching anything...but pretending that we were not there.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The low ceiling finally raised a bit and some more light hit the water. I had been working water from 10 feet out to over 20 feet with only one hit on a minnow...no fish. Just as I cruised into the 13 foot zone, out of Eagle Beach, I had an "inquiry". The line popped out of the clip and a fish ran off with my minnow. Couldn't have that so I closed the bail and punched his lights out. First cookie cutter kitty in the basket. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Worked south to north just outside the buoy line inside the bay. Had a couple more runners and brought in one more catfish. Then, my sonar showed some fish that looked suspiciously like they might be crappies...stacked and staging for a run at the spawning stickups...when the water warmed a few more degrees. I rigged a tandem tube jig setup, with a blue/clear sparkle on top and a white/sparkle on the bottom. A few casts later I hooked and then lost a nice crappie at the surface. Then I brought in an 11 inchers on the blue jig.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I kept hollering at TubeBabe on the walkie talkies to get her to come into the shallower water and join me in the action. No answer. She was talking on her cell phone and had turned off the walkie talkie. Too bad. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]She finally turned it back on after I had scored several more cats and crappies and she never did land anything. She did have something large hooked briefly, but it was inexperienced and did not know how to hang on.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I brought in a total of five cats and 3 crappies. The crappies were suspended in 13 feet of water and the bite was just a "whisper". Finesse all the way. Nothing on a bobber. They would only hit when kept it swimming slow and steady at middepth. Got one 13" and one between 14 and 15". Lost one super slab (over 15") when it flopped on the surface and was hooked by only a thread of tissue.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I think I figured out why the crappies were in that little bay. I hooked several bits of green water weed while casting for them. They like vegetation.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As is common on Willard, the slow bite died off to nothing just after 11. I had a couple more "pop and drops" on bait, but did not hook anything else. Neither did TubeBabe. We were off the water by 1, with the water temp finally climbing to about 56.[/#0000ff]
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[signature]
The cool southeast breeze that was blowing when we got there let up a bit so we kicked outside and started dragging a minnow on one rod and throwing plastics on the second. No takers and the drizzle turned to a spit. Rained slow but steady until about 9. Ya cain't beat fun. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We decided to not try kicking over to the north dike...our original plan...because the wind kept changing around and we did not want to end up pinned to the rocks when it was time to go home. So, we were staying fairly close to the marina. Had several boats cruise by closely, trying to see if we were catching anything...but pretending that we were not there.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The low ceiling finally raised a bit and some more light hit the water. I had been working water from 10 feet out to over 20 feet with only one hit on a minnow...no fish. Just as I cruised into the 13 foot zone, out of Eagle Beach, I had an "inquiry". The line popped out of the clip and a fish ran off with my minnow. Couldn't have that so I closed the bail and punched his lights out. First cookie cutter kitty in the basket. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Worked south to north just outside the buoy line inside the bay. Had a couple more runners and brought in one more catfish. Then, my sonar showed some fish that looked suspiciously like they might be crappies...stacked and staging for a run at the spawning stickups...when the water warmed a few more degrees. I rigged a tandem tube jig setup, with a blue/clear sparkle on top and a white/sparkle on the bottom. A few casts later I hooked and then lost a nice crappie at the surface. Then I brought in an 11 inchers on the blue jig.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I kept hollering at TubeBabe on the walkie talkies to get her to come into the shallower water and join me in the action. No answer. She was talking on her cell phone and had turned off the walkie talkie. Too bad. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]She finally turned it back on after I had scored several more cats and crappies and she never did land anything. She did have something large hooked briefly, but it was inexperienced and did not know how to hang on.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I brought in a total of five cats and 3 crappies. The crappies were suspended in 13 feet of water and the bite was just a "whisper". Finesse all the way. Nothing on a bobber. They would only hit when kept it swimming slow and steady at middepth. Got one 13" and one between 14 and 15". Lost one super slab (over 15") when it flopped on the surface and was hooked by only a thread of tissue.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I think I figured out why the crappies were in that little bay. I hooked several bits of green water weed while casting for them. They like vegetation.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As is common on Willard, the slow bite died off to nothing just after 11. I had a couple more "pop and drops" on bait, but did not hook anything else. Neither did TubeBabe. We were off the water by 1, with the water temp finally climbing to about 56.[/#0000ff]
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