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+--- Thread: Willard bay depth map? (/showthread.php?tid=1104380)
Willard bay depth map? - filletedalive - 02-28-2024
Anyone have a Willard bay depth map or labeled map they are willing to share? I’m going to be targeting wipers and walleye on my he fly rod this year and just looking for as much information as possible.
RE: Willard bay depth map? - RockyRaab2 - 02-28-2024
Sadly, I know of no such map. TubeDude has some general maps, but there are none with topographic depth contours that I know of.
RE: Willard bay depth map? - TubeDude - 02-28-2024
Most fly flingers who enjoy any success at all with wipers seem to do best just working in and out around the dikes. This is especially true during may and into June, when he wipers are going through their "false spawn" and tend to group up and cruise the dikes.
After that the wipers scatter throughout the lake...following the shad schools and they do not really orient to any structure or depth situation. If we get lucky this year there may be some boils to chase down but with the decreasing size of the wiper population the last few years there have been only a few small and sporadic boils.
In short, having a detailed contour map of Willard will likely not improve your success rate on wipers. Better to follow the reports of where they are showing up at any given time...if at all.
I am attaching some info on maps and areas that might help otherwise. Good luck.
RE: Willard bay depth map? - BearLakeFishGuy - 02-29-2024
With all these new depthfinders that are able to stitch together depth contours, I am 100% certain there are some pretty detailed maps of Willard Bay bathymetry. However, getting someone to share said maps is the next-to-impossible part. All someone needs to do is run transects like you are mowing the grass out on the lake. The software stitches those transects together. There are at least Garmin or Lowrance sites that let you share that information either publicly or privately. C'mon guys, someone has those maps. Shake 'em loose!
RE: Willard bay depth map? - filletedalive - 02-29-2024
Those area maps will help me know where the hell you guys are talking about. I’ve done really well in the past in freeway bay just not with flies lol. Thank you so much!
RE: Willard bay depth map? - RockyRaab2 - 02-29-2024
As Pat can tell you, there really is no great variation in bottom contour at Willard anyway. It's basically a big flat, with the deepest part near the southwest corner, but no significant "structure" elsewhere except for the remains of old roads and a few rock piles that sometimes become islands in low water times.
I have asked Willard fish why they prefer certain spots one day and somewhere else tomorrow, but they never answer. That is, on the rare occasion when I can find one to ask.
RE: Willard bay depth map? - Gone Forever - 02-29-2024
(02-29-2024, 12:56 PM)RockyRaab2 Wrote: As Pat can tell you, there really is no great variation in bottom contour at Willard anyway. It's basically a big flat, with the deepest part near the southwest corner, but no significant "structure" elsewhere except for the remains of old roads and a few rock piles that sometimes become islands in low water times.
I have asked Willard fish why they prefer certain spots one day and somewhere else tomorrow, but they never answer. That is, on the rare occasion when I can find one to ask.
Rocky has it right. Imagine, if you will, the building of Willard. Pretty much dozers pushing up a dike to hold the water in.
For structure you have some wind-rows created by the dozers, some old roads from the dump trucks and a few small piles of gravel.
The wipers follow the food. In days of old I used to "run and gun" for them. Sitting near the middle with bino's watching for bird action. Then race over there as fast as I could and drift into the fray casting like crazy.
RE: Willard bay depth map? - Bassin_Blitz - 02-29-2024
(02-28-2024, 07:56 PM)filletedalive Wrote: Anyone have a Willard bay depth map or labeled map they are willing to share? I’m going to be targeting wipers and walleye on my he fly rod this year and just looking for as much information as possible.
Here you go this is as good as it gets
![[Image: Screenshot-2023-04-02-095236.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/WhwvKjXg/Screenshot-2023-04-02-095236.png)
RE: Willard bay depth map? - filletedalive - 02-29-2024
(02-29-2024, 09:45 PM)Bassin_Blitz Wrote:(02-28-2024, 07:56 PM)filletedalive Wrote: Anyone have a Willard bay depth map or labeled map they are willing to share? I’m going to be targeting wipers and walleye on my he fly rod this year and just looking for as much information as possible.
Here you go this is as good as it gets
This is perfect!!! Lots of information to work from here. Thank you!!
RE: Willard bay depth map? - BURLEY - 02-29-2024
(02-29-2024, 09:45 PM)Bassin_Blitz Wrote:(02-28-2024, 07:56 PM)filletedalive Wrote: Anyone have a Willard bay depth map or labeled map they are willing to share? I’m going to be targeting wipers and walleye on my he fly rod this year and just looking for as much information as possible.
Here you go this is as good as it gets
Thank you for the map.
RE: Willard bay depth map? - RockyRaab2 - 03-01-2024
That's as good a Willard contour map as I've ever seen.
While I'm at it, can someone give me the GPS of the Island? I can't find where I wrote it down and I don't have it as a waypoint in my boat.
RE: Willard bay depth map? - TubeDude - 03-01-2024
(03-01-2024, 01:05 PM)RockyRaab2 Wrote: That's as good a Willard contour map as I've ever seen.I have the numbers for both the island and the rock piles on the map I made. These were the numbers I got from DWR so I hope they are accurate. They should at least put you close enough you can find them on sonar with a bit of gridding.
While I'm at it, can someone give me the GPS of the Island? I can't find where I wrote it down and I don't have it as a waypoint in my boat.
![[Image: WILLARD-LABELED.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/K37G7Tx9/WILLARD-LABELED.jpg)
RE: Willard bay depth map? - RockyRaab2 - 03-01-2024
Pat, I shoulda looked through my Pix files. I'm sure I have that. Somewhere. Thanks again for it.
RE: Willard bay depth map? - Tin-Can - 03-01-2024
Just one more area to be aware of. At the area marked in blue on included post, several years ago there was a leak under the dike wall. The DNR had a coffer dam built there so they could reduce the main water level low enough to allow repair to the leak . The rocks are still there. When the water level is up as it has been since last year, and will probably be again this year, those rocks aren't an issue unless you are in a larger, deep draft boat. But when / if the water level drops, they can be a hazard. The DNR had warning buoys around them for awhile, but I haven't seen them the past couple years.
I've seen several smaller boats in that general area and at some points you can see weed growth just above the surface.
![[Image: WILLARD-LABELED.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/H8wvN5pZ/WILLARD-LABELED.jpg)
![[Image: 026-south-wall-near-Coffer-Dam.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/NKpcjK32/026-south-wall-near-Coffer-Dam.jpg)
March 2017 just off the Coffer Dam.
RE: Willard bay depth map? - catfish-logic - 03-02-2024
The search wont find Willard Bay at this site but you just scroll out and move to the lake you want. I like this site.
This will show Lake Havasu just scroll north until you find Willard Bay its easy. When you scroll close you will see the depth of Willard Bay.
https://usa.fishermap.org/depth-map/lake-havasu/#map
Tight lines!
RE: Willard bay depth map? - Kent - 03-02-2024
(03-02-2024, 12:56 AM)catfish-logic Wrote: The search wont find Willard Bay at this site but you just scroll out and move to the lake you want. I like this site.
This will show Lake Havasu just scroll north until you find Willard Bay its easy. When you scroll close you will see the depth of Willard Bay.
https://usa.fishermap.org/depth-map/lake-havasu/#map
Tight lines!
That is a neat website. Thanks for sharing that with us.
RE: Willard bay depth map? - chubby chaser - 03-04-2024
(02-28-2024, 07:56 PM)filletedalive Wrote: Anyone have a Willard bay depth map or labeled map they are willing to share? I’m going to be targeting wipers and walleye on my he fly rod this year and just looking for as much information as possible.
this is one I use, it's a little annoying because it's covered in ads but has most of the Utah lakes on it. https://usa.fishermap.org/fish-map/