04-21-2020, 11:08 PM
I have been fishing for Willard Bay crappies since the 1970s...when the holy trinity of Willard was crappies, walleyes and catfish. No shad and no wipers then. Lots of green sunfish and some bluegills but precious few bass...largies or smallies. In those early days, crappies were a primary forage species for all the predators. The lake was full of them...all sizes and all year classes...all year long. And because there were no shad to cause them to roam around the lake foraging for them, most of the fish of most species stayed pretty close to the rock dikes...most of the time. A lot different these days.
Here is a two part writeup on Willard Bay crappies. It was a full chapter in my CD/book on Willard but I had to break it down to be able to post it on our "new and improved" format. Hope it helps.
Crappies have been showing in the north marina for some time now, but most are caught by dedicated crappieologists who know how to work the docks or finesse fish with small bobbers and jigs. Water temps will be rising into the 55-60 degree range in the next week or so and fishing should get good. The peak most years is right around Mothers' Day.
Here is a two part writeup on Willard Bay crappies. It was a full chapter in my CD/book on Willard but I had to break it down to be able to post it on our "new and improved" format. Hope it helps.
Crappies have been showing in the north marina for some time now, but most are caught by dedicated crappieologists who know how to work the docks or finesse fish with small bobbers and jigs. Water temps will be rising into the 55-60 degree range in the next week or so and fishing should get good. The peak most years is right around Mothers' Day.