Willard Bay

[Sherman75]

Does anyone know why they are letting water out of Willard bay?  Parked on the north side and walked past the outlet and it was raging. Just curious!

[2knots]

Look at the post over halfway down this page titled “Enjoy Willard while you can”

[Mildog]

Yep, it’s in the earlier post, it looks like a foot plus/minus drop in the last week or so from recent trips and what the depth finder tells me!

[TubeDude]

Hate to dump more gloom on the situation, but that heavy outflow is also sucking a lot of fish out of the lake and into the channel below.  At least that is what happened the last time they dumped a lot of water.  As the outflow diminished you could see lots of wipers swimming around near the surface.  Hordes of happy harvesters showed up to snag them by the bucket full.  And DWR did nothing to net them and restore them to the lake.  Woulda been easy but it required two years of getting approval and implementation.

Just a wild guess but my prediction is that the great bite of 2025 is coming to an end.  The big post-spawn glut usually shuts down anyway when new crop shadlets reach about 2" and are easy pickins.  That generally begins to happen around the first of July...and by the end of July it gets harder to get the fish to fall for anything on the end of your line.  All they have to do is find a school of shadlets and swim through them with mouths open...like a whale shark.  And since the fish feed for only a few minutes during each 24 hour period...well, you gotta be both good and lucky to have your offering in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.

Yeah, I know.  I gotta turn in my soothsayer credentials.

[obifishkenobi]

Hate to dump more gloom on the situation, but that heavy outflow is also sucking a lot of fish out of the lake and into the channel below.  At least that is what happened the last time they dumped a lot of water.  As the outflow diminished you could see lots of wipers swimming around near the surface.  Hordes of happy harvesters showed up to snag them by the bucket full.  And DWR did nothing to net them and restore them to the lake.  Woulda been easy but it required two years of getting approval and implementation.

Just a wild guess but my prediction is that the great bite of 2025 is coming to an end.  The big post-spawn glut usually shuts down anyway when new crop shadlets reach about 2" and are easy pickins.  That generally begins to happen around the first of July...and by the end of July it gets harder to get the fish to fall for anything on the end of your line.  All they have to do is find a school of shadlets and swim through them with mouths open...like a whale shark.  And since the fish feed for only a few minutes during each 24 hour period...well, you gotta be both good and lucky to have your offering in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.

Yeah, I know.  I gotta turn in my soothsayer credentials.

I agree with Pat, The party can end at anytime, I’m going to give it a go, Friday, I’m not banking on a stellar day. I wasn't able to get out last weekend, but on the previous weekend i market the beginning of bait balls. The end is nye, get out while the getting is good. I’m about to turn my attention to Kokanee.

[Troutster]

Dang! I just dropped a bunch of cash at Scheels on stuff guaranteed to fill my livewell with walleye. I’m going out tomorrow afternoon-evening. If anyone sees a blue aluminum Vexus come say hello.  My neighbor has a blue fiberglass Vexus, that’s not me.

[Mildog]

Get out there , I firdntnkast forever! Yesterday (Tuesday) was slowest day for me so far . We got 6 eyes 2 wipers 2 cats and a perch, in twice as long as usual double limit. Day started big wind and rollers which made it tougher to fish but then laid down nicely. I think it was a one off day? Did not see or hear of much other action not very many out only talked to one other guy he said slow for him? Buddy was out the day before did well , limits. But it might be sign of tapering off , which it always does.