Easter Sunrise Service at Willard

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe is back in Arizona for another week. I didn't want to have to hide my own Easter eggs again. Still can't find the last ones I hid for myself. So, I decided to attend sunrise services at the church of the seventh day angler...at the south marina chapel.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Didn't look so pretty good when I got there just after 6 AM. Air temp was 42 but it was blowing cold out of the northwest, and the water had bumps all over it. Not my favorite tubing conditions. But, what the heck. I was committed...or should be.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was the first and only worshipper in the parking lot as I kicked out into the chop. By the time I got to the marina entrance, two small boats had launched. Water temp was a cool 44 inside and only 46 outside. Colder than my last trip. Not good.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Dragged a minnow and tossed plastic on my way out of the channel. Nothing interrupted my peaceful Easter morning reverie. Changed the plastic for a fire tiger diving crankbait as I turned the corner and headed north. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]About my third or fourth cast the wind caught the lure and pushed it in closer to the shoreline than I wanted. A couple of turns on the reel handle and it stopped. Oh great! I was hooked in the flooded brush. NOPE. It moved...slowly. Oh great! A dorsal diner carp. NOPE. The heavy headshakes said WALLEYE. I played it in as well as I know how, but evidently not good enough. One roll on the top to show off her big bad self and she let me have my pretty crankbait back. Clearly a spawned out mama in the 25 inch plus range. Nice goin' girl.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Lots more casts with the cranks...in and out...shallow and deep. Nada, zip, zilch. Nary a bump or a whisper. Back to plastics...first chatreuse in the slightly stained cold water...than white. Same ol' same ol'. Good casting practice but no heavy winding workout.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Saw very few fish on sonar this morning, compared to what I have been seeing. Onesies and twosies, mostly suspended. No concentrations of larger fish near the bottom that bespeak wallies or wipers. Only saw a couple of small groups all morning. Did not see the masses of shad that have been there on other trips either. Hmmmmm?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Got to enjoy the Easter sunrise a bit before 8. Water still bumpy, but doable. Once the sun lit up the depths a bit the everlovin' kitties came out to play. Nothin' big, just the standard "cookie cutters"...15" to 18". But, they were hitting hard and fighting good so they put me in a more "spiritual" mode.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There were a lot of other members of the C.O.T.S.D.A. congregation out there today. Must have been at least 25 boats launch out of the south marina before I came in around noon. Some rocketed off to parts unknown Others seemed to move around a lot. Didn't seem like anybody was hangin' long in any particular area.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Had one small boat with 3 big "Easter fruitcakes" come ripping between me and the rock dike where I was casting my crankbait. They seemingly only had about a half inch of freeboard between them and capsizing. I was almost wishing the wind would kick up some more. But...for once, it didn't. It was laying down to glass when I packed up and headed home.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I probably caught about 15 kitties. Most of them were on either chub or carp minnows. But, I did catch a couple on the white plastic tubes I was tossing for "the other guys". Only had the one walleye on...briefly. As far as I know I did not get any hits from wipers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The water was warming up to 48 outside, as I came in, and the wind was laying down to flat calm. The temps should be in the GOOD range later today. Wouldn't be surprised to get some good reports from anybody who hits it later in the day.[/#0000ff]
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[mactuna]

Nice report Pat, looks like its time.
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[reelfast]

That was you! I idled by close to noon. You looked like you were pretty tired there. I graphed the area on the way out and there are not as many fish around the marina outlet as there has been. The water is pretty cold. That is one nice bunch of kitties there. No wonder you looked tired. More fun than an Easter egg hunt I bet. Wish I had my good camera along. I could have gotten a good one of you and some others too I saw out there.
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[BigBassaholic]

I didn't quite make it there for Easter Sunrise like you did but put in around 8 am. I saw you out there when I came out of the marina. I stopped by later and said hello. I caught a couple of small catfish dragging the bottom, I went in search of some smallmouths south of the North marina but none. Then I went in search of some crappies and nothing going there either... Ended up back by you as you were headed back in. I saw that boat with those 3 guys in there. Wow, accident just waiting to happen. They were barely above the water with the sides of that little boat they were in.... Nice meeting you and see you on the water again.....
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Not tired...RELAXED. At least that is my excuse and I'm stickin' wit' it. Us old guys need all the excuses we can get.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You shoulda said howdy. I ain't that tough to talk to...unless you come cruisin' up on my lines out behind me. Then I activate my surface to surface missiles.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Always good to meet a fellow BFTer on the water. Sorry you didn't find any of the "good guys". The lake is really different again this year. Might take some time to relearn it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Did you notice in that pic that all three of those bozos had their backs to me...pretending I wasn't there. They were coming along slow...trolling and talking. Then, when they got to where I was casting they quit talking turned around and gave it the gas. No going around, which would have been the sportsmanlike thing to do. Someday they are going to be statistics if they keep taking that toy boat out on Willard. When Willard gets huffy that boat is gonna take on some water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I think I am going to give Willard a rest for a couple of weeks and then I will go crappie hunting myself. I have some spots that have done well in past years of higher water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I think the smallmouth have also taken a pretty bad hit with the low water...poor spawning and fewer crawdads, etc. I caught a few last year, but not as many as years past. Hopefully, this will be the first of several good comeback years.[/#0000ff]
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[PACKFAN]

I saw that same boat last Sunday out there I think there were 2 adults and a couple young ones in it, I made a comment then to HookumandCookum who was next to me in their boat about not much freeboard and that the guy better hope the wind doesn't come up. Nice mess of kitties for eating. Oh TD we ran into your friend the Col. out there last Friday night. He was humming along in his little boat and tried to go between my boat and one of my planer boards, he turned out just as I grabbed the rod to start reeling it in, head was down and not paying any attention. I mentioned to HookumandCookum how he likes to buzz you in your tube.[]
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[Hammer61]

tubedude
I was the first boat out after you. little white 12 ftr.I wish i would have known it was you i would have stood up and said hi, I was to busy trying to get out of the marina and tie up my lines at the same time. It was a choppie when i hit the open water. I ended up with one wiper and a cat. the cat came just before i got off the water in front of the channel. I was wtaching you come that way. about noon or so. One day i will stop and say hi once i fugure out for sure who you are Please keep up the great post i enjoy reading how you are doing.
Hamm
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks for the update on the "Too Close Colonel". I hadn't seen him at all last year and wondered if he might be fishing those walleyes in the sky. There were a couple of times I would have been more than willing to help him make the trip. He once made a slow speed circle clear around me...at rod length...dragging his bottom bouncers right over my lines. Never looks up or even acknowledges that I am on the water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Here's a pic from that occasion.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I can't believe that other small boat has not swamped yet. One good unexpected wind squall and they will be on the news. Hope the kids are wearing their PFDs and that there is somebody close by to drag them out of the water.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yeah, it looked like you had your hands full trying to keep the nose of that boat pointed into the chop when you were coming out. It was a mite bumpy there for awhile. I was concerned that if the water got any worse that you might have some problems.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Suggestion: rig your rods before you launch. Saves time and is much easier when you can work in good light without having to fight a bobbing boat. Goes double in a bobbing float tube. I always rig my gear the night before so I am ready to rumble when I hit the water. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Glad it laid down a bit and that you at least got your rod bent. Next time say howdy. At the very least you will be aggravating some OTHER mean old cuss. But, there ain't many other folks on the water with a pimped out tube like mine...unless I did the pimpin' for them.[/#0000ff]
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[Lingwall]

great report tubedude always a good read. i went out saturday to willard caught 3 kitties and had a ton of bumps but no takers. let me know when you are going to go searchn for the crappie i would like to join you .
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Shoot me a PM around the first week of May. We can plan an assault.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Glad you scored a few kitties. Now you gotta get into a wide open wiper bite. You will never be the same.[/#0000ff]
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[Lingwall]

cool i will shoot you a pm and we can go after them.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Actually, I think we will do better on crappies at Pineview. About the same time.[/#0000ff]
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[Lingwall]

either one, i like pineview i have been waithing for that ice to melt. not to long ago a buddie and i went up and he had a 'crappie' day i got one but he had the hot stick. well i will pm you when it gets to be may.
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[Hammer61]

LMAO
You are so right should have been ready before i got there. I was shocked the (warden) oops. Wife gave me the green light to go, being easter morning and all.Sure was a beautiful morning.
Hamm
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[Flycasting]

Nice to see you had a relaxing day on the water. I am jealous!

Would love to find a nice hungry school of wipers like we did last summer... a few days before the wiper tourney. [cool]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]That was a bananner day, to be sure.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Looks like we will have to go back to our high water spots...in the NE corner and "inside". Hope the fish remember where they are supposed to show up with the deeper water conditions.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I wanna go hunt some crappies at Pineview pretty soon too.[/#0000ff]
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[Flycasting]

I'll have to research to find the exact date, but about this time last year Brody, Matt, Orvy, and I had a killer day at Pineview for slabs. Maybe a few weeks later, but it's coming up.

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[GottaBite]

Them is some BIG BOYS in that boat!! Kinda smallish on the boat size too... What does that label near the transom say....700lbs INCLUDING GEAR??? Looks like 2 of them BOYS could easily go 500lbs and if they had a cooler with 1/2 the amount of food to get them to that size on board ... there's another 100+ lbs!! Anchor, fire extingisher, tackle box, etc... Was that 3rd guy along for BALLAST???
I understand the "fruitcake" comment now!
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