Willard Low Water Maps

[TubeDude]

[#0000ff]Here are some labeled maps from back in 2004, at the end of the last bad drought. You can see old road beds and the humps and bumps out off the north marina. Also worth noting is the topography inside the north marina.

You can also see the Island exposed out off the south marina.
[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[fishinfool]

PRICELESS!

Thanks so much for this info Pat.

fnf[cool]
[signature]

[huntfishtrap]

this reminds me of my trip to willard yesterday. A group of guys launched in the S marina. They had problems getting the boat off the trailer. Eventually they get the boat off and load up. I was leaving through the channel now and I guess they didnt want to wait and sped past me creating a lot of wake. I just shook my head and chuckled as they turned a hard right as soon as they cleared the rocks. Of course most people know that you have to go clear past the buoys or you will eat rocks. Their boat looked like it was running hydraulics as it bounced around and the motor ate the boulders on the bottom. As hard as they hit them they may have actually cleared a path out of there.
[signature]

[wiperhunter2]

Thanks Pat that is some good info for this coming Winter ice fishing. One of your pics has the outlet mislabeled, I circled the correct location in the attached pic.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]You're right. I didn't want to walk all the way over there in the mud to double check it.

Can you forgive me?
[/#0000FF]
[signature]

[wiperhunter2]

Not a problem my friend, just thought you would like to know.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I edited this corrected one back into the original post.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]

[fishinfool]

do you have any of freeway bay?
[signature]

[RockyRaab]

If you look at the Willard North Low shot, that smallest white spot of "exposed gravel" is my crappie hump.

I may as well say that here in the open after all the PMs I got today begging me to tell all. It's a bout 200 yards NW of the green buoy, and you have to watch your depth finder really close to hit it because it's only the size of the average bedroom.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Big secret. I have been fishing that spot since the late 70's. It is also a good gathering spot for both crappies and walleyes in the fall.

If you can look at that exposed spot under high magnification you will note that all the fish are wearing tennies.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]

[Kent]

I have wondered what I have hit once or twice in the NE corner. It is the old road bed. I have been in 10' of water one second and my prop hitting rocks the next second. Would have been a nice gesture if they would have removed that hazard when they were building the reservoir.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Maybe. But there are a lot of anglers who have that stuff on their GPS and rely on it to find fish. Sometimes the humps are the places to get happy.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[quote fishinfool]do you have any of freeway bay?[/quote]

[#0000FF]There are very few meaningful changes in bottom contours...visible at low water...except around the two marinas on the east side. But here are 3 more views of other parts of the lake taken at the same time.

There are guys who have put in years of dedicated fishing on Willard...and some who have new sophisticated sonar systems...who have found a LOT of interesting things on the bottom of that big mud bottomed bowl.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]

[Kent]

One man's hazard is another man's fish haven.
[signature]

[Blackellunge]

good to know about the hazards coming out of the south launch , heading there tomorrow for the first time , thanks!
[signature]

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks TD fun to look at and learn... J
[signature]

[RockyRaab]

Well, apparently that hump is -- or WAS -- a kinda-sorta secret until now. It really doesn't matter much how well it's known because spots like that are pure fish magnets. As soon as you take a few off them, other fish move right in.

That little "cut" in the old roadbed that is now a channel to the outflow is one example. It's the very booger to find, but if you do...wowsa.
[signature]

[catfish77]

The question I have is will crappie and other fish stay around the humps once the spawn is over?
[signature]

[CoyoteSpinner]

Likely not. They come in for one reason and one reason only, and it's a limited time offer. Once the sales over, it's over!

I don't know for sure - really. But seasonal draws have they cause. But then fish disperse in other pursuits.

So - TD - were these time-lapse Googles, or what? Been hoping to find something similar reflecting the down time at Cutler. Thought of maybe tapping into my Geology lineage, and see what sources might have inside satellite scoops. Sure if I just said I was searching for Bin-Laden I'd get grants up the wazoo!

Would be neat to see old-Sat images of the construction mode, see ALL of what lies beneath!
I'll have to play, but wonder how these marry up with this old map. Always suspected the "road lines" were extensions from inside to out...

What Hump? It is Wednesday after all isn't it?! (sheez - someone had to say it!)
[inline map-willard-bay01.jpg]

[Flyfishinglover]

I hope some people will learn sooner or later to not hump their motor into the bed rock village [laugh].
[inline 10729-Flintstones_header.jpg]
[inline "hump day.jpg"]
[signature]