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Hit Willard today from about 930 till about 3. Water temp at launch was 35.5 deg and 38 when I got off. The ice pack was a good distance from the marina when I launched but was moving in quickly when I left. Fished with a lindy rig dead sticked and a jig with a minnow on the other rod. Only one lonely 21 inch catfish on the minnow today. Let him go for tube dude to go play with. The catfish came from the flat on the south outside the north marina in about 11 ft. There were a lot of fish about that size on the bottom in that area. Maybe one of the kitty gurus can pound the rest of them over there. If you go out just make sure to watch the ice, it can shift in a hurry.
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[cool][#0000ff]I noticed on the camera that the ice was open enough to launch...and suspected you might not be able to wait. I have met you out there before when we were dodging icebergs. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Glad you avoided the skunk, although I am sure you would have rather have caught a whiskerless walleye. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Looks like earlier iceout this year. Let's hope the fish are properly grateful and give us a good reception. Been pretty poor ice fishing on Willard.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Don't know if you read any of my reports on my last trips up there in November but there were hordes of tiny shad dieing off and either floating to the top or sinking to the bottom. The terns had a feast on the floaters and the predators dined well on the sinkers. I had a tough time hooking anything on minnows. They would pick them up and then drop them if they felt any pressure. Not like the normal greedy gulpers. And the fish I did catch and keep were stuffed with shadlets.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Another interesting thing was that I actually caught more cats on jigged tubes than on bait...a reaction bite thing.[/#0000ff]
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It used to be a race between my dad and I who would launch the first. Before the web cam there was a lot of fuel spent checking the ramp every day[crazy]. It really isn't too much earlier than normal. We used to have full access to the lake by the second or third week in february. It will take more mild temps an hopefully a couple of good winds to clear it entirely. The last couple of years have drove me nuts how long I had to wait to launch. I can't wait to go to the pre spawn staging areas I found last last year. Those 23" to 25" mama walleye I was catching should have put on some size since last year.[fishon]
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[cool][#0000ff]Just don't jump the gun too early and get locked into the ice...or blocked from getting back to the marina. Seems I recall a couple of those situations from the past.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hope your pattern holds up and that the fish have put on some weight for you.[/#0000ff]
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Besides that there are no Walleye in Willard.....
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]. Hope they don't make a liar out me[
]. One thing that was different today than all of last year was I didn't see shad all over the place, maybe they were thinned out a little the last couple months. I definitely don't complain about last year. I would rather see a lake full of fat fish than starving. The combination of the high water and lots of shad have answered my prayers for Willard to return to normal. This should be the start a fantastic next couple of years[fishon]
] I can't remember the last year we had ice coming off this early.