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[#0000FF]Met up with SkunkedAgain (SA) at the Willard Bay north marina about 6:30. Air temp 60 and water temp 67 at launch. Water warmed to 73 by noonish.
We were both dragging minnows and casting plastic before 7. But the fish slept in and didn't get active for a while. Over an hour before I got a serious bite...and that was from a mosquito. Caught my first cookie cutter kitty right afterward.
We moved in and out and made S turns, trying to find some marks on our sonars that didn't have the upraised middle fins. As the water temp warmed a couple of degrees and the sun hit the water the bites started happening. But not all inquiries resulted in fish to net. Nay, not so. Many were the halfhearted munches of smaller fish or educated larger fish.
Then the radio soap opera began. I had to listen to one sob story after another on my walkie talkie, as SA missed bites, lost fish, had lines broken, etc. After about 3 hours of fishing he was living up to his name. Then the fish dieties showed him some love and he got in the game. Ended up with four decent cookie cutter kitties, an 11 inch perch and an 18.5 inch wiper that was his personal best. He was a campy hamper...or however that goes.
After scratching out a couple of kittens in 9 feet of water...and nothing else...I moved in shallower. Once I started working 6-7 feet of water I got into a couple of kitty condos and got several in quick succession. Kept a limit of 8 and released several more. Had one reel zinger that came unbuttoned. I say it was a wiper and the rule is that it can be anything you say it is unless someone else sees it and disputes your claim.
Still too warm for prime fall walleye fishing. But soon. Also saw a lot of crappie-lookin' sonar marks at middepth. They should get more active soon too.
The water was like glass most of the time. Don'tcha just hate it when that happens? Weather forecast said it would be 8-10 mph winds. Sometimes it is good when they are wrong.
Didn't see any surface activity at all...besides some tail slappy carp. Oh yeah, and a few small shad smacking the dead midges on the morning surface.
Good to fish with ya again, Jeff. Glad you could make it and glad you didn't smell skunky. You done jes fine fer yerself. Now to get you bendo on some BIG wipers and walleyes.
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Just loving all the fall kitty reports. I assume the cats coming home are headed for the smoker?
Nice perch skunked "not this time".
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Lookin good as usual and seems SA got. Little of your fishin luck this go around.
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We had the same plan - to get out there early - then work called and we got delayed. Both of you did far better than we did.
We didn't get launched until 1:30 (not the best of times to be heading out, but it's what had so we decided to make the most of it).
We trolled with everything from Rat-L traps and jointed rapalas to night crawler harnesses and varied our speed anywhere from 1.3 to 3 and only managed one bite - one fish - a 4-5" wiper on a red blade nc harness. Nothing else - nada... (sorry didn't keep it long enough for picture). We finally called it day at 5:15 when evening fishing is just about to begin. ![[Image: beaten.gif]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/images/gforum/beaten.gif)
It was still great conditions with sun and calm waters - just had hoped for a better outcome - but we can say, we too were not skunked!
Better luck (and timing) next time...
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Sounds like a good lunch break after work [  ]
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Hey Pat, thank you very much for the company, chubs and that smoked kitty was wonderful. Sure wish I could make mine taste like that. Fun day even if I did lose more hooks and tackle that usual. Those wiper freight trains are rough on my tackle supply. Now you get the night time soaps. Anyway I hadn't quite gotten my fill so I hit the home pond for another hour and got me a nice crappie and a pair of smallies for a five species day. One of my better days that way. Thanks again. Jeff
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[quote TyeDyeTwins]Just loving all the fall kitty reports. I assume the cats coming home are headed for the smoker? [/quote]
[#0000FF]Even though the Skunkman got the last few pieces of my most recent batch of smokitty the Willard cookies are destined for the grill or the fryer...not the smoker. They are some of the best tasting cats in the US and they are just the right size for frying or grilling.
Will probably score a few more good smokers from UL in the next couple of weeks and then I will rest my smoker until whitefish time on Bear Lake.
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[#0000FF]I think Willard Bay and Mama Nature are at least half sisters...both female...both fickle. If you don't catch them in the right mood they can both be nasty.
At least one of the girls (Mama Nature) was in a good mood yesterday.
Sorry you didn't get more love from t'other one.
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[#0000FF]Sounds like you just can't stay away from the water if there's fishin' to be done. Glad you had a nice finish, with a couple more species.
But...you gotta change line. That 12 pound stuff you were using yesterday cost you a couple of good fish. I seldom use more than 8# (Excalibur) and NEVER have fish break it. In fact, I just about have to pull my tube down into the water if I need to break it off on a snag.
Glad you liked the smoky stuff. I'll be glad to send you that recipe. But as I said, the keys are to smoke the catfish longer and slower than you might for trout...to get rid of as much moisture and oils as possible. I take mine almost all the way to jerky.
I did enjoy the day. Hope we can do it again some more. Lotsa good fall fishing ahead.
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I still can't figure out why my line had so many issues yesterday, I've been horsing in lots of big cats all summer and not had a problem, but i think those wiper bites are so fast I didn't have time to do any of my usual fighting techniques and so they snapped it before I could get ahold of the rod. Good fighting fish yesterday, it was fun!
When I got home I still had an hour before my girls got home and since I took the day off work I figured it might be my last chance to catch a big cat for the contest, so I went for a quick one, but no cats wanted to play.
Look forward to maybe trying Utah Lake with you, that would be fun to chase some eyes. Thank you for the invite. I'll PM my email address for those smoking cat tips. Thanks Pat, later J
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Sounds like a very nice day on the Bay, hope I can do half as good this evening if the wind isn't too bad[:/]. Sound like the wipers are moving to shallow water with the cooling water temps. Did you notice if the water was any clearer, since you last visit to Willard?
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[#0000FF]Wipers follow the shad...and shad sometimes move into the shallows...either from the wind or following their food...the zooplankton and midge larvae. I have had days in the past when I got into wipers right next to shore along Eagle Beach...or back up in the marina along the east shoreline.
The water was definitely cleaner than on previous trips. The coming storm will probably drop both the clarity and the temps. Not good for "wiper hunters" but helpful to those who prefer walleyes.
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Hey Jeff, that Tube you were floatin in sure looks like you been copying Tube Dudes rig. Was on WB last Saturday for about 4 hours, not a single bite. First WB skunk for me since late May. But the weather was nice, and the power squadron was noticeably absent. Hope to get on the water again this weekend, but one of those 2 sisters TD was mentioning (Mama nature) looks to be set to start fussing again.
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Hey Forest, I might have gotten a few tips, ideas and pointers from Pat along the way as I built up my toon. Mine is a little more redneck farmer with less talent and skill than Pats craft, so I doubt he will admit any association, but it sure is fun to fish from. I love having everything right at my finger tips. Pat was pointing out my need for a quick rod holder yesterday and I do need one of those, so I guess I have a new project for a rainy day. I did do one thing that most floaters don't like, I put my motor in front of me and I like it there so much better. Yesterday I had my toon with a 30lb thrust motor trolling at 3.2-3.4 mph. Which may not sound like much but that was almost like pulling a skier to me, had to slow down in the wake less zone. I'm thinking I'll really like this toon its a lot of fun. Later J
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