Willard Bay - Night time is the right time.

[WyomingMoose]

I hope so anyways.

Heading down there tonight might get there an hour before dark falls. Going to try for another limit of cats and some wipers hopefully too.

Will report back early this morning.
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[bearnk82]

I was trying to make it up tonight but it's not looking good. Good luck on the Wiper and let us know how it goes.

[fish_or_die]

Good luck! hoping to hit it friday night so a report tomorrow would be perfect! go get em!
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[SkunkedAgain]

I'm jealous wish I could go. Just got my weekend catch out of the smoker last night. That's the first time I've smoked catfish and it turned out great. good luck.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Good luck...and feed the bugs well so they leave me alone in the morning.[/#0000ff]
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[CoyoteSpinner]

Was wondering how your Thur venture went. Wish I coulda come. Hoping to get out tomorrow afternoon. Any luck out there? [fishin]
Were those Willard kitties you smoked from the weekend then? Sounds like the Willard action is pretty good day or night!

WyoM- you gonna float at night? Daring dude. At least the waverunners shouldn't bother ya then! Love to hear how it goes. At least you KNOW you can't get locked in, even if there ARE no fish out there at night. [:p] Or so I hear! [crazy]

[WyomingMoose]

Well wish I could tell a lie here and there but never do... can't and won't. Wish I could tell ya about all the fish we caught.

We got skunked. Not even a cookie kitty. (although I had 3 inexperienced ones get off)

Talked to half a dozen boaters that said fishing was poor at best. Few eyes...they said.

It was just an off day. Guess I'll be back out there again in the next few days to see what the deal is.

On a side note I did see 2 minor boils but no go on casting into them.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Yote sorry I didnt get back with you. I think the lack of decent bait nearly got me a skunked night Thursday but while I was cleaning up my junk a kind ole carp came along and gave me a pretty good tug. So you didn't miss much that night. Then on Saturday the Willard trip was a blast first five fish were all different species. Ended up with 18 fish on the day and 6 different kinds but I didn't get my first wiper yet. Did get a nice 20+ inch walleye that half was good on the grill and the other half was great smoked. If you have time to do Willard it was way better and a catfish caught trolling is a lot more fun than soaking bait to me. Good luck.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks for the report, sorry it wasn't as good as it has been. But guess it always has it's cycles from good to bad. I'm usually the one that picks the slow day. So have you ever checked the Solunar charts and see if they are any good at predicting a good day? I always wonder but never take time to look. Guess I don't trust the tea leaves.
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[WiperMac]

[font "Calibri"]I promise you weren’t the only one to smelt skunk last night. Me and fishin partner launched out of the south marina and hit the island, nothing. Hit the north end, only one small crappie but he comes unbuttoned boat side. Motored back south a bit to hit a couple humps, notta. Hit the island to close out the night, just bugs. Didn’t see a single boil all night but I guess that Willard for ya.[pirate] Maybe next time.[/font]
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[CRM801]

I've got an observation, I fished Willard Monday and Wednesday and watched the fishing go from spectacular to non existent. I noticed on Monday the wind was coming from the east blowing west (never saw it blow that direction at Willard) and the fishing was excellent. I noticed that night there was a storm coming from the east and a storm brewing in the west, almost converging over Willard. I imagine the fishing was so good because of the barometric pressure, there were boils covering the entire lake. Then Wednesday evening no clouds in sight baby blue skies all around and not one single boil all evening. Is it just me or did these two separate storm systems that converged over Willard turn the fish on? Boy what a day or two can change those wipers attitude []
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]It's a whole food chain thing. The food (shad) feed on the zooplankton and bitty bites in the surface layers of the water. When the wind blows from one direction...with the right barometric, temperature and clarity condtions...the shad concentrate on a windblown food supply...and the predators follow. But when the meteorology changes it can affect the whole show from the bottom up and the top down.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In short...no shad no boils. The wipers will be SOMEWHERE...you just gotta find them and get them to open their mouths. Much easier if they are on top showing off and actively feeding.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Be properly grateful when you luck into a wide open boil. But don't start smackin' yourself upside the head when you can't make it happen with your buddies raggin' on ya in the boat. Fish often enough and with the right gear and techniques and it will happen. What torques me are the first timers who wander out on the water right into the middle of the biggest boil on record. They load up and then it's "Ho hum, wipers are easy."[/#0000ff]
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[mike4cobra]

I would have to agree. Wiper are easy to catch in boils, walleye are easy to catch spawing, trout are easy to catch.... well..... all the time. I run into that at the september tourny at starvation. Guys come out in the summer and load up on buckets of walleye and think, hmmm, this is easy. Then they cant figure out why they zero two days in a row in the fall. Alot of people only fish for certain species when the gettin is good, and then tell you about their 50 fish day over and over again when you only catch one or two[crazy].
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[CRM801]

I've spent many many hours on Willard and chasing the boils and trust me they're not easy to consistently get them to open their mouths. Like you said td the better the conditions the more the fish tend to cooperate. Wednesday evening the conditions had changed enough that the fish didn't want to cooperate. I just wish the fish could mark my calendar for those days when they want to play []
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[CoyoteSpinner]

I've 'heard' folks report of slow conditions, then some cloud cover arrives, and the lake turns on, clouds clear out, and lockjaw sets in.
As pointed out - wind direction will encourage shad forage, and hence wiper/walleye forage. Something to be said for getting to the 'far shore'.

[WyomingMoose]

+1

I was doing fairly well on them a month ago but the pattern has definitely changed...

I enjoy fishing... catching more.... but getting skunked once in awhile is good for ya. humbles ya.
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[toadly]

I was out Cat fishing/ Wiper wishing on Wednesday as well.
Fished from 2:30 till 6:00. Fished the Feed Lot on my favorite Rock. One pick up and drop. Thats it. Wind was coming from the North. (a bit strange for the middle of summer). The week before Cat fish and wiper wouldn't give me time to drink my beer. Limits in an hour were common. Plus picked up Wipers on the bottom fishing with cut Chub. A real nice surprise.
Something is going on with the shad and are or were drawing the fish away from the rocks.
Time for me to figure it out all over again![cool]
Here fishy fishy fishy.
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[TubeDude]

"I just wish the fish could mark my calendar for those days when they want to play"

[][#0000ff]Hey, if you can get a fish-enhanced calendar like that you could retire rich...in a hurry. I don't know many TRUE fishermen who wouldn' hock the wife, kids, house and dog to be able to buy that kind of information. Well, maybe not the dog. After all...[/#0000ff]
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[Jmaze]

The real trick now is the fish have been fed. The Shad are in and they are back to finicky again for a spell. Might try fishing "real" slow and/or night fishing. Gonna hit the south marina early tomorrow. Interested to see how much the pattern has changed.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I have had reports from several sources recently that claim they are doing well with trout tactics on the wipers. Some are using small clear bubbles and little white or silvery jigs under them. Others are actually using bubble and fly rigs...if not actually fishing a floating line and a floating small streamer fly. Had one guy claim to have caught a couple of honkin' wipers on tiny bluegill poppers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The key is to find an area where the shadlets are congregating and watch for the swirls and slurps of subsurface feeding. Not always a wide open splashy boil. Easy to believe it is bluegill or crappies feeding...until you go bendo.[/#0000ff]
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