Willard Wipers Are On!!!

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Met up with Flycasting this morning for a whack at Willard...north marina. Gate was closed at 5:45. Drove around and launched just before 6. Calm and clear...no bugs. Water temp 76 at launch. Only slightly murky. Looks like the level has dropped almost a foot since I was last there...over a week ago. Thus begins the water drawdown. Hope it doesn't drop too far too fast.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No long drawn out story. We fished minnows on one line and either plastic tubes or crankbaits on the second rod. Nothin' but bait biters until after the sun was well on the water. Then the kitties got very frisky...on both minnows and small plastics. I lost a nice crappie by trying to lift it aboard instead of netting it...white plastic. Also caught a chunky bluegill on the white plastic as well as several small cats. Lost a nice smallmouth on it after a couple of jumps.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Flycasting was spankin' the kitties pretty good too. We both released a bunch, while keeping 8 to be ate. Shortly after 10, I caught our first wiper...a spunky 20 incher...on a minnow. Got a 17 incher a few minutes later. Then it was Flycasting's turn and he also got first a 20 and then one smaller.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I finally quit using bait altogether, as did FC. We both started slinging a series of small cranks. FC found a holding area and had several more wipers before I could get there...and then hung a freight train 23 incher as I reached the zone. He even released a few after keeping his limit. I bagged a few more small ones and since I had to head back to Salt Lake to pick up my vehicle, we had to leave a school of hot wipers I kept my limit and we boogied. Water temp was moving toward 80 when we hit the ramp.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Since Tyler is fishing in the tournament, I will be suitably vague on place and lure details. He can divulge more info if he wants.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Always fun fishing with Tyler. We usually manage to spank a few fish together. Kinda kinky, huh.[/#0000ff]
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[duffygould]

what a great way to start out your day. I'm telling you, you keep posting reports and I'll have to convince my wife to move us to Utah[laugh]. Great catch guys!
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[Majja]

WOO HOO. Way to go guys. Looks like it was a stellar day at Willard.

Tyler Good luck on Sat.

TD that is some mighty nice looking bling you have made.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Glad you appreciate my "decorations". I started adding prism tape and glitter to standard lures several years ago. I have proven to myself that the "bling" models outfish the standard stuff. Even the "stock" lures you buy, with holo or prism finish seem to outperform the "plain Jane" ones in the same sizes and models. [/#0000ff]
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[Majja]

Have you started using you new airbrush at all? If so how do you like it.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I can't get it to work with the vinyl paints, unless I thin them way down. And then it does not make a good paint job.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I don't like it.[/#0000ff]
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[IrishFloatTube]

TD Nice report on a good session.

Those wipers look fun. Sorry we don't have them over here. In a warm summer they would liven things up a bit.

Do you find that a "prismed" lure of a certain size tends to work in the same way as a similar but larger size "unprismed" lure?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Not sure if you are familiar with what our "wipers" are. They are an infertile hybrid between our striped bass and their smaller cousin the white bass. They are agressive predators on smaller species, but since they do not reproduce they are ideal for our fisheries departments to plant into waters that have an excess of forage or problem species. They get large and provide great sport without having their population become a separate problem.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]These fish hit harder and fight harder than almost any other species I have ever caught...anywhere. I fish them on med. light spinning tackle and 6# line, so I get my moneys' worth on every fish. With good quality line, good knots and a properly set drag, there is no need to lose a fish...except if they are inexperienced and do not know how to hang on.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Interesting question about the lure sizes and colors. The gizzard shad, which are the primary forage base in Willard Bay Reservoir, can grow up to 15 inches or so, but the young are the targets of the predators. Much of the year the average "yearling" shad are about 3"-4", and various lures in those sizes work best. However, at this time of year, the baby shad, from the recent spawning, are only about 1 - 1 1/2" long and the wipers are just starting to "pattern" on them. They will still munch a larger shad if it swims by, but the wipers school up in packs and herd the smaller ones into large "bait balls" and then attack them in mass. We call that a "boil" and if you can find one in progress it does not matter what you throw into the melee, you will catch fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When the wipers are not actively herding a school of shad, they will occasionally find singles or small groups and go on brief feeding binges. Or, they will just pick off the occasional straggler. Presenting them with a small lure, at this time, seems to get more hits than larger lures. AND...having reflective prism tape (which does a good job of imitating the mirror finish of a shad) on your lure sometimes gets more bites than even a regular "chrome" finish.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]On any given day, we do not know what mood the fish are going to be in...if we can even find them. They move around a lot. So, we begin in areas we have done well before and then watch our sonar as we move around searching. Once we find an area with fish on the screen, we begin the process of changing lures until we find one the fish vote for. And, we remain alert to a change in the mood of the fish. For awhile they may hit a certain size and color, and then for no explainable reason they will start taking something else. But, fishing the same area all day with the same lure is almost a guarantee that you will not do well...unless you get very lucky and have a large school of active fish move in and approve of the lure you are throwing. But, you cannot bank on that happening very often.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I tend to believe that it is all about what the fish see. When the water is clear they can see colors, sizes and patterns more easily and will attack a lure from a longer distance. But, when the water is colder and murky, you have to get the lure closer to the fish and it helps to have extra flash, wiggle and vibration. Most fish have sensitive lateral lines and can hunt without having to see their food. But, having something attractive to "seal the deal" when they catch up to the vibration will get more bites and more solid hookups. The closer your offering to the size and color of the natural forage can make a difference too.[/#0000ff]
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[Majja]

TD how doe you get the prism tape on so well. DO you have some patterns or do you put it on and trim off what you need with an exacto knife
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I usually make several lures at one time, so it is worthwhile to take the time to carefully cut out a "template"...fitting as I go. When it is just right, I place it over the sheet of prism tape, mark the outline as many times as I need to, and then cut out the pieces with small sharp scissors.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Applying the tape to rounded hardbaits requires a careful touch...and also a small slit or two around the edges to remove "curve bubbles". On flat metal lures or lipless cranks the pieces usually fit right. However, on spoons, I sometimes just rough cut the prism tape and then make a quick run around the edge with a razor blade.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have been using prism tape for many years to liven up spinners and other lures. Once you get the hang of it, it is not too difficult to work with. Be happy to demo my techniques next time you are over.[/#0000ff]
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[Majja]

Sounds good as I would like to see how you make the template.
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