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[#0000ff]Arranged to "hook up" with fellow BFT tuber MasterDaad at the north marina this morning. Both got there just before 7 and on the water by 7:30. Then they put a diversion on Hwy I-15 and the parking lot to the north marina almost filled up. Guess all the weatherwise anglers read the same forecasts we did.
Lovely morning. Air temp around 40. Clear and calm. Water temp at launch still a chilly 51. But it warmed up later and so did the fishing. 55 when I left about 1 ish...and the crappie had been chewin' it up for the two hours before.
First time on Willard for Darren (MD). He was really hoping to score his first wiper. Didn't do it. HE GOT TWO. Waytago, Bro.
He caught our first fish of the morning...right at 8:15. I had just told him on the radio that the sun was climbing over the top of the mountain and it should turn on pretty soon. It did. And his first fish was a nice walleye...close to 20". Waytago, Bro.
We had been moving around looking for fishy marks on sonar and pitching plastics while dragging a minnow. We both got pokes on the plastic but no love on the minnow. In fact, my first three fish were all catfish...on plastic tube jigs. Finally got another one later on a minnow.
As we moved north...making big S turns from shallow to deep...MD caught his second fish. This one was a nice crappie. I told him that now he needed to catch a wiper and a catfish to finish his "Willard Slam". He is a good listener. In quick succession he got first a wiper and then a cat.
Another BFT floatation fisherman...R2U2 joined us in his mellow yellow bi-hull craft. After fishing near us for a while he moved out deeper...where he also scored a walleye and some crappies and cats. When he came back in to our area later he added a few more to his basket.
MD and I kept moving around...in and out...trying a variety of tackle and tactics. As the water warmed toward the 54 degree mark the crappies seemed to move in, move up in the water column and become more active. We all caught a few. Most were pretty decent...13 inches or better.
MD had to leave at noon. The fishing dropped off a bit then so I wasn't too far behind. And as I was finishing loading my gear into my vehicle, Richard pulled in so I could take his picture for the report.
Beautiful day on the water. Lots of boats but no real "encounters". And the fish were just active enough to keep us occupied and happy.
Got to say howdy to SotallyTober early this morning and HD7000 as I was leaving. Seems like this was BFT day up there, even if nobody posted the memo. Probably a lot more will chime in. Had a few "lurkers" recognize my rig and stop by to say howdy. Of course they all got a gentle chiding and an invite to join instead of just lurk.
Good to see the water rising still. Up almost 2 feet from my last trip last month. Pretty decent clarity too. The shoreline brush is being flooded and it looks like the crappies will be able to spawn...if the happy harvesters don't clean them all out. The water inside the harbors will probably be high enough to bring the crappies in to the slaughtering hordes.
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Great report.. planning on heading out there tomorrow afternoon. Now I don't know which marina I'm going to. Went to north marina last Friday and got skunked and wanted to try south this time around but after seeing your repor lt I think I'll go south since y'all probably caught all the fish there  thanks again.
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Looks and sounds like a great day to be out on the water. Nice to see the crappie joining the party. Thanks for a fun report. Later J
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]I was there. Launched out of the South Marina. No problems tying up to the dock. Headed to the island and couldn't find any love from the eyes. Went to the west dike and couldn't find any love from the eyes. Went to freeway bay and drifted for wipers with mussels. One came to stay at 3.9 pounds. That was it for 2 of us. We quit at 1 PM.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]There must have been well over 40 boats out there today and the bank tanglers were everywhere. I'm guessing around 50 or more. And this is Wednesday. Doesn't anybody work anymore?[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Met hooked4life and his dad (Dale & Dale) at the launch. Thought I saw Packfan & Debbie out by the island but couldn't tell for sure. Talked to Adam Eakle at the launch going in. He was there to do a show segment on the crappie being caught for Red Fleet.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]DWR was pulling nets and electro shocking for walleyes along the west dike and having good success with both. The word from those folks is that the eyes haven't really spawned yet. Some of the eggs they are getting are still green (not mature).[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]I'm hoping that by the first of May the post spawn bite should be in full swing.[/#800000][/font]
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[#0000FF]There can be good crappie action anywhere on the lake...including just outside the south marina. We actually had a tougher time than I made it sound. The crappies are still not schooled up over the usual spots. We found singles here and there and they were mostly suspended over deeper water. MD was slow trolling to find them. I was making long casts with light jigs and then counting them down...waiting for a "pop on the drop". The hits were often nothing more than just a light tick. Missed a few.
But as the water warmed, some of the boats in closer to shore began to catch the occasional fish...on all the usual stuff...jigs under bobbers, etc.
Should be warm and fairly calm early tomorrow. But it will get windy later and then the storms will be in and out for a few days. Might be the middle of the month before things level off and the fish get stabilized again.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]"There must have been well over 40 boats out there today and the bank tanglers were everywhere. I'm guessing around 50 or more. And this is Wednesday. Doesn't anybody work anymore?"
[size 3][#0000FF][font "Arial Black"]Methinks you suffer from the same affliction I do...the seven day weekend syndrome of retirement. This is THURSDAY. Or you can make it Tuesday C or Wednesday B...but not just Wednesday. Not right.
I think a lot of serious anglers are trying to get in a trip before Mama Nature's next hissy fit. That was my excuse. But I don't have to make excuses to an employer. And TubeBabe is understanding...for the most part.
You're right about all the boat traffic. Where we were outside the north marina there were probably 15 to 20 boats within shouting distance for a while. Once they left the fishing got better. All that shouting, ya know?
It is a prolonged spawn this year...with the wierd weather. There were spawned out fish being caught 2 weeks ago. And there will still be unspawned walleye by the end of the month. That has happened in years past. Ditto for crappies. Some start spawning mid April and others wait until early June.
Yessir. Busy day at Willard today.
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Thanks for the post. You seem to always have a good basket of fish. I guess the storms on the weekends will keep guys with jobs like me off of there for awhile yet. I would love to get back out there.
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[#0000FF]If it's any consolation, I put in plenty of years living for the weekends and watching the weekends get washed out. 'Tain't fair. I am properly grateful for having more "options" these days. The only downside is that as you get older your body has fewer options...and you gotta listen to that instead of your mean ol' boss. My mind keeps writing checks my body can't cash.
Every day on the water is special...no matter how young or old. Enjoy every one you can...every chance you get. But don't be bitter when fate gets in the way. Makes you appreciate the better times.
Anything you get before the first of May is a gift. May is the magic month...going into June. Hopefully Mama Nature will get back on her meds by then and we can all score big time.
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Thank you so much for those beautiful words, very consoling. I think that was how my Dad felt when we went fishing. We should never miss a chance to go fishing with family, friends or whoever.
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Excellent day!
Thanks for the lessons and introduction to Willard, TD. A bit of beginner's luck to hit the SLAM on the first trip (and one Walleye short of double slam).
That was quite a trip for me.
First fishing trip to Willard.
Broke personal best Crappie record.
Landed first two Wipers.
Largest walleye landed on my tube.
It's now going to be impossible for me to just drive to Logan on business for the day and pass that lake by.
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Pat! That 19" Walleye grew 2" by the time I got home. Surprised me when I put a tape to it. A lot of time one sees them shrink.
RJ
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What is better than a basket with some crappies in it?[ ]
Good report and good day of fishing!
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My thoughts exactly today Dubob! I just happen to be off this week during the kids spring break. Today was definitely slower for me than yesterday with about 3 times as many boats out today. I just wanted to get my kids into a little action for the brief time we got out in the afternoon. Sounds like I hit the afternoon lull. Luckily my boy hooked a tank of a wiper right off the bat just after passing TUBEDUDE kicking back into the marina. We gave TUBEDUDE the nod and he flashed his Willard "booty" back to get us all worked up ] Only found one crappie to give my girl a tug where there were a couple boats slaying them yesterday. Oh well, that is fishing and I just couldn't pass up a chance to get out with my kids.
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[#0000FF]I long ago gave up being a competitive angler. Over the years I have come to measure the success of a trip more on the basis of EVERYONE having fun and doing well than on merely how well I did personally. That's what I gotta say when someone else does better. But it's true.
I was more than pleased with the fish I caught yesterday. But I was ecstatic that we were able to get you into a couple of first-time wipers...as well as a good assortment of other species. Happy - happy.
As we commented multiple times while "suffering" through our day on the lake...we couldn't have picked a day with nicer weather conditions. That always adds to the enjoys. Tough enough kicking around that tube all day without having to fight wind, waves, water skiers and bugs. Yesterday we din't hadda deal with none of 'em. Works for me.
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[quote TubeDude][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000] [#0000ff][font "Arial Black"]Methinks you suffer from the same affliction I do...the seven day weekend syndrome of retirement. This is THURSDAY. Or you can make it Tuesday C or Wednesday B...but not just Wednesday. Not right.[/font][/#0000ff][/#800000][/font][/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]You, of course, are correct. It was Thursday; not Wednesday. I'm so totally lost in that thar syndrome. Damn, I just love it.[/#800000][/font]
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[quote r2u2]Pat! That 19" Walleye grew 2" by the time I got home. Surprised me when I put a tape to it. A lot of time one sees them shrink.
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[#0000FF]That was a decent fish, for sure. I visually guesstimated it to be at least 20". That's in the range I like to keep for the fryer. Of course they are all good but that size produces perfect fillets that cook and eat just dandy.
Good to see you on the water again and glad we all got some fishy love.
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[quote Gemcityslayer]What is better than a basket with some crappies in it?[ ]
Good report and good day of fishing![/quote]
[#0000FF] Thanks.
My answer to your "rhetorical" question? Not much. Might have liked at least one walleye...or two...or three. But I ain't greedy.
As they say about "other things"...all fish are good. Some better than others.
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[#0000FF]I guess if ya gotta suffer through a syndrome that one is better than some that our advancing age might inflict upon us.
Some problems are just better than others.
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I totally understand this as I'm exactly the same way... particularly when I'm "hosting" a trip.
When I'm taking others out to fish, it's far more important to me that the newbies catch fish and have a good time than for me to... for me there's always next week.
I really appreciate the lessons and the experience... and the company.
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Great report, TD. First warm is a lot like first ice: there are a gazillion people just itchin' to be fitchin'
Or something like that.
Time for me to lower the 'yak out of the rafters and prep it up for another summer. I plan to do most of my fishing at Willard this year, hoping that I-15 construction will keep at least some of the power squadron away.
Oh, my personal "Crappie are biting!" sign from nature is seeing cherry blossoms. Not scientific, but it seems to always be right.
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