Post Storm Cats At Willard

[obifishkenobi]

Fished Willard today with Randy, Scott and Juma, not nearly as good as last Saturday we only put 12 in the box today. Same setups and area, as last Saturday when we got 32, but the fish were much more tentative, a number of pop and drops. Good news is I lost a wheel bearing on my way to the Lake giving me an excuse to leave my boat at Willard and returning tomorrow morning to fish and then install a new hub assembly. The great thing about a random axel trailer with a fairly light boat is when you lose a bearing you can just pulled the wheel off and keep going on three wheels. 
?

[fast_randy]

Still a great time on Willard. So com yesterday. Water was like glass. Smoothest I ever remember seeing it.

[Troutster]

Thanks for the report.  Does it look like the water level has stabilized or is it still dropping?  How was the water clarity after that storm?

[obifishkenobi]

Thanks for the report.  Does it look like the water level has stabilized or is it still dropping?  How was the water clarity after that storm?

Water level is stable has not changed in a couple weeks. The water is dirty but stable as well.

[Dirt Bag]

Thank you for sharing you adventures. Keep on keepin on.

[MrShane]

Thanks for the report.  Does it look like the water level has stabilized or is it still dropping?  How was the water clarity after that storm?

Water level is stable has not changed in a couple weeks. The water is dirty but stable as well.

Obi, what is your guess how much lower Willard is now then it was in May?
If low enough I would like to go try to find my pole I lost in May.
Thanks!

[BURLEY]

MS, I went out this morning and near the light pole, the water drops from 6ft at 10 yds from the dike down to 14 ft about 30 yds out. stays 14 out from there. I was the only boat in North marina. I dragged cranks up on down the dike and ended with 1 small SM and 1 cat about 20 inches. 
      I bumped my skag close to the dock when I launched. Channel is 7 ft at deepest.
      In early June level was at 4225 ft. it is now at 4214 ft . according to the Bureau of Reclamation site. 
 usbr.gov/uc/water/hydrodata/reservoir_data/site_map.html

[obifishkenobi]

Thanks for the report.  Does it look like the water level has stabilized or is it still dropping?  How was the water clarity after that storm?

Water level is stable has not changed in a couple weeks. The water is dirty but stable as well.

Obi, what is your guess how much lower Willard is now then it was in May?
If low enough I would like to go try to find my pole I lost in May.
Thanks!

Water is 10-11’ lower than May. Unless you were in less than 11’ of water your pole is still likely under water.

[MrShane]

Thanks for the report.  Does it look like the water level has stabilized or is it still dropping?  How was the water clarity after that storm?

Water level is stable has not changed in a couple weeks. The water is dirty but stable as well.

Obi, what is your guess how much lower Willard is now then it was in May?
If low enough I would like to go try to find my pole I lost in May.
Thanks!

Water is 10-11’ lower than May. Unless you were in less than 11’ of water your pole is still likely under water.

Thanks!
Sounds like it is time to go look for it, hoping a shore angler did not find it first.
Is water clarity even good enough to see in to water even 2-3 feet?
I was in appx. 8’ but zigzagging between 6’ and 12’.
It was not connected to a fish at the time I dropped it but I had just freshly reloaded a crawler harness when I dropped it so it is very likely the new State record Walleye picked it up and moved it!
Have not lost a pole in over 45 years since a little kid and then I lose two in ten days, one in Powell and then this one in Willard…

[obifishkenobi]

Thanks for the report.  Does it look like the water level has stabilized or is it still dropping?  How was the water clarity after that storm?

Water level is stable has not changed in a couple weeks. The water is dirty but stable as well.

Obi, what is your guess how much lower Willard is now then it was in May?
If low enough I would like to go try to find my pole I lost in May.
Thanks!

Water is 10-11’ lower than May. Unless you were in less than 11’ of water your pole is still likely under water.

Thanks!
Sounds like it is time to go look for it, hoping a shore angler did not find it first.
Is water clarity even good enough to see in to water even 2-3 feet?
I was in appx. 8’ but zigzagging between 6’ and 12’.
It was not connected to a fish at the time I dropped it but I had just freshly reloaded a crawler harness when I dropped it so it is very likely the new State record Walleye picked it up and moved it!
Have not lost a pole in over 45 years since a little kid and then I lose two in ten days, one in Powell and then this one in Willard…

The water is pretty dirty, when we land fish I can’t see them at the barrel swivel which means visibility is only around a foot.

[MrShane]

Water level is stable has not changed in a couple weeks. The water is dirty but stable as well.

Obi, what is your guess how much lower Willard is now then it was in May?
If low enough I would like to go try to find my pole I lost in May.
Thanks!

Water is 10-11’ lower than May. Unless you were in less than 11’ of water your pole is still likely under water.

Thanks!
Sounds like it is time to go look for it, hoping a shore angler did not find it first.
Is water clarity even good enough to see in to water even 2-3 feet?
I was in appx. 8’ but zigzagging between 6’ and 12’.
It was not connected to a fish at the time I dropped it but I had just freshly reloaded a crawler harness when I dropped it so it is very likely the new State record Walleye picked it up and moved it!
Have not lost a pole in over 45 years since a little kid and then I lose two in ten days, one in Powell and then this one in Willard…

The water is pretty dirty, when we land fish I can’t see them at the barrel swivel which means visibility is only around a foot.

Dang, 1’ is all?
Winds have it stirred up?
Algae bloom?
Thank you for info!

[TubeDude]

Obi, what is your guess how much lower Willard is now then it was in May?
If low enough I would like to go try to find my pole I lost in May.
Thanks!

Water is 10-11’ lower than May. Unless you were in less than 11’ of water your pole is still likely under water.

Thanks!
Sounds like it is time to go look for it, hoping a shore angler did not find it first.
Is water clarity even good enough to see in to water even 2-3 feet?
I was in appx. 8’ but zigzagging between 6’ and 12’.
It was not connected to a fish at the time I dropped it but I had just freshly reloaded a crawler harness when I dropped it so it is very likely the new State record Walleye picked it up and moved it!
Have not lost a pole in over 45 years since a little kid and then I lose two in ten days, one in Powell and then this one in Willard…

The water is pretty dirty, when we land fish I can’t see them at the barrel swivel which means visibility is only around a foot.

Dang, 1’ is all?
Winds have it stirred up?
Algae bloom?
Thank you for info!

The lower the water gets the more any wind ripples or bow wakes stir up the mud.  The second downer is that all that suspended  silt in the water settles out to cover whatever you are looking for on the bottom.  So it's not likely to be very visible.

Since you have a pretty good idea where it is you might try doing very slow electric motor drags with either a garden rake on  rope or a couple of grappling hooks.  Have a buoy rigged and whenever you feel the slightest ding on your search tool, throw the buoy and then work the spot while stopped.   Good luck.

[MrShane]

Water is 10-11’ lower than May. Unless you were in less than 11’ of water your pole is still likely under water.

Thanks!
Sounds like it is time to go look for it, hoping a shore angler did not find it first.
Is water clarity even good enough to see in to water even 2-3 feet?
I was in appx. 8’ but zigzagging between 6’ and 12’.
It was not connected to a fish at the time I dropped it but I had just freshly reloaded a crawler harness when I dropped it so it is very likely the new State record Walleye picked it up and moved it!
Have not lost a pole in over 45 years since a little kid and then I lose two in ten days, one in Powell and then this one in Willard…

The water is pretty dirty, when we land fish I can’t see them at the barrel swivel which means visibility is only around a foot.

Dang, 1’ is all?
Winds have it stirred up?
Algae bloom?
Thank you for info!

The lower the water gets the more any wind ripples or bow wakes stir up the mud.  The second downer is that all that suspended  silt in the water settles out to cover whatever you are looking for on the bottom.  So it's not likely to be very visible.

Since you have a pretty good idea where it is you might try doing very slow electric motor drags with either a garden rake on  rope or a couple of grappling hooks.  Have a buoy rigged and whenever you feel the slightest ding on your search tool, throw the buoy and then work the spot while stopped.   Good luck.

Pat you just stirred up some old memories of an airboating incident we had in my friends boat on UL about 20 yrs ago.
He loaded the front a little heavy in a windstorm and speared some waves that tipped us too much to one side and we scooped about 8” water in the boat.
The wave ripped off the front cargo which consisted of his son’s gun, and both of my buddy’s guns.
One a Browning A5 and an Ithaca 10 gauge.
I came home, welded about 6 big hooks to a t-post, and went back with my Jon boat.
After about 8 hrs dragging my homemade ‘rake’, we recovered the A5 and also the Ithaca 10.
We never did snag his son’s gun.
I did return to Willard the following week after I dropped my pole in, dragging some large trebles, but did not connect.
I am planning to head to Powell in about a month as the reservoir drops, that pole in Powell was my favorite pole ever (caught it in DC a few years ago BB’ing), and it has a new Stradic on it.