08-26-2009, 10:00 PM
[cool][#0000ff]It has been awhile since I hit Willard, and it has been over two years since I was able to fish it inside the marina. Heard tell of some shadlets and wipers cruising the marina, in the higher water levels, so thought I would try to relive the successes of old.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Met up with Wildcat94 at the SE corner of the north marina just after 6. Topwater action in the low predawn light. Carp rolling. Big whoop.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Warm and calm, with water temps about 71 at launch. Only up to 73 by noon. Good clarity. Not much showing on sonar. Depth in the back end was from 10 - 12 feet. Ideal for foraging wipers but they did not read the manual. No shows. A few shadlets on top, but no schools of bait and nothing chasing them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Threw all kinds of plastics and hardbaits while dragging the customary minnow. The customary kitties obliged a few times and I caught several customary cookie cutters. Also dinged a small largemouth bass while casting a white plastic tube toward shore. Good to see a few still in Willard.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Very slow. About 8:30 I thought about pulling out of the north marina and heading down to the south marina. Shoulda but din't. Instead I kicked out the channel entrance...casting and dragging a minnow as I went. Got clear out to 20 feet of water without a teensy touch. Did see a grundle of bait in the water. From 15 feet to 20 feet my sonar was almost black constantly with stacked up shad and a few larger fish just hanging out with the groceries. No ticks, no chomps, no munches.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After about an hour and a half of nothing doing, I kicked back inside the marina. Wildcat94 had caught one channel cat and a big bluegill. He started fishing around the docks and found a good quantity of small crappies hanging in the shade. Most were under six inches. Biggest he got was about 9 or 10 inches. Better than zip...but not much.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I changed minnows and plastics several times, trying to find willing fishies. Nary a whisper on bait, and only an occasional tweak on the plastic. I finally got a good whack and brought in a smallie that was about a match sizewize for the largie I had caught earlier. Back it went.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Then I had a powerful whack and surge. Line peeled off the drag of my light reel and my 6# line strained. Yeee hawww. Wiper? Nay. But a 10 pound TGW...toothless golden walleye. Much fun. Invited it to accompany me to the cleaning station where I helped it through a tremendous weight loss program. Got some good bait from it. Totally grossed out some old dude who saw me filleting it and (with eyes bulging) asked "Are you gonna eat that thing?" I said "Sure. They make great sushi." I thought he was gonna ralph right there.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Met up with Wildcat94 at the SE corner of the north marina just after 6. Topwater action in the low predawn light. Carp rolling. Big whoop.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Warm and calm, with water temps about 71 at launch. Only up to 73 by noon. Good clarity. Not much showing on sonar. Depth in the back end was from 10 - 12 feet. Ideal for foraging wipers but they did not read the manual. No shows. A few shadlets on top, but no schools of bait and nothing chasing them.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Threw all kinds of plastics and hardbaits while dragging the customary minnow. The customary kitties obliged a few times and I caught several customary cookie cutters. Also dinged a small largemouth bass while casting a white plastic tube toward shore. Good to see a few still in Willard.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Very slow. About 8:30 I thought about pulling out of the north marina and heading down to the south marina. Shoulda but din't. Instead I kicked out the channel entrance...casting and dragging a minnow as I went. Got clear out to 20 feet of water without a teensy touch. Did see a grundle of bait in the water. From 15 feet to 20 feet my sonar was almost black constantly with stacked up shad and a few larger fish just hanging out with the groceries. No ticks, no chomps, no munches.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]After about an hour and a half of nothing doing, I kicked back inside the marina. Wildcat94 had caught one channel cat and a big bluegill. He started fishing around the docks and found a good quantity of small crappies hanging in the shade. Most were under six inches. Biggest he got was about 9 or 10 inches. Better than zip...but not much.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I changed minnows and plastics several times, trying to find willing fishies. Nary a whisper on bait, and only an occasional tweak on the plastic. I finally got a good whack and brought in a smallie that was about a match sizewize for the largie I had caught earlier. Back it went.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Then I had a powerful whack and surge. Line peeled off the drag of my light reel and my 6# line strained. Yeee hawww. Wiper? Nay. But a 10 pound TGW...toothless golden walleye. Much fun. Invited it to accompany me to the cleaning station where I helped it through a tremendous weight loss program. Got some good bait from it. Totally grossed out some old dude who saw me filleting it and (with eyes bulging) asked "Are you gonna eat that thing?" I said "Sure. They make great sushi." I thought he was gonna ralph right there.[/#0000ff]
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