03-19-2018, 12:12 PM
[#0000FF]I generally try to plan my trips for a time when there has been at least two to three days of calm weather. This time of year that should include water warming in the sun. In late afternoon sun-warmed waters it is not uncommon to be able to walk the dikes and look down in south-facing shoreline waters and see fish just "hanging out" and absorbing the sun's rays through shallow water. If they get warm enough to make them more active you can catch them. But often it is frustrating to see them but not to be able to get them to bite.
Walleyes are "cold water" fish and will begin to get active when the water reaches the mid 40's...first feeding and then spawning. Wipers, on the other hand, are much less active in water below 60 degrees. They will bite bait and slowly presented lures before then, but don't really start aggressively feeding until above 60. 70 to 75 degrees is a magic zone for them.
There has been some water flowing over the baffles at the canal inlet at the south marina...off and on...for some time. But with the poor snowpack year they are not releasing a lot of water yet from Echo. In years of greater water the inlet can be running heavily by now. If we continue to get more rain and snow...and Echo fills...we will see more water in Willard. The good news is that it is already a lot higher than it was a couple of years ago at this time. It remained high last year so we are starting out better this year.
Here is what the baffles coming into the inlet canal look like when they are dumping water into Willard.
[inline "FIRST BAFFLES.jpg"]
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Walleyes are "cold water" fish and will begin to get active when the water reaches the mid 40's...first feeding and then spawning. Wipers, on the other hand, are much less active in water below 60 degrees. They will bite bait and slowly presented lures before then, but don't really start aggressively feeding until above 60. 70 to 75 degrees is a magic zone for them.
There has been some water flowing over the baffles at the canal inlet at the south marina...off and on...for some time. But with the poor snowpack year they are not releasing a lot of water yet from Echo. In years of greater water the inlet can be running heavily by now. If we continue to get more rain and snow...and Echo fills...we will see more water in Willard. The good news is that it is already a lot higher than it was a couple of years ago at this time. It remained high last year so we are starting out better this year.
Here is what the baffles coming into the inlet canal look like when they are dumping water into Willard.
[inline "FIRST BAFFLES.jpg"]
[/#0000FF]
[signature]