Willard Bay on Monday

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Our original plan was to hit Willard on Wednesday. An iffy weather forecast suggested we move it up to Monday. So, we launched our tubes about 7 AM this morning. Air temp was 53 and water temp was 67 at launch...warming to 74 when we ramped back up around 1. It is still kinda murky, although visibility improved during the calm morning.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water level has stayed about the same for the last three weeks...5 feet at the ramp, 7 feet mid channel and 3.5 feet at the shallow hump as you go into the main lake. Should be good for almost any fishing boat. Just don't turn right or left for at least a couple hundred yards going out.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Our main target today was wipers, but we also wanted to bring in a limit of cookie cutter kitties. We have a fish fry to furnish for the family in Idaho next weekend. They all love the Willard Kitties.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Started out throwing the usual crankbaits and plastics. ZIPPO. Put out a minnow to drag on the bottom and it was a long time before I netted my first kitty. But, once the sun hit the water the bites picked up. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe actually caught the first and last cat of the day...but I caught more than she did. Also, her last one went just over 20 inches, for big fish honors of the day. In between she had to deal with a lot of pop and drops and bait stealers. Kept her occupied. She funned. And, she managed to basket a nice limit for the family feed. Me too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was trying just about everything today. And, the kitties hit just about everything I tried. I caught 3 on small red/chartreuse plastic tubes and one on a drop shot pearl tube rig. I also got several under a bobber, with a minnow pinned on a "bobber head jig".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]What I didn't get was any wipers or walleyes. Fished shallow and deep...with everything I have ever caught them on. Nada, zippo, zilch. Not even a whack that might make me think I had one. Well, I have to amend that. I did get one thump that when I set the hook the fish took line off my reel like he did not intend to stop. I was thinking "TEN POUND WIPER". Nope. A big carp that might have gone about 10 pounds. Didn't even get a chance to perform the ritual gillectomy. As I clicked a picture it bounced up off my apron and boogied...with my jig still attached to it's lovely lips. I had to grab the line to keep it from breaking my rod tip...which was standing straight up in the holder...and of course the 6# line popped. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A good day for the birds. Lots of terns and they occasionally dipped down and snarfed a shad or small carplet off the surface. But, never did see evidence of anything chasing the bait. Several flights of Canada geese flew over...heading north. Mixed up. Plenty of seagulls, pelicans and a few cormorants. See the pics.[/#0000ff]
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=40183"]THE OPEN LAKE BECKONS.jpg[/url] (185 KB)
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[SHigSpeed]

Great post as always.

One question: How much fish can a person eat?! I mean you must post up 15 lbs of fish a week? How do you keep the freezer from overfilling?

What are your fav recipes for the respective species?

_SHig
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]First, we do not keep all we catch. Second, we do eat and enjoy fish often. I am an accomplished seafood chef, and a published author on fish recipes, so it is never the "same ol' same ol'".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We also have a large extended family in our area, and they all like fish, so we have frequent fish frys or hand off some of the extra fresh fish. And, I smoke some of the larger catfish we catch and it is also enjoyed by family and fishing buddies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We usually fry the catfish, but also saute it in butter and garlic. It is also good oven baked or grilled. Recently I posted a recipe on the Utah Board for Catfish Ramaki and have made many other posts on various kinds of fish preparation and cooking.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am attaching my recipe for "KITTY KRISPIES". It lists the ingredients for the dry coating mix I use for most fish, when frying.[/#0000ff]
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[SHigSpeed]

Awesome!

I remember eating catfish as a kid and liking the flavor and texture a lot. Trout is too damn blah!

I wish there was somewhere like Willard by my place...

BTW, I looked up Willard Bay on Google and the only one I could find in Utah was adjacent to GSL. Is that the place? Where does the water come from, and how do they keep it from getting salty?

_SHig
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Sounds like you found the right one. Here are some links from our Utah info and reference files:[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][url "http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/local/UTSPWILL:13"][size 2]Weather[/size][/url][#000000][size 1]
[/size][size 2][url "http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/willard-bay/"]State Park Info[/url][/size][/#000000][#000000][size 1]
[/size][/#000000][url "http://www.waterquality.utah.gov/watersheds/lakes/WILLARD.pdf"][size 1]Basic Info PDF[/size][/url][#000000][size 1]
[/size][/#000000][url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/detailed.php?id=1153858643"][size 1]Most Recent DWR Review [/size]

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[/#0000ff][#0000ff]As it states in the info above, Willard Bay is a completely manmade water, formed by building a large dike and then filling it with fresh water from a couple of natural streams that used to dump directly into Salt Lake. That is still the source of the fresh water, and it is entirely isolated from Salt Lake. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have tubed on Willard Bay since the 1970's and it has long been one of my favorites...for several species. In earlier years, it was a fantastic crappie lake, with abundant walleyes and channel cats...with a few odd sunfish. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]For the last decade or more, it has been an entirely different lake. They planted gizzard shad, as a forage species, and they just about took over the lake. Wipers, a sterile hybrid between white bass and stripers, were planted to control the gizzard shad. These two species...along with a growing population of smallmouth bass...greatly altered the "balance of power". It is rare to catch crappies anymore. The catfish average much smaller in size and there are fewer and smaller walleyes. However, the fantastic action on the wipers more than offsets any of the potential negatives...at least to most Willard fans. [/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]I have lived and fished all over California too, and I always had to look hard to find any good kitty action. While living in the Orange County area, I fished Irvine Lake for them. I also made a lot of trips over to the Colorado river, for channels and for big flatheads. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In San Diego there were a couple of lakes, but San Vicente was probably the best...especially for big cats. In Santa Barbara it was Lake Cachuma or south to Lake Casitas. When I lived in Sacramento, there were a lot more kitty venues...for white cats, channels and bullheads.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In my extensive travels around the US, I have fished catfish in quite a few waters. With that in mind, I would have to say that Utah Lake and Willard Bay in Utah are some of the best kitty fishing in the country. And, the fish from them are as tasty as any anywhere in the US. In fact, I would rate the small "cookie cutter" cats from Willard Bay as THE BEST catfish...on the table...of any anywhere in the country. AND...they are ridiculously easy to catch once you learn a bit about them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The biggest thing to remember about cooking catfish is that they have very firm and oily flesh. They take a LOT of cooking. You almost cannot overcook them. But, if you cook them right, they are a mild, flaky flesh that has absolutely no "fishy" taste...like hatchery pet trout or even bass from stagnant muddy ponds.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We often saute/brown the small fillets from Willard Bay cats in butter and fresh garlic...and serve them over freshly made egg noodles...pouring the leftover garlic and butter over them from the pan. Ain't no finer eatin' to be had. Better than any high priced restaurant fish I have ever put a fork to.[/#0000ff]
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