N. Marina Morning Mix 8-25-16

[TubeDude]

[#0000ff]Weather forecast was for "variable" stuff. Went anyway. Wanted to check out a new boat seat on my tube...and had some new custom painted plastics I wanted to show to some Willard fishies. Both worked well.

Launched at the north marina about 6:30...along with a half dozen boats. All headed different directions. Air temp a NICE cool 52. Water temps have cooled down to 74. A few more degrees and fall will fall.

Calm at launch. A few wispy clouds over the mountains. Lookin' good.

Looked for signs of life on the surface. Saw a lot of swallows dive bombing for skeeters and midges. No terns working boils. Saw a few isolated grebes diving kind half-heartedly for shad. Big whoop.

Dragged the usual minnow on one rod while throwing cranks and plastics. Moved out to 15' of water...seeing nada on the sonar. Moved back in toward Eagle Beach. Started seeing more shad and larger targets as I went shallower than 10'.

Had been working a "pale perch" colored RatLTrap with only one tentative whack. Finally picked up a rod I had rigged with my new blue-backed chartreuse shad...hand painted on some pearl color Barlows shad grubs. About the second cast it was rudely interrupted by a nasty catfish. Really active in the still warm waters...on 6# line and a medium light rod. Fun fun. Surprised at the size. He was an honest 22 incher. Biggest I have taken at Willard for a while.

Kept dragging the minnow and slinging the plastic shad. A few casts after the kitty the plastic got thumped again. But didn't fight like a kitty. Not a wiper neither. Whaddayaknow? An 18" walleye. Good for me...and good for the table.

I was already counting on this being a bananner day. But then I got no love for almost a half hour. But the wait was worth it. Once again the plastic shad was interrupted on the way back to the tube. But this time the culprit had shoulders. Took about fifteen minutes to coax the interloper close enough to see what it was. The up and down and short runs almost had me convinced it was a carp. I ain't proud. I'll take some fun at a carp's expense. But when I got a look at it I couldn't believe my aging eyes. It was a catfish. A BIG catfish. Bigger than any cat I have caught out of Willard since the early 1980's.

It was a big-headed daddy cat that had to double over to fit in my net. I planned to release it but motored to the gravel shoreline at Eagle Beach to get a couple of pics first. Got it to but no way was I gonna kiss it goodbye. Ugly face, big overbite and gnarly teeth. I just kinda worked it in the shallows for a minute or so and watched it swim away. Those cats are tough.

While powering in to the beach I had noticed some fishy looking marks on sonar in 7-8 feet of water. My suspicious nature wanted to believe they were carp. But the angler in me made me pitch out another minnow and start chuckin' the plastic again. Good move. A 22" freight train wiper opted to sample my new plastics and give it a trifecta on species for the day.

Nothing more on plastics, but caught several more healthy kitties on the minnows...finally. And then the "iffy" part of the weather showed up. It got dark and some ominous clouds were heading in from the south. And a light breeze got quickly stronger. I was glad I had stayed close to the marina instead of following my original plan to work along the north dike. I headed back inside the marina...along with several other wimps in boats.

I tried dragging bait and chucking plastic in several places inside the marina. It had an average depth of about 8'...down from 10' on my last trip to the north marina a month ago.

No action in the last part of the morning but I was pleased to find out how well my new contour plastic boat seat worked. I got a smoking deal on a box of six of those if someone else is looking for one. I will post it on the 4-sale board in a day or so.

I was really torqued when I went to the fish cleaning station. Some doofus (or doofi) ...once again...had filled the grinder with fish parts before turning on the disposal. You guessed it. Jammed...again. Told the metal-faced young lady at the booth about it and she said she knew...and that they were "working on it". "They" must have been invisible. I sure didn't see anybody working on it.

Short day but fun and fruitful. That's what us old guys need. Leaves more time for naps.
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[dubob]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Just out of curiosity Pat; do you EVER not catch fish? How many decades has it been since that happened? [][/#800000][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Good job on the trifecta. I've been out there 3 times since last Friday and have not gone home without at least 5 fish to the boat. Heading out tomorrow to christen a friends brand new 20 foot Tracker with about every bell and whistle imaginable; Helix 10, Digitrol Cannons, iPilot link, electric remote deploy/stow Minn Kota, etc. Just finished breaking in the 200 and the 10 hp motors and time to put some fish stink in the live wells.[/#800000][/font]
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I have read your recent reports and it would seem that you are getting that pond dialed in pretty well your own self.

I have been skunked about 3 times in the last 12 years since returning to Utah. You guessed it...all 3 times on Willard. It can be fickle...and doesn't let you get too proud or complacent.

That new craft sounds like a fine ride. Inspires me to put in that second deck on my float tube and build in a BBQ and sound system...right after the new Verado 350. Gave up on downriggers. Every time I try to screw on the mounting plates my tube goes flat. Must be using the wrong kind of screws.
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[Northman]

Very nice! That has to be the biggest catfish I have seen come out of Willard. Any guess on how old it is?
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[MasterDaad]

Good to see you have another stellar day on Willard.

That cat and Wiper both look like more than enough fun for a month!
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[TubeDude]

[quote Northman]Very nice! That has to be the biggest catfish I have seen come out of Willard. Any guess on how old it is?[/quote]

[#0000FF]Sources tell me that the lifespan of a channel catfish can be anywhere from 14 - 25 years. But the growth rate is based upon food resources...year round...and other factors.

That fish is an anomaly...today. In years past I caught many cats from Willard that were far larger than that. Today the ecology has changed greatly...with shad, wipers, etc. There are a lot more hungry mouths competing for the same food. But once a cat reaches a large enough size it can live on larger food items the smaller fish cannot eat.

Without using a chain saw to cut through the fish and count the rings I cannot even hazard a guess as to its age. Definitely looked like it had been around a few years though.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Any fish you catch...on any day...makes it a good day. But when you are fortunate enough to score more than one...better than average...then it is a VERY good day.

I am always properly grateful for being able to go fishing and for the cooperation of the fishies.

Good stuff, indeed.
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[FatBiker]

Pat, the new seat looks great. Save me one.


LARRY
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[albinotrout]

Great day there Pat. Now that is a big kitty for Willard.
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[Tin-Can]

Pat, looks like we both had decent days at WB yesterday, just at opposite ends []. That was a really good size Cat there for WB now days. I got my biggest WB Cat yesterday also, but not as big as yours.
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[TubeDude]

[quote FatBiker]Pat, the new seat looks great. Save me one.


LARRY[/quote]

[#0000FF]You will love it for the Renegade...and that inflatable seat. I made some modifications on mine to allow it to slant slightly backwards...a real bucket seat thing and I no longer slide forward. You can look at mine and see if you want to do something similar.

They list for $27 but are available on Amazon and Walmart for $19.99. As I said, I scored a deal. Brand new in the box. $10 apiece for good friends.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Glad to hear you had a good day also.

I have been pleasantly surprised by the larger sized cats showing up this year. It has been rare to get any over about 18 inches. But this year I have caught several over 20. My biggest yesterday was at 22...and very healthy. The other two I kept were both nice too. One was 19 and the other 20.

Not sure when you moved here, but I have fished Willard since the late '70s. In those days there were no shad or wipers. Crappies were the main forage species for the bigger predators...and there were also tons of crawdads. Plenty of food for the kitties and they grew much bigger...up to 30 pounds. It was common to catch 5-10 pound cats. Many trips I had at least one over 10. Here are some pics from the past...including one of TubeBabe holding some of the "average" cats to come out of the south marina channel in May and June.

[inline "better days.JPG"]

[inline "CHANNEL CATS 2.jpg"]

[inline "DELORES - WILLARD CATS.jpg"]
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[Therapist]

Ah yes, those were the days. You could parallel the shoreline rocks with a crank, my best was a blue back fat rap, #5 and beat up on the channel cats. I have had a lot of big hits on lures by all kinds of fish, but a 3-4lb channel, smacking a crank is one of the hardest hits on a lure that I have ever had. Even though you know it is coming and that it will almost take the rod out of your hand, they are still the hardest hitting fish out there. Good job out there TD. I will be heading to the Snake River for the next two weeks, but will be hitting Willard after we get back !!

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]As you know, I used to fish the rocks just north of the south marina channel entrance a lot from my tube. There were days when I hooked cats about every other cast on cranks...and even flies...large black patterns to imitate baby cats. One of my best lures was a CD7 Rapala...orange, gold and white. But they hit almost any color.

I was coming back into the marina one afternoon, after beating up...and getting beaten up...on those aggressive kitties. A boat with 3 old guys (about as old as we are now) was just going out and asked how I had done. When I told them I had been catching catfish on lures they got all kinds of interested...and asked if they could pay me to get in their boat and show them how to do it. Of course I agreed...but declined to accept any payment.

I had no reasons why I had to go home yet so I packed my gear in my car and took some of my Rapalas and got in their boat. I rigged each of them with a different color and instructed the owner and driver of the boat how to keep it running parallel to the rocks...just a few feet out.

Between the "loose nut on the wheel" and the loose steering on the boat we kept making S turns rather than running straight and true. But everytime the lures got in the right zone it was BENDO. Lost a couple of lures on the rocks too...but the old guys did pay me for them. They had a ball.

I got a call later that evening from Webb Adams at the Anglers Inn in Ogden. He asked if I had gone out fishing with some oldsters on Willard that day. When I admitted it he said he probably owed me some commission. Seems those guys bought up about every Rapala he had in the colors we had been using.

Never saw them again, but I'm guessing they got in a few more lure washings for those kwazy kitties.
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[RockyRaab]

I suppose that folks have this notion about catfish being sluggish, bottom-feeding scavengers. But that's certainly not true of channel cats; they're aggressive, active predators. And they don't feed solely on the bottom, either.

In my ancient youth in Illinois, "jug fishing" was a common method for filling the boat and freezer with channel cats. A foot of heavy twine with a very stout hook was tied to anything that would float: jugs, bottles, even burned-out car headlights. Baited with fish chunks, soybean meal cakes, and even Ivory soap, they'd simply be set adrift overnight. In the morning, you'd row around and collect all you could find - and lots of them would be bobbing under or leaving small wakes as channel cats fought the buoyancy.

Those baits were never more than a foot from the surface, yet channel cats found and chomped them.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Yeah, verily. I have been an admitted cataholic most of my angling years...and that's a lot.

There are a lot of misconceptions and false notions about catfish that will always be a part of the belief system among the poorly informed. Some of the ones...like nocturnal only, stink-bait only, scavenger only...have origins based upon realities in other parts of the country where those things might be real. In waters that are typically turbid and stagnant the cats have to rely on their olfactory senses to feed and often are most active after dark.

However, in most Utah catfish waters the channel cats rely on clearer water to become sight feeders and active daytime predators. The same is true in other waters around the country where the cats can chase down live food. In most such environments it is not unusual for anglers to catch a lot of them on a variety of lures...even flies.

Willard Bay is a prime example of channel cats adapting to their available food sources and doing what is necessary to dine. For as long as I have been fishing Willard I have caught as many cats on jigs, spinners, crankbaits and flies as I have on bait.

You mentioned shallow jugging. I have experienced a daytime version of that on Willard multiple times. For example, it is not unusual to hook cats on the surface, while fishing a wiper boil...over deep water. But I have also caught cats while fishing either jigs or baits only a few feet under a bobber while in over 20 feet of water.

By the way, I have also done some juggin'. When the cats are spooky it is a real workout to try to chase them down in a rowboat...or in a tube. They are sensitive to sound and keep zinging off in different directions as you get closer. Had to rig up a heavy rod and treble hooked spoon to snag the line on the hooked cats to be able to have a "fighting chance" of getting them in.


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[RockyRaab]

True story:

On an old river oxbow, now cut off to form a long curved lake, one jug fisherman almost always lost one jug out of his set. One morning, he was rowing up to a dancing gallon jug, only to have it suddenly disappear in a disturbingly large BaLOOP! It never resurfaced.

Cutting the story short, he eventually wound up with a surplus 5-gallon Jerry can, a length of chain and a shark hook, with a whole cottontail as bait. When he tried to haul it into his boat whatever was down there took even that down under. And that's when the man quit jugging that bit of water!
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Cue music from Jaws...

He gonna need a bigger...everything.
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