09-08-2018, 11:23 PM
on Willard Bay. Fatbiker was right, I should have gone to Willard yesterday. Got on the water at the south marina just before 7 a.m. Sky looked cloudy, but I had not seen any forecast for rain today. Was a slight breeze, just perfect to keep cool and keep the bugs off.
Going out the channel, noticed water level is down quite a ways. Maybe from filling that new Smith Family Pond at the turn off. Naw, probably not.
Anyway, made my usual right turn out past the buoys, got out to water 12 to 14 ft deep, rigged out my Fire Tiger and Crawdad rat-l-traps.
Ran about 1.5 to 1.8 mph, allowing the traps to bounce. Just after 8 a.m. nice healthy kitty decided it wanted my crawdad trap. Took all 3 hooks on the back treble. Nice Cat, 21.5 inches. Not enough to bump my contest score, but perfect to toss the skunk out. Just as I was releasing that Cat, looked up and noticed dark rain clouds up at the north west end of the lake, and wind was picking up quite hard. Had white caps rolling at me from the north............hey, time to head for sheltered water.
Well I wasn't the only soul on the lake today that had that same thought. 3 or 4 other smaller boats came into the south marina same time I did. It looked as if the wind was gonna stay up, so we all pulled our boats back on the trailers. Then just as I was getting the boat road ready, the wind died, some of the clouds started breaking up and the air temp warmed up noticeably.
OK, back on the water 3 of us went. 2 gentlemen in a 14 ft Tracker ( they say they read the BFT posts, but are not members, yet) 2 other fellas in what I think was a 12 ft. aluminum something (didn't see the make) kind of new to Willard and asked lots of questions.
You know what one definition of insanity is? " Doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results". Well that was me today. Only I did get different results..............the weather got real nice, and I didn't catch another single cat.[
] Or even a married one for that matter[laugh]. Called it quits about 1230 p.m. Anchored in the south marina to drown my last 2 worms and get the boat ready for the road, again. [
] and wait for a break in the coming and going power squadron.
Next to last worm, I got a consolation prize........baby perch. Released
Got the boat docked, truck and trailer backed down the center ramp. Walking back down the dock, a woman looked as if she had either fallen off the dock, or was jumping from the dock to a boat and missed. Anyway, she was in the water, telling her male counterpart that she lost her flip flops. I saw them floating about 10 ft. behind my stern, and I hadn't put my only lightly used net away yet. So I scooped one up while a guy in another ski boat grabbed the other.
Problem solved. NEXT...........................
Got my boat on the trailer and as I climbing into my cab, there is another fella standing on the ramp in front of a 2015 GMC Denali 2500, with the hood up. His trailer is in the water where he just launched, but the truck just flat died. [crazy]
I asked him if he needed a jump. Nope, the battery was reading a full 13 volts... turn the key and nothing...........not even a click. Well ramp was getting busy, he had been talking to a mechanic at the dealer and was about to call a tow truck.
I told him to let me get my trailer up the ramp and unhooked, I would pull his truck and boat trailer up out of the water and off the ramp. Used my tow strap for the first time (I've had it since 2005) Took about 5 minutes for all that but I guess it was my "pay it forward" for the day. He was thankful and I told him what comes around, goes around. Maybe some day he would be able to help out some old fart fisherman in a little Tin Can.
[signature]
Going out the channel, noticed water level is down quite a ways. Maybe from filling that new Smith Family Pond at the turn off. Naw, probably not.
Anyway, made my usual right turn out past the buoys, got out to water 12 to 14 ft deep, rigged out my Fire Tiger and Crawdad rat-l-traps.
Ran about 1.5 to 1.8 mph, allowing the traps to bounce. Just after 8 a.m. nice healthy kitty decided it wanted my crawdad trap. Took all 3 hooks on the back treble. Nice Cat, 21.5 inches. Not enough to bump my contest score, but perfect to toss the skunk out. Just as I was releasing that Cat, looked up and noticed dark rain clouds up at the north west end of the lake, and wind was picking up quite hard. Had white caps rolling at me from the north............hey, time to head for sheltered water.
Well I wasn't the only soul on the lake today that had that same thought. 3 or 4 other smaller boats came into the south marina same time I did. It looked as if the wind was gonna stay up, so we all pulled our boats back on the trailers. Then just as I was getting the boat road ready, the wind died, some of the clouds started breaking up and the air temp warmed up noticeably.
OK, back on the water 3 of us went. 2 gentlemen in a 14 ft Tracker ( they say they read the BFT posts, but are not members, yet) 2 other fellas in what I think was a 12 ft. aluminum something (didn't see the make) kind of new to Willard and asked lots of questions.
You know what one definition of insanity is? " Doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results". Well that was me today. Only I did get different results..............the weather got real nice, and I didn't catch another single cat.[
] Or even a married one for that matter[laugh]. Called it quits about 1230 p.m. Anchored in the south marina to drown my last 2 worms and get the boat ready for the road, again. [] and wait for a break in the coming and going power squadron. Next to last worm, I got a consolation prize........baby perch. Released
Got the boat docked, truck and trailer backed down the center ramp. Walking back down the dock, a woman looked as if she had either fallen off the dock, or was jumping from the dock to a boat and missed. Anyway, she was in the water, telling her male counterpart that she lost her flip flops. I saw them floating about 10 ft. behind my stern, and I hadn't put my only lightly used net away yet. So I scooped one up while a guy in another ski boat grabbed the other.
Problem solved. NEXT...........................
Got my boat on the trailer and as I climbing into my cab, there is another fella standing on the ramp in front of a 2015 GMC Denali 2500, with the hood up. His trailer is in the water where he just launched, but the truck just flat died. [crazy]
I asked him if he needed a jump. Nope, the battery was reading a full 13 volts... turn the key and nothing...........not even a click. Well ramp was getting busy, he had been talking to a mechanic at the dealer and was about to call a tow truck.
I told him to let me get my trailer up the ramp and unhooked, I would pull his truck and boat trailer up out of the water and off the ramp. Used my tow strap for the first time (I've had it since 2005) Took about 5 minutes for all that but I guess it was my "pay it forward" for the day. He was thankful and I told him what comes around, goes around. Maybe some day he would be able to help out some old fart fisherman in a little Tin Can.
[signature]
"OCD = Obsessive Catfish Disorder "
Or so it says on my license plate holder
Or so it says on my license plate holder
