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10-06-2022, 11:42 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-07-2022, 12:33 AM by wiperhunter2.)
Ira and I got out to Willard today, launching around 8am, fishing until a little after 1pm. Saw Tincan out there as he was going in for the day but he was gone by the time we got in, so no word on how he did. We ended up staying just outside the North marina all day, picking up 8 cats up to 24" and one 21" wiper. All were caught fligging with either blue and silver or pink tiger and chub meat. We tried other colors but no success, pink tiger fligs caught all but two cats, including the wiper. Water temp was 64 degrees when we arrived and got up to 68 by the time we left. Only one boat on the lake when we arrived but it wasn't long before boat after boat came out, including one wake board boat and a float tube. Most of our cats were caught in 8 to 9 FOW but one cat and the wiper was caught in 6 FOW. Nice day up until noon when it started getting hot and the breeze died but all in all a decent day.
![[Image: iras-wiper.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/TpLGt44s/iras-wiper.jpg)
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Glad you got a few fish...including a wiper. Hope I didn't sorelip all the fish before you got there.
Were you seeing a lot of fish on TV?
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(10-07-2022, 01:36 PM)TubeDude Wrote: Glad you got a few fish...including a wiper. Hope I didn't sorelip all the fish before you got there.
Were you seeing a lot of fish on TV?
Compared to when we do better we saw fewer fish yesterday but more in that area than we saw on our last trip out there.
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10-14-2022, 09:43 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-15-2022, 01:16 AM by wiperhunter2.)
Ira and I got up to Willard again yesterday and it was slower than the week before. He wanted to troll cranks so we did for half the time we were there, starting over near the Light pole. We trolled at 1.5 mph or slower and tried lures even worm harnesses with no luck, finally switching over to fligs North of the Feed lot when we started marking lots of fish on the bottom. We picked up two cats but nothing over 22". For the last couple of hours we moved over to just outside the North marina and picked up two more cats but they were less than 21". Pink tiger fligs, were the ticket yesterday. We had a few perchy type bites but no hook ups. Water temp was under 60 degrees when we launched around 8am and got up to 64 before we got off around 2pm. Saw Red Rebel and his family at the launch but never heard if he had any success. Also talked to EyLayo when we got back in and he did not have any luck. Much less boats out there this week, only about 4 but one of them was a wake board boat. Heard there was a minor fish kill out there with a few cats, walleye and wipers found along the shore but nothing major. Time to try another lake next week.
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Bummer there wasn’t more action for you guys
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(10-14-2022, 10:15 PM)2knots Wrote: Bummer there wasn’t more action for you guys
Yea, thats fishing, it can't be good all the time. I heard Pat, Shawn and Randy were out there today, hopefully they have a better report.
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(10-14-2022, 10:54 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: (10-14-2022, 10:15 PM)2knots Wrote: Bummer there wasn’t more action for you guys
Yea, thats fishing, it can't be good all the time. I heard Pat, Shawn and Randy were out there today, hopefully they have a better report. I'll wait for Shawn to post a report. I didn't even take a camera today.
Randy couldn't make it. His brother and nephew were killed in a car wreck late yesterday. But Shawn and I got out...along with a new potential BFTer...Larry Erickson...another oldster. He met up with me to acquire some fligs and Shawn invited him to join us. Great guy and we had a good time.
Not a wide open bite today. I'll let Shawn fill in the details. But when Larry and I climbed out of the boat a bit after noon we only had about five cats and one perch between us (I got 3 of the cats and the perch...on pink tiger whirly fligs). Shawn headed back out after we left and I hope he found some more fish.
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(10-14-2022, 09:43 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: Ira and I got up to Willard again yesterday and it was slower than the week before. He wanted to troll cranks so we did for half the time we were there, starting over near the Light pole. We trolled at 1.5 mph or slower and tried lures even worm harnesses with no luck, finally switching over to fligs North of the Feed lot when we started marking lots of fish on the bottom. We picked up two cats but nothing over 22". For the last couple of hours we moved over to just outside the North marina and picked up two more cats but they were less than 21". Pink tiger fligs, were the ticket yesterday. We had a few perchy type bites but no hook ups. Water temp was under 60 degrees when we launched around 8am and got up to 64 before we got off around 2pm. Saw Red Rebel and his family at the launch but never heard if he had any success. Much less boats out there this week, only about 4 but one of them was a wake board boat. Heard there was a minor fish kill out there with a few cats, walleye and wipers found along the shore but nothing major. Time to try another lake next week.
Thanks for the details, looks like this fall is not going to give us much from willard.
What depths did you find at the light pole? Is the island out of the water?
I hope to get up there next week. Looking for 50 degree water.
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10-15-2022, 12:14 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-15-2022, 12:22 AM by obifishkenobi.)
(10-14-2022, 11:10 PM)TubeDude Wrote: (10-14-2022, 10:54 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: (10-14-2022, 10:15 PM)2knots Wrote: Bummer there wasn’t more action for you guys
Yea, thats fishing, it can't be good all the time. I heard Pat, Shawn and Randy were out there today, hopefully they have a better report. I'll wait for Shawn to post a report. I didn't even take a camera today.
Randy couldn't make it. His brother and nephew were killed in a car wreck late yesterday. But Shawn and I got out...along with a new potential BFTer...Larry Erickson...another oldster. He met up with me to acquire some fligs and Shawn invited him to join us. Great guy and we had a good time.
Not a wide open bite today. I'll let Shawn fill in the details. But when Larry and I climbed out of the boat a bit after noon we only had about five cats and one perch between us (I got 3 of the cats and the perch...on pink tiger whirly fligs). Shawn headed back out after we left and I hope he found some more fish. I caught 4 more cats out by the light pole after I dropped off Pat and Larry around 1pm and left at 4pm. It was good fishing with Pat, him and I have fished a lot of the same places both fresh and salt water in South East Idaho and Southern and Northern California. I was able to restock my flig supplies, but I forgot to give him the preserves I brought for him, It will give me an excuse to stop by his place and tell more stories next time I go into my office in Taylorsville.
(10-15-2022, 12:14 AM)obifishkenobi Wrote: (10-14-2022, 11:10 PM)TubeDude Wrote: (10-14-2022, 10:54 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: (10-14-2022, 10:15 PM)2knots Wrote: Bummer there wasn’t more action for you guys
Yea, thats fishing, it can't be good all the time. I heard Pat, Shawn and Randy were out there today, hopefully they have a better report. I'll wait for Shawn to post a report. I didn't even take a camera today.
Randy couldn't make it. His brother and nephew were killed in a car wreck late yesterday. But Shawn and I got out...along with a new potential BFTer...Larry Erickson...another oldster. He met up with me to acquire some fligs and Shawn invited him to join us. Great guy and we had a good time.
Not a wide open bite today. I'll let Shawn fill in the details. But when Larry and I climbed out of the boat a bit after noon we only had about five cats and one perch between us (I got 3 of the cats and the perch...on pink tiger whirly fligs). Shawn headed back out after we left and I hope he found some more fish. I caught 4 more cats out by the light pole after I dropped off Pat and Larry around 1pm and left at 4pm. It was good fishing with Pat, him and I have fished a lot of the same places both fresh and salt water in South East Idaho and Southern and Northern California. I was able to restock my flig supplies, but I forgot to give him the preserves I brought for him, It will give me an excuse to stop by his place and tell more stories next time I go into my office in Taylorsville. On another note any you guys that know Fast Randy you should send him a personal message he really hurting right with the loss of his brother and nephew yesterday, he was all set to come down and join us with chicken marinaded in his secrect sauce until he got the news last night.
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(10-15-2022, 12:06 AM)doitall5000 Wrote: (10-14-2022, 09:43 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: Ira and I got up to Willard again yesterday and it was slower than the week before. He wanted to troll cranks so we did for half the time we were there, starting over near the Light pole. We trolled at 1.5 mph or slower and tried lures even worm harnesses with no luck, finally switching over to fligs North of the Feed lot when we started marking lots of fish on the bottom. We picked up two cats but nothing over 22". For the last couple of hours we moved over to just outside the North marina and picked up two more cats but they were less than 21". Pink tiger fligs, were the ticket yesterday. We had a few perchy type bites but no hook ups. Water temp was under 60 degrees when we launched around 8am and got up to 64 before we got off around 2pm. Saw Red Rebel and his family at the launch but never heard if he had any success. Much less boats out there this week, only about 4 but one of them was a wake board boat. Heard there was a minor fish kill out there with a few cats, walleye and wipers found along the shore but nothing major. Time to try another lake next week.
Thanks for the details, looks like this fall is not going to give us much from willard.
What depths did you find at the light pole? Is the island out of the water?
I hope to get up there next week. Looking for 50 degree water.
We never got all the way to the light pole, the deepest water we found was 12 ft, we stayed pretty close to the North dike. We did not see the Island out of the water but we never got very close to it. If these temps stay this warm, I doubt it will drop down to 50 degrees by next week.
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Glad you guys did better than Ira and I did, was there any size to the perch you caught Pat?
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I swung by the island today. There is a boulder approximately a foot in diameter that is several inches out of the water. Not too much exposed, but enough that a gull was able to stand instead of float. Should also note the exposed part is a bit west of the buoy.
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(10-15-2022, 01:05 AM)EyLayo Wrote: I swung by the island today. There is a boulder approximately a foot in diameter that is several inches out of the water. Not too much exposed, but enough that a gull was able to stand instead of float. Should also note the exposed part is a bit west of the buoy.
Forgot to mention I talked to you yesterday Shawn, it was good seeing you again. Did you have any luck today?
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Jigged up 4 cats is all. Pats pink glitter ultra minnow tipped with crawler. Not a good day, but 4 times better than yesterday
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(10-15-2022, 01:52 AM)EyLayo Wrote: Jigged up 4 cats is all. Pats pink glitter ultra minnow tipped with crawler. Not a good day, but 4 times better than yesterday
Nice, what part of the lake did you catch them?
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A tad bit west of the rocks I was playing in yesterday
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(10-15-2022, 12:44 AM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: Glad you guys did better than Ira and I did, was there any size to the perch you caught Pat? Didn't measure and did not take my camera. But I'm guesstimating it was a healthy footlong. I missed several other "perchlike" pokes. In this stained water situation I'm guessing that a slow or vertical presentation is what it's going to take to score many perch. They are sight feeders and don't move very far or very fast to chomp a lure.
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(10-14-2022, 09:43 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: Ira and I got up to Willard again yesterday and it was slower than the week before. He wanted to troll cranks so we did for half the time we were there, starting over near the Light pole. We trolled at 1.5 mph or slower and tried lures even worm harnesses with no luck, finally switching over to fligs North of the Feed lot when we started marking lots of fish on the bottom. We picked up two cats but nothing over 22". For the last couple of hours we moved over to just outside the North marina and picked up two more cats but they were less than 21". Pink tiger fligs, were the ticket yesterday. We had a few perchy type bites but no hook ups. Water temp was under 60 degrees when we launched around 8am and got up to 64 before we got off around 2pm. Saw Red Rebel and his family at the launch but never heard if he had any success. Also talked to EyLayo when we got back in and he did not have any luck. Much less boats out there this week, only about 4 but one of them was a wake board boat. Heard there was a minor fish kill out there with a few cats, walleye and wipers found along the shore but nothing major. Time to try another lake next week.
Best skunk day ever….. we headed straight for the southwest structure and had no luck trolling cranks. Headed to the island and freeway bay with no luck on cranks that usually have some success. We headed in about noon.
Sometimes we have to realize that fishing isn’t about catching. It’s not often that I can get the wife, kids and dogs in one spot. It was great family time.
Always good to see wiperhunter2!!!
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10-15-2022, 02:41 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-15-2022, 02:43 PM by wiperhunter2.)
(10-15-2022, 01:49 PM)Redrebel Wrote: Best skunk day ever….. we headed straight for the southwest structure and had no luck trolling cranks. Headed to the island and freeway bay with no luck on cranks that usually have some success. We headed in about noon.
Sometimes we have to realize that fishing isn’t about catching. It’s not often that I can get the wife, kids and dogs in one spot. It was great family time.
Always good to see wiperhunter2!!!
Did you happen to see a pump on the shore in that SW corner? Always great to get out with the wife and kids, even if the catching isn't happening. Good seeing you as well.
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(10-15-2022, 01:49 PM)Redrebel Wrote: Best skunk day ever….. we headed straight for the southwest structure and had no luck trolling cranks. Headed to the island and freeway bay with no luck on cranks that usually have some success. We headed in about noon.
Sometimes we have to realize that fishing isn’t about catching. It’s not often that I can get the wife, kids and dogs in one spot. It was great family time.
Always good to see wiperhunter2!!!
What a lot of us are finding is that fast-moving lures...like cranks...just don't work as well in the currently "stained" water conditions at Willard. The extreme low water has exposed soft mud bottom all around the lake...and whenever the wind blows the waves stir up the mud and it stays in the water for a long time. Even though some fish...like wipers and walleyes...have sensitive lateral lines that pick up lure vibrations, they can't react quickly enough to a passing lure to find it and eat it. Gotta fish low, slow and with "sweetener" (bait and/or scents).
But, as you pointed out, the quality and success of a fishing trip is not always based upon catch rates. At least that's what we say when we smell skunk.
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