Blue Moon cattin' at Willard 5-31-07

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I got a request from BFTer uncledon last week to help him with a catfish trip for a friend. His friend Jim is in his 70's, on oxygen, and has more bad days than good ones. Probably not many more fishing trips for him, and he really wanted to catch some Willard cats...but was totally unfamiliar with the lake.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Okay, I'm easy. Especially for young kids and old folks. I agreed to meet them this morning and to actually get in a boat (see pics for proof). Since they did not plan to be able to make it until after 8 TubeBabe and I hit the water in our tubes early (5:30 AM) in hopes of finding a walleye or wiper...and to try to locate the cats for later. Water temp was 64 at launch and 68 at noon.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No water coming in at the inlet. Water murky from al the recent wind. Water level seems down almost a foot from two weeks ago.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was beginning to think the big chunk of cheese (full moon) we watched dropping into the lake as we drove up was going to have us smelling skunk. It was over an hour before TubeBabe put the first fish in the basket...a cookie cutter kitty. I had only a few pop and drops on bait and lost the only good hookup I had on a crankbait. Felt like a nice wiper.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Saw Lunkerhunter2 amd Wiperhunter2 going out in the boat to troll. Synchronized walkie talkies so they could tell me a few minutes later that they had their first walleye in the boat. Hope they continued to score.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I started back into the ramp after 7, to meet with Don and Jim. Caught and released a couple of small cats. Still no wipers or wallies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Don and Jim arrived on schedule and we launched Jim's boat with no problems. Headed out to the zone where TB and I had at least been getting bites and the occasional kitty. Shut down the boat to drift minnows and carp meat. Ideal light breeze for drifting.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The next three hours were good company with three old reprobates telling "true" stories and ribbing each other whenever there was an "inexperienced fish" that did not know how to hang on, etc. We all had action and Jim thoroughly enjoyed the nice day on the water. We finished up with a nice bag of cookie cutter kitties, which I ran through my "weight loss" program at the fish cleaning station.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe had stayed out in her float tube, while the boys played in the boat and made a lot of noise. After being skunked on her last trip (to Utah Lake), she got serious and put a whuppin' on dem kitties. Probably brought in 20 or more. Kept enough for dinner and agreed to share if I filleted them. That made two batches for me today.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][url "http://www.photoshow.com:80/watch/Kt9GG8KR"]HERE'S A LINK TO PHOTOSHOW[/url][/#0000ff]
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[Majja]

TD sorry to hear the eyes still do not want to play with you but at least you got some kitties for the group. And TB cleaned house as usual. I do have one question for you, did they allow you to sit in the livewell so you would fell right at home? [] That was a great slide show.

Majja
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[wiperhunter2]

Nice report Pat, glad you were able to help a new friend out. What time did you guys leave? We ended up with that one walleye, lost another at the boat, then had a double wiper hookup and boated them both. Here is a picture of Brody's fish.

(PICTURE TOO LARGE)
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(Resized to fit) Petty
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]No livewell on the boat. But, when the light breeze died to dead calm, and we were not drifting, they suggested that maybe I could dle up the small trolling moter, straddle it with fins on and move us around a bit.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sheesh! Non tubers. They just don't unnerstan'.[/#0000ff]
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[BEARCLAW]

That was a cool little slide show you made there Pat. I would have loved to be a fly on the gunnel of that boat. Looks like the weather more than cooperated for ya too.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Jim was on oxygen and had all the fun he could stand by noon. We got their fish filleted and sent them home happy before 1. TubeBabe and I stayed a little while longer to fillet our fish too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By the way, there was a boat that launched just before we launched Jim's boat, and they came back in about the same time. They had 7 walleyes...the first they have caught this year...but no wipers.[/#0000ff]
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[lunkerhunter2]

Thanks again for the trip Curt. Had a very good time today. Too bad our shifts collide. The catching could have been better but that isn't the whole point in going. That eye was absolutely delicious as well as the wiper.[cool]
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[Flycasting]

Nice report and slide show. [cool]
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[wiperhunter2]

Thats impressive, I sure would like to find out what those guys were using to catch all those eyes, did you by chance see where they were fishing? I thought 29 KB would be small enough to post in-line but I guess it is the width X height that was to big, is that correct? Love that slide show Pat you do some great work, could you send me that picture of LH2 and myself, thanks.
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[Hellsangler69]

Hey Curt , last time I was out on the tub , we caught a walleye every hour along with some wipers to boot . We caught them eyes on lures just in case you need some help . Also they were about a mile and a half west of where I caught them last year . []
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[wiperhunter2]

Thanks for the help Randy, I know that spot[].
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[wiperhunter2]

I enjoyed getting out there and finally fishing with you also bro, glad you enjoyed the eye.
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[Kent]

There you go Randy hot-spotting again![] Double shame on you because you even gave specific details on what you were using.[]
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[RiverRat77]

Good job Pat... that was nice of you to take the old guy out on Willard for one of his "last trips". You'd be a good one to spend it with... I'm sure he had a good time. Looks like a nice calm day to get in some good fishing.[cool]
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[Hellsangler69]

I'll try to be more discreet next time . You know how I feel on hot spottin' .
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