05-02-2016, 11:57 AM
I was one of the few crazy ones who attempted to fish willard yesterday in the gale force winds; I knew I was in trouble when on the way up there from down south, the highway patrol was diverting big rigs off of the freeway due to high winds!
When I left Sandy at about 5:30, there wasnt even a breeze, and there were a few light clouds scattered up high, and so I left with unbridled optimism - and so I had no idea that just 40 miles north, the winds were maybe bad enough to create a FEMA event. Strange how in such a short geographical span, the winds were that different. Utah.
You all know how it is though, you're on the way there and saying to yourself, "well, this is a bust, I ought to just turn around and go home and mow the yard or paint the fence, or give the dog a bath", but of course after falling asleep with visions of walleyes dancing in my head and great gobs of crappies coming to hand, I pressed on, figuring that I'd just fish the north marina at least (having been recently inspired by tube dudes writeup on just the north marina and all of its fishy treasures).
Alas, I have no glorious stories to share, even though I had visions of battling many great fish, in the rough elements, being tossed about on the waves, while lesser beings spent their mornings in domestic environs, occasionally peering out the window while looking up from caulking the backsplash, scrubbing the toilet, or changing the batteries in the smoke detector...
Long preamble, but here is the report: I trolled and jigged the entire marina, multiple times, with a variety of offerings and had no takers from the hoped for walleye or wipers. Fished the flooded brush (of which there is a lot of this year) and the docks, in pursuit of the elusive slab sided crappie, with jigs, jigs under a bobber, small spinnerbaits, and flies, with not even a tentative nibble. I marked very few fish in the north marina; some singles, and the occasional double or triple, but no clusters of fish found. There were maybe a half dozen bank fishermen also brave enough to tackle the tornado, who appeared to be striking out as well. I was not brave enough to head out into the main lake. Water temps were about 55 - 56 degrees. Kind of a bust, but I gave it a try by golly, and I'll be back...and when it does happen, I'll certainly know that I "paid my dues" as the old timers say.
- tight lines. RW
[signature]
When I left Sandy at about 5:30, there wasnt even a breeze, and there were a few light clouds scattered up high, and so I left with unbridled optimism - and so I had no idea that just 40 miles north, the winds were maybe bad enough to create a FEMA event. Strange how in such a short geographical span, the winds were that different. Utah.
You all know how it is though, you're on the way there and saying to yourself, "well, this is a bust, I ought to just turn around and go home and mow the yard or paint the fence, or give the dog a bath", but of course after falling asleep with visions of walleyes dancing in my head and great gobs of crappies coming to hand, I pressed on, figuring that I'd just fish the north marina at least (having been recently inspired by tube dudes writeup on just the north marina and all of its fishy treasures).
Alas, I have no glorious stories to share, even though I had visions of battling many great fish, in the rough elements, being tossed about on the waves, while lesser beings spent their mornings in domestic environs, occasionally peering out the window while looking up from caulking the backsplash, scrubbing the toilet, or changing the batteries in the smoke detector...
Long preamble, but here is the report: I trolled and jigged the entire marina, multiple times, with a variety of offerings and had no takers from the hoped for walleye or wipers. Fished the flooded brush (of which there is a lot of this year) and the docks, in pursuit of the elusive slab sided crappie, with jigs, jigs under a bobber, small spinnerbaits, and flies, with not even a tentative nibble. I marked very few fish in the north marina; some singles, and the occasional double or triple, but no clusters of fish found. There were maybe a half dozen bank fishermen also brave enough to tackle the tornado, who appeared to be striking out as well. I was not brave enough to head out into the main lake. Water temps were about 55 - 56 degrees. Kind of a bust, but I gave it a try by golly, and I'll be back...and when it does happen, I'll certainly know that I "paid my dues" as the old timers say.
- tight lines. RW
[signature]
