Chilly Willard 4-9-24

[TubeDude]

Woulda druther gone fishin’ Wednesday but Tuesday was the only day this week I had open.  And after my eye surgery on Thursday it is likely to be a while before the doc turns me loose again.
 
Launched about 7:30 am.  Air temp 29…Brrr.  Gotta warm up again.  Water temp only 42 in the channel but 46 in the main lake once you get away from the cold water coming in from the canal.
 

Figured with the up and down temps it was a transition time and it might take some experimenting to find fish and then get them to bite.  I was right.  Hate it when that happens.  Started out dragging a crawler rig on one rod and a flig and minnow on the other rod.  Not much on TV and even less on my line.  Only a stray single fish mark here and there...some on the bottom and a few others above.  No schools and no shad showing.
 
Did my usual big S turns from shallow (10’) to deep (22’)….looking and hoping.  After nary a sniff in about 1 ½ hours I put away the crawler rig and started pitching plastic on my second rod.  Have done well in the past during the spawn and post spawn with white or pearl plastics.  About my third or fourth cast and retrieve on the little pearl shad I got an inquiry.  Solid hookup.  Felt good.  Was good.  A 20 inch walleye.  Skunk killer deluxe.

 
Kept pitching plastics with one rod for the rest of the day.  But only had a couple of light taps and no more hookups.  On the other rod I kept changing up the colors of fligs…tipped with small minnows.  Missed a couple of pop and drops and then went bendo on a 22” kitty.  It hit a pink tiger flig. 
 

After a couple of other unmolested color changes I put on a gold flig with orange spots.  Did well on that for both perch and cats late last year…and then again on Feb 22…my first tubing trip this year.  Missed a good whack on the gold and then went bendo on a muscular 24” cat.  Fought pretty well in the 46 degree water.  And that was it for the day. 
 

Hit the ramp about noonish.  Air temp had warmed up to 52 but water stayed cold.  Will probably creep up a few degrees over the next couple days of warmer temps.  Several boats on the water but did not see anybody get their net wet.  A few boats just blasted off for the west side and I didn’t get a chance to talk to any of them before I left.  Should get better soon.
 

A couple of observations:  1.  No discernible pattern on depth.  I caught the walleye in 20’, the first cat in 16’ and the last cat close to the rocks in only 11’.  2.  The fish ARE feeding.  The spawned out walleye had a 6” baby catfish in its innards.  And both cats had freshly munched crawdads inside.  LARGE crawdads.  No shad remnants in any of my fish.

[Piscophilic]

Another great report and pictures. I'm glad you got out one more time before your forced time off. I was already chomping at the bit to get back out and now I'm salivating too! I won't make it out until Friday and then it won't be to Willard, but it will be fun.

Good luck with procedure and recovery.

[dubob]

Always nice to bring home dinner guests Pat.  Earl and I are heading up to Echo to check out the new electronics on his boat and hopefully harass a trout or three.  Hoping to get my boat wet in a couple days and check out the new trim tabs and maybe rustle up an eye or 6.   ?

[MSM1970]

Good to see ya found eye to play with , good luck with the doc.

[doitall5000]

Glade to hear you got out, and caught a fish!! I'm sure others have been fishing, but no one wants to post a skunk.
That's interesting they had large crawdads. Maybe there is not a lot of food now. Just larger shad or other bait fish.
Good luck at the eye doctor I hope you have a quick and easy recovery with great success. Here's hoping for lots more 20 inch eyes!!

[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Pat, way to go getting out before the procedure glad you got a few... Good luck Thursday and for a speedy recovery... Catch up with ya soon... J

[TubeDude]

Glade to hear you got out, and caught a fish!! I'm sure others have been fishing,  but no one wants to post a skunk.
That's interesting they had large crawdads. Maybe there is not a lot of food now. Just larger shad or other bait fish.
Good luck at the eye doctor I hope you have a quick and easy recovery with great success.  Here's hoping for lots more 20 inch eyes!!

From now until the young-of-the-year baby shad  reach 1 1/2 - 2 inches, all the predators will be foraging for whatever food they can find.  Still some 5-6" shad survivors but they are scarce and stay well up in the water column to avoid predators.  Some walleyes and wipers will go up after them...if they can find them.  But catfish are going to feed mostly on any dead shad that sink to the bottom...or crawdads...or any other edible tidbits they can find until the summer glut.  

At various places around the lake there are still residual populations of log perch and spottail shiners from experimental plantings years ago.  And it's surprising how many predators will slurp up the baby catfish.  You'd think the sharp little spines would fatally injure the eaters, but don't seem to.  And don't overlook the newly hatched perchlets...and baby carp.  Those both spawn early and provide groceries for a time before the shad are up to size.  Ditto for baby crappies, bluegills and green sunfish.  There is a lot of food available in Willard for those predators that learn how to scrounge for it.

It's amazing but catfish will even feed on midge larvae for a while in late spring early summer...when there are clouds of them just above bottom getting ready to go to the top and hatch out into the swarms hated by anglers.  I have caught quite a few cats over the years at that time that are stuffed with the little invertebrates.  But I don't think a fly flinger would do very well fishing a single midge fly on an indicator.  When the cats are feeding on them they are like whale sharks...swimming through a mass of them with mouths open.  

I learned a long time ago to look inside the fish and pay attention to what they were eating.  Kinda gross sometimes but always educational.


We still gotta get in a minnowing trip too.  I ain't fergot ya.

[Freakyfisherman]

Woulda druther gone fishin’ Wednesday but Tuesday was the only day this week I had open.  And after my eye surgery on Thursday it is likely to be a while before the doc turns me loose again.
 
Launched about 7:30 am.  Air temp 29…Brrr.  Gotta warm up again.  Water temp only 42 in the channel but 46 in the main lake once you get away from the cold water coming in from the canal.
 

Figured with the up and down temps it was a transition time and it might take some experimenting to find fish and then get them to bite.  I was right.  Hate it when that happens.  Started out dragging a crawler rig on one rod and a flig and minnow on the other rod.  Not much on TV and even less on my line.  Only a stray single fish mark here and there...some on the bottom and a few others above.  No schools and no shad showing.
 
Did my usual big S turns from shallow (10’) to deep (22’)….looking and hoping.  After nary a sniff in about 1 ½ hours I put away the crawler rig and started pitching plastic on my second rod.  Have done well in the past during the spawn and post spawn with white or pearl plastics.  About my third or fourth cast and retrieve on the little pearl shad I got an inquiry.  Solid hookup.  Felt good.  Was good.  A 20 inch walleye.  Skunk killer deluxe.

 
Kept pitching plastics with one rod for the rest of the day.  But only had a couple of light taps and no more hookups.  On the other rod I kept changing up the colors of fligs…tipped with small minnows.  Missed a couple of pop and drops and then went bendo on a 22” kitty.  It hit a pink tiger flig. 
 

After a couple of other unmolested color changes I put on a gold flig with orange spots.  Did well on that for both perch and cats late last year…and then again on Feb 22…my first tubing trip this year.  Missed a good whack on the gold and then went bendo on a muscular 24” cat.  Fought pretty well in the 46 degree water.  And that was it for the day. 
 

Hit the ramp about noonish.  Air temp had warmed up to 52 but water stayed cold.  Will probably creep up a few degrees over the next couple days of warmer temps.  Several boats on the water but did not see anybody get their net wet.  A few boats just blasted off for the west side and I didn’t get a chance to talk to any of them before I left.  Should get better soon.
 

A couple of observations:  1.  No discernible pattern on depth.  I caught the walleye in 20’, the first cat in 16’ and the last cat close to the rocks in only 11’.  2.  The fish ARE feeding.  The spawned out walleye had a 6” baby catfish in its innards.  And both cats had freshly munched crawdads inside.  LARGE crawdads.  No shad remnants in any of my fish.

Pat, I wish you well with the surgery. Nice scoring a walleye, I am hoping to get out soon. My wife gave me the green light and letting me purchase the Dave Scadden cast and blast tube. No more waders and flipping fins, I will get to row myself around out on the water. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning lol. 
Gabe

[TubeDude]

Pat, I wish you well with the surgery. Nice scoring a walleye, I am hoping to get out soon. My wife gave me the green light and letting me purchase the Dave Scadden cast and blast tube. No more waders and flipping fins, I will get to row myself around out on the water. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning lol. 
Gabe

Thanks for the well-wishes.  And congrats on your new ride.  Lemme know if you need some input on getting it totally tricked out.  If you find out...like I did...that rowing can interfere with carefree hands-free fishing...you may wanna do some upgrades (motorizing)...and keep the fins handy.

If nothing else, we gotta meetup on the water sometime this year.  

PS...Do you have a picture of your intended new craft?  Couldn't find it on Dave's website.

[Springbuck1]

You can fish with an eye patch, TD, just find someone to drive you!

[Freakyfisherman]

Pat, I wish you well with the surgery. Nice scoring a walleye, I am hoping to get out soon. My wife gave me the green light and letting me purchase the Dave Scadden cast and blast tube. No more waders and flipping fins, I will get to row myself around out on the water. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning lol. 
Gabe

Thanks for the well-wishes.  And congrats on your new ride.  Lemme know if you need some input on getting it totally tricked out.  If you find out...like I did...that rowing can interfere with carefree hands-free fishing...you may wanna do some upgrades (motorizing)...and keep the fins handy.

If nothing else, we gotta meetup on the water sometime this year.  

PS...Do you have a picture of your intended new craft?  Couldn't find it on Dave's website.

Yes, getting out again with you would be good. I don't have a picture, but you can see it on you tube if you search Dave Scadden cast and blast. That's how I found it.
Gabe

[jjannie]

Pat, I wish you well with the surgery. Nice scoring a walleye, I am hoping to get out soon. My wife gave me the green light and letting me purchase the Dave Scadden cast and blast tube. No more waders and flipping fins, I will get to row myself around out on the water. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning lol. 
Gabe

Thanks for the well-wishes.  And congrats on your new ride.  Lemme know if you need some input on getting it totally tricked out.  If you find out...like I did...that rowing can interfere with carefree hands-free fishing...you may wanna do some upgrades (motorizing)...and keep the fins handy.

If nothing else, we gotta meetup on the water sometime this year.  

PS...Do you have a picture of your intended new craft?  Couldn't find it on Dave's website.

Yes, getting out again with you would be good. I don't have a picture, but you can see it on you tube if you search Dave Scadden cast and blast. That's how I found it.
Gabe

 Nice ride I think it's a great candidate for a little TD assistance to make it an even better ride as we did with my tube!

Dave Scadden's 2023 Cast & Blast Stillwater Slayer. No Waders!!! (youtube.com)

[TubeDude]

You can fish with an eye patch, TD, just find someone to drive you!

I will supposedly only have the eye patch for a day or so.  And I have  been fishing almost "one-eyed" for a while.  Driving in the dark has been a challenge, but shouldn't be any problem after the "fix".

[Boatloadakids]

Good info on cat grub Pat. Caught the smallish cat below while fishing with a wb head. Don't know how he thought he could squeeze in another chunk of grub with a half digested wb? in his gut with tail hanging out mouth. I never figured the meal to be a mudder until I pulled the pic up again for a second look after reading your post. I never could see how a catfish could work around the spikes on a catfish. I believe the victim in this pic is a mudder... square tail and a slow swimmer. 






As others have said, good luck with the surgery. I will be thinking about you tomorrow while I am on the big pond.

[TubeDude]

Good info on cat grub Pat. Caught the smallish cat below while fishing with a wb head. Don't know how he thought he could squeeze in another chunk of grub with a half digested wb? in his gut with tail hanging out mouth. I never figured the meal to be a mudder until I pulled the pic up again for a second look after reading your post. I never could see how a catfish could work around the spikes on a catfish. I believe the victim in this pic is a mudder... square tail and a slow swimmer. 






As others have said, good luck with the surgery. I will be thinking about you tomorrow while I am on the big pond.

Looks like a bullhead to me.  "Mudders" have been a fall-back forage species for all the predators for years...whenever the white bass population is down...or even just when a silly "yaller belly" shows up at meal time.  

All species will hit the young...which swarm in big schools in early spring.  That's why black jigs work so well in Utah Lake.  And big cats and big walleyes will continue to munch mudders even in the larger sizes...as you discovered.  Those pesky nuisances are a nutritious meal for the bigguns.  And the powerful digestive juices in the predators' tummies blunt and then dissolve the sharp spines quickly.  

I have caught several UL cats over the years with bullheads being digested.  Have also found a few in walleyes.
 

[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Pat, how'd the surgery go? Seeing you back on line already I'm assuming you're doing okay... Hoping for a quick return to fishing. Best of luck... J

[TubeDude]

Hey Pat, how'd the surgery go?  Seeing you back on line already I'm assuming you're doing okay... Hoping for a quick return to fishing.  Best of luck... J

Went well...so far.  Thanks for asking.  Will have a patch on my eye until tomorrow and will visit the doc tomorrow for a post-op evaluation.  Looks like about a week of recuperation and then a modest return to "normal" activities...whatever those might be.  Mine will include fishing.

[MSM1970]

Hey Pat, how'd the surgery go?  Seeing you back on line already I'm assuming you're doing okay... Hoping for a quick return to fishing.  Best of luck... J

Went well...so far.  Thanks for asking.  Will have a patch on my eye until tomorrow and will visit the doc tomorrow for a post-op evaluation.  Looks like about a week of recuperation and then a modest return to "normal" activities...whatever those might be.  Mine will include fishing.

I think that means only half throttle on your motor

[TubeDude]

Hey Pat, how'd the surgery go?  Seeing you back on line already I'm assuming you're doing okay... Hoping for a quick return to fishing.  Best of luck... J

Went well...so far.  Thanks for asking.  Will have a patch on my eye until tomorrow and will visit the doc tomorrow for a post-op evaluation.  Looks like about a week of recuperation and then a modest return to "normal" activities...whatever those might be.  Mine will include fishing.

I think that means only half throttle on your motor

There are those who already think that my fishing is only "half-fast".

[wiperhunter2]

After my wife went through a similar procedure, it sounds like you are having cataract surgery? Awesome, you caught a nice eye like that. I heard the DWR are already done with their eye gill netting of spawning eyes.