Willard Kitties?

[bpettee]

Anyone having any luck with this warmer weather?

I've never fished for catfish but would like to try it some evening/night around July 4th weekend with my visiting nephew who LOVES to fish. We will be shore casting and right now am thinking of the west dike/ southwest corner area. Would this be a good place to start?

Also any suggestions on bait/rigging and depth now that the spawning is probably over?

Thanks!
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Welcome aboard.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you are trying to avoid having to pay the entrance fee, the SW corner is a good spot. Usually pretty good fishing for cats and wipers...and they come in close enough that you can reach them with average casting ability. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I like to drive all the way around to the NW corner (on those nasty roads). A bit deeper water closer to the rocks and almost always good kitty action. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The spawn is still going on, due to the late spring. But there are lots of cats coming into the rocks both to spawn and to feed. However, you will usually have easier fishing by lobbing your bait out a few feet from the rocks. Fewer snags too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I do not use weight. Cast out a minnow, piece of carp meat, hot dog or crawler. Let it sink naturally to the bottom and leave your bail open on the reel. When a fish picks it up, let them run and then whack them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When the fish are in close to the rocks soak your bait about 3 feet under a bobber close to the rocks. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can also access the north dike (with only a $3 fee) near the main entrance to the north marina. Lots of good fishing for a long ways up the dikes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Good luck.[/#0000ff]
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[bpettee]

Thanks for the great info Tubedude! I'll give those suggestions a try for sure.

Another question i have is I need to buy a fishing rod and gear and was thinking of a 7 ft ugly stick, med. action with 10 lb test (leader?) on a spinning real. Would this work for the size fish one could expect in Willard. Also, what type hook do you suggest for casting cutbait.

Sorry for all the questions. I grew up ocean fishing in the Florida Keys and pretty much gave it up after moving out West. I've never caught a catfish but i'm getting excited to do some warm water fishing again.

Thanks again for taking the time to educate a newbie
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Lots of cat chasers swear by the tried and true Ugly Sticks. They can take a lot of pounding and still hold up. Not as sensitive for chucking light lures but plenty good for soaking baits or trolling. 10 pound line will land any fish in Utah if it is good line on a good reel with a good drag...and there is no "loose nut on the handle".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Everybody has their own preference in hooks. You can buy inexpensive pretied leadered hooks or you can tie hooks directly to your line. I fish that way. I do not like circle hooks. Some folks do. I like the inexpensive Eagle Claw 84 hooks. Sharp and strong. For minnows and crawlers I use size 2 or 4. Larger hooks for big slabs of meat or larger minnows.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The average size cat in Willard is not going to be large enough to bust up your tackle. But, there are some big ones in there...and feisty wipers often take baits being fished for catfish. No class.[/#0000ff]
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[wilco5]

Do the in-close techniques work year round, or only this time of year?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Primarily warmer months. First the cats come into the rocks to spawn...when the water is high enough to provide suitable depth. After that a lot of kitties either remain around the rocks or make foraging trips to them for food. The rocks also hold the fry of many species as well as crawdads and other edible tidbits.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When the weather is decent, without a lot of wind, there are almost always a few cats close to the rocks. And the cats in Willard are "sight feeders" in the clearer water. So they will hit lures and even flies for those who want to fish along the dikes with artificials.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Once the water starts cooling in the fall the cats mostly move back out into the main lake but some still stay within casting range of shore, when the water level stays up. And during warmer periods in the fall they will come in to the shallows when the water warms after a calm sunny day. That's when anglers soaking a crawler for kitties often find themselves attached to a bottom scrounging wiper.[/#0000ff]
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[bpettee]

Thanks. I'll give it a shot next week sometime!
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