11-17-2013, 06:11 PM
[#0000FF]Sorry you had a bad day. There are two main factors for me...on Willard or anyplace else. Timing (weather) and location...for active fish.
I usually go early in the morning...not so much because of a silly notion the fish bite better, but because that is typically the calmest time of day. Once the wind kicks up I can no longer use my finesse fishing techniques. Plus, I just ain't able to stay out as long when I have to keep kicking against the wind. That being said, the fishing is often better later in the day this time of year. Water is usually warmer at the end of a sunny day than after a night of cold temps. But if an onshore wind comes up it can make the fish move out into deeper water.
Equally important is location. If your access is limited than you have to fish wherever you can get to the water. But if you have choices then try to fish where the fish have been showing up. Check current reports and consult your past fishing logs. Without good intel you will be gambling on success. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
I have fished Willard since the 1970s and I have a pretty fair knowledge of how the fish act during different times of the year...and under varying water conditions. I don't always catch a lot of fish but I am seldom skunked. I like to think that it is a combo of art and science. But that old four-letter word LUCK also plays a big part.
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I usually go early in the morning...not so much because of a silly notion the fish bite better, but because that is typically the calmest time of day. Once the wind kicks up I can no longer use my finesse fishing techniques. Plus, I just ain't able to stay out as long when I have to keep kicking against the wind. That being said, the fishing is often better later in the day this time of year. Water is usually warmer at the end of a sunny day than after a night of cold temps. But if an onshore wind comes up it can make the fish move out into deeper water.
Equally important is location. If your access is limited than you have to fish wherever you can get to the water. But if you have choices then try to fish where the fish have been showing up. Check current reports and consult your past fishing logs. Without good intel you will be gambling on success. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
I have fished Willard since the 1970s and I have a pretty fair knowledge of how the fish act during different times of the year...and under varying water conditions. I don't always catch a lot of fish but I am seldom skunked. I like to think that it is a combo of art and science. But that old four-letter word LUCK also plays a big part.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]