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Wiperslayer and I drove up to the inlet channel yesterday and was greeted by no one, not one person there. The water is coming in fast and muddy but we gave it a try for 45 mins or so with no success. Moved over to the SE corner by freeway bay, water was clear there and we could see no ice on the bay at any location, ice is still piled up on shore and the Island but everything else looks good to go. No fish caught at this location either but it was very shallow, it was only 2 to 3 ft deep as far a we could cast from shore. Wind started getting strong so we left after 45 mins or so. I'll have to get out next week in the boat and see if I can find some feeding fish at a better location.
WH2
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This is a lake on my list this year. I have never fished it. I got my pontoon boat ready to go!
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My brother was running his dogs out there and stopped by the inlet. Said there was one guy there with a 30"+ tiger muskie on a stringer! Second one I've heard of coming out of the inlet.
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Thats too bad, it would be fun to see how Tigers would do in Willard, I'd say there is plenty of shad in the lake to feed another predator fish, especially since they are keeping the wiper numbers low.
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Yeah, I don't think anyone fishing the inlet is the catch and release type. Why are the wiper # so low? Like you said there are plenty enough shad to support more predation. I wonder how sterile northern or tiger muskies would do in there? I love wipers but it seems like the state has placed a lot more emphasis on reproducing tiger muskie?
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Can't wait for some kitty cat action.Here kitty, kitty.
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It's looking better. Lots of inflow
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Walleye time.... Thanks Wiperhunter2
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Good to hear . I checked Utah Lake last night it had lots of ice by the Saratoga Springs but I hear it is almost ice free
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We all know why the wiper numbers are so low, the DWR isn't planting as many wipers. In years past they planted them in huge numbers 500,000 in one year, was not unusual. When they go from that high number down to 38,000, that is a huge drop in fish being planted. Of course Willard isn't the only lake that receives wiper plants now days and it would not surprise me if you added up all the wipers that are planted, at all the different lakes, it could add up to the larger number. IMO, the DWR stocking fewer wipers is not a bad deal because it has allowed the walleye, crappie, cats, bass even perch and bluegill to rebound in numbers not seen for many years. When wiper numbers were at their highest, I caught few of those other fish but now there seems to be a better balance than when wiper numbers were at their highest. The DNR has tried for years to get their warm water fish hatchery up and running and they are still having problems, if and when they ever get it up and running it will be Tiger Musky™ and Wipers that will likely be their main focus. In the mean time it would be nice to have some more of those toothy fish in Willard. Since TM already come down the river to Willard from time to time, it would seem like planting them in there would not be a big deal, even if it were in low numbers, just to see what would happen[  ]. I think you are right, they seem to have a better grasp of growing TM than wipers and it seem likely they will get that program up and running before the wiper program. I guess time will tell.
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[#0000FF]Sheer numbers planted are not the only factor in how many grow to larger sizes. The greatest majority of those numbers (planted) are "sac fry"...newly hatched with the egg sac still on them. They are less than a half inch long. At that size, even the gizzard shad feed on them...along with the young of all the other species in the lake. They might be at the top of the food chain when they get bigger but they are totally at the bottom until they get above about five or six inches. To get there they have to dodge and compete with all the other fish in the lake. Until they get big enough to feed on gizzard shad those shad are their main competitors for zooplankton and other small fry food.
Some years DWR plants a few thousand fry that are 3 to 4 inches long. Those obviously have a higher survival percentage but they are also expensive to hold and feed in rearing ponds for several months.
Also, when the sac fry are planted, there can be a higher mortality rate for them just based upon their overall strength and survivability. Proper timing of collection of eggs and milt...from the two different species (white bass and stripers) is important. And since those two species are far apart at spawning time (Utah Lake and Powell) there can be a problem in getting eggs and milt together in a timely fashion. That can affect fertility percentage as well as "toughness" of the hatchlings.
In the days before DWR instituted the Utah wiper hatching program they bought high quality sac fry from states where white bass and stripers were spawned side by side and the eggs promptly fertilized in suitable surroundings. Those were the days when megathousands of wipers were planted and we experienced wide open wiper fishing. Even used to get boils all over the lake. It has been years since those fun times.
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Just like someone caught nearly all of the true Muskellunge out at the Lee Kay Hatchery last year, someone destroyed the UDWR's holding trap that had their male White Bass that were going to be the 'donors' for the Wiper program. Murphy seems to have it in for the hybrid programs of the DWR.
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Even when they planted wipers in those huge numbers as sac fry only a estimate of 1% survived but that was plenty for the wipers to rule the waters of Willard for many years. They are still getting wipers from other states as far as I'm aware. I love to fish the wipers boils but if the loss of said boils is the result of all those other fish not being caught as often, I can do without the boils. I wonder if the DNR moved some white bass down to Powell, if they could get the timing down on making wipers?
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[#0000FF]1% of a half million equates to a lot more than 1% of a lot less than that. A difference of a few thousand adults can make a recognizable difference in the success of anglers chasing them.
I do have to agree on your observation...that having good numbers of several different species kinda offsets just having a bunch of wipers. I enjoy all of the species in Willard...even the ones that don't break rods or empty reels.
With the hatchery facilities at BigWater you would think it would be advantageous to maintain a supply of breeding white bass there for closer proximity to the stripers. And while their spawning cycles are usually pretty close...based upon water temps and daylight hours...they do not always coincide exactly. It ain't rocket science but close to it.
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[quote Fishrmn]Just like someone caught nearly all of the true Muskellunge out at the Lee Kay Hatchery last year, someone destroyed the UDWR's holding trap that had their male White Bass that were going to be the 'donors' for the Wiper program. Murphy seems to have it in for the hybrid programs of the DWR. [red]⫸[/red][orange]<{[/orange][yellow]{{[/yellow][green]{[/green][size 4][green]⦇[/green][/size][blue]°>[/blue][/quote]
[#0000FF]I doubt that any of the "happy harvesters" were named Murphy.
DWR "assumed" that their pets would be okay in the facilities designated. But without posting big bold warning signs...and maintaining guards with machine guns...those unprotected fish were doomed. Sad...but a condition not unique to Utah. Happens wherever fish are penned up and vulnerable to wackos that just gotta catch some fish...no matter how...and how illegal.
When I lived in Sacramento I often watched wild crazy-eyed folks chasing spawning salmon up and down the shallows in the American River when they were trying to spawn. They had clubs, pitch forks and even claw hammers...trying to kill those fish. And when apprehended by fish and game officers they were more upset by losing their fish than the fines they had to pay.
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LOL, funny you should mention folks chasing salmon up and down streams with pitch forks. Growing up in Southern Colo, we did just that but it was legal back in the late 60ies and 70ies.[crazy]
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[#0000FF]Used to be a couple of spawning streams in Idaho that had runs of red kokes every fall...that allowed "unlimited" harvest. If there is plenty of spawning going on and local fish and game does not have an egg-taking program they allow mass removal to at least make sure some of the fish are utilized. They are great smoked but not much good for frying or other cooking methods.
But the ones in the American River were big king salmon...up to 40 or 50 pounds. I saw guys try to catch them in a big net and get dragged down the river. Also saw one guy get speared by the fish he had run through with a javelin. The fish whipped around and got the guy in the leg with the same spear.
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hybrids like tiger muskies are sight feeders and have to have grass beds or a ambush point to feed williard does not have that they don't school and they don't stay on hard structurer that's ok there are enough fish on the bay to get,,,just got to figgre em out..
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Looks like it is running higher than when Ira and I drove by, what day did you take the video?
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sunday. its running good launching wont be a problem. I got my shoulder fixed Tuesday so I wont be doing much this month though.
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