09-16-2010, 12:08 AM
[cool][#0000ff]Fellow tuber Hnaf wanted to take his bro-in-law Jason to Willard and invited TubeBabe and I to accompany them...but only if we provided the minnows. Seems fair.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was Jason's first trip in his new RED float tube, his first time on Willard and he had never caught either a catfish or a wiper. Took care of a lot of firsts today. Why is it that the newbies always catch the most or biggest...or both?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We were all on the water at the north marina by about 7:15. Brian and Jason stayed in the marina to allow the newbie to get used to his new ride without trauma. Good move. TubeBabe and I kicked outside and started hunting for whatever might wanna play with our offerings. Not much for a while.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe moved out into deeper water and off toward the north dike. I dipped down into the Eagle Beach area, hoping to find something in shallower water. Dragged a minnow on one rod and threw plastics and small crankbaits on the second rod. Nothing on either.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just before the sun peeked over the mountain there were some feeble splashes right on the sandy shoreline. I figured carp. I figured wrong. I finally got a better look and saw the light colors and the tail slaps of wipers mopping up on some shadlets. I fired up my trolling motor and moved in as close as I could...as fast as I could. Had a couple of the wipers boil right next to my tube. They looked small...underfooters. But I still fired plastics and small cranks feverishly up and down the shoreline where they were still popping up once in a while. Nada, zip, zilch. Then the sun hit the water and they went bye bye.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Moved back out into deeper water...dragging a minnow on one rod and a piece of perch meat on the other. As I passed the 12 foot mark in depth my minnow rod bounced and line zinged off the open spinning reel. Hookset, fight fight, splash splash and I had my first cookie cutter kitty of the morning. And, while I was putting it in the basket my other rod went bounce zing and I was into another kitty. A few minutes later, another double with one going back in the water. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That was it for a while. I moved out into deeper water, seeing lots of fish on sonar but feeling nothing on my line. Poor TubeBabe. She had covered a lot of water but still had not had a bite and it was a bit after 10 in the morning. Sooooo, nice guy that I am I talked her into following me back to the ZONE. I was about 50 yards ahead of her and told her on the walkie talkie that I would try to find the fish and then let her stay there and work them over while I found another spot. POW, POW. ZING ZING. Another double. Had 5 in my basket. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As I left TubeBabe on "the spot" she netted one cat and lost another. Before she came into the marina to join us later she had put 4 nice cookies in her basket and had several good fish stories.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After leaving her to the spot, I motored into the marina where "the boys" had been doing fairly well on some kitties too. Brian had a limit in his basket and Jason had 3 nice ones too...including a dandy 23 incher. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As I got out my lines to try to finish off my limit of kitties Jason went bendo on his first of 3 big wipers. It turned out to be a feisty 22 incher that weighed 4.2 pounds and definitely turned him into a wiperholic. But, wouldn't you know it, a few minutes later he scored another wiper...a puny 21 incher that only weighed 4.1 pounds. He had one other wiper on but decided to play conservationist and gave it a creative release. NEWBIES!!![/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I caught several more kitties inside the marina and kept another 3 to finish my limit. Never had one bite that seemed like a wiper. But was happy for Jason. But maybe next time he will know his place and not show off so much.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Air temps went from 52 to 75 today and water temps from 63 to 65...from 7 to 1. Probably warmed up at least another couple of degrees on that warm calm day. And, contrary to other reports, the water was a fairly clean green. Plenty of visibility for sight feeding wipers. Saw a few birds flying around but no signs of aggressive feeding. Maybe later.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]It was Jason's first trip in his new RED float tube, his first time on Willard and he had never caught either a catfish or a wiper. Took care of a lot of firsts today. Why is it that the newbies always catch the most or biggest...or both?[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We were all on the water at the north marina by about 7:15. Brian and Jason stayed in the marina to allow the newbie to get used to his new ride without trauma. Good move. TubeBabe and I kicked outside and started hunting for whatever might wanna play with our offerings. Not much for a while.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]TubeBabe moved out into deeper water and off toward the north dike. I dipped down into the Eagle Beach area, hoping to find something in shallower water. Dragged a minnow on one rod and threw plastics and small crankbaits on the second rod. Nothing on either.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Just before the sun peeked over the mountain there were some feeble splashes right on the sandy shoreline. I figured carp. I figured wrong. I finally got a better look and saw the light colors and the tail slaps of wipers mopping up on some shadlets. I fired up my trolling motor and moved in as close as I could...as fast as I could. Had a couple of the wipers boil right next to my tube. They looked small...underfooters. But I still fired plastics and small cranks feverishly up and down the shoreline where they were still popping up once in a while. Nada, zip, zilch. Then the sun hit the water and they went bye bye.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Moved back out into deeper water...dragging a minnow on one rod and a piece of perch meat on the other. As I passed the 12 foot mark in depth my minnow rod bounced and line zinged off the open spinning reel. Hookset, fight fight, splash splash and I had my first cookie cutter kitty of the morning. And, while I was putting it in the basket my other rod went bounce zing and I was into another kitty. A few minutes later, another double with one going back in the water. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]That was it for a while. I moved out into deeper water, seeing lots of fish on sonar but feeling nothing on my line. Poor TubeBabe. She had covered a lot of water but still had not had a bite and it was a bit after 10 in the morning. Sooooo, nice guy that I am I talked her into following me back to the ZONE. I was about 50 yards ahead of her and told her on the walkie talkie that I would try to find the fish and then let her stay there and work them over while I found another spot. POW, POW. ZING ZING. Another double. Had 5 in my basket. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As I left TubeBabe on "the spot" she netted one cat and lost another. Before she came into the marina to join us later she had put 4 nice cookies in her basket and had several good fish stories.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]After leaving her to the spot, I motored into the marina where "the boys" had been doing fairly well on some kitties too. Brian had a limit in his basket and Jason had 3 nice ones too...including a dandy 23 incher. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As I got out my lines to try to finish off my limit of kitties Jason went bendo on his first of 3 big wipers. It turned out to be a feisty 22 incher that weighed 4.2 pounds and definitely turned him into a wiperholic. But, wouldn't you know it, a few minutes later he scored another wiper...a puny 21 incher that only weighed 4.1 pounds. He had one other wiper on but decided to play conservationist and gave it a creative release. NEWBIES!!![/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I caught several more kitties inside the marina and kept another 3 to finish my limit. Never had one bite that seemed like a wiper. But was happy for Jason. But maybe next time he will know his place and not show off so much.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Air temps went from 52 to 75 today and water temps from 63 to 65...from 7 to 1. Probably warmed up at least another couple of degrees on that warm calm day. And, contrary to other reports, the water was a fairly clean green. Plenty of visibility for sight feeding wipers. Saw a few birds flying around but no signs of aggressive feeding. Maybe later.[/#0000ff]
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