04-20-2011, 09:08 PM
[cool][#0000ff]I'v[/#0000ff][#0000ff]e been wanting to hit Willard for the past couple of weeks. But everytime I start planning a trip Mama Nature gets "wind" of it and blows it off.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I figured the only way to fool Mama Nature would be to not plan a trip but to have my gear ready and whenever a last minute forecast looked doable...to just do it. So...last night's iffy forecast had improved by this morning...and I did it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Launched at the South Marina about 7 AM. Air temp 39 and water temp a chilly 42 inside the harbor. The water also looked like chocolate milk and had lots of junk floating around in it. I later noticed a lot of runoff coming in over the baffles at the inlet.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I figured that with the cold muddy water coming in there would not be much in the channel. I figured right. Nary a bump on the way out to the main lake. A bit of a NW breeze had a "chocolate ripple" going on the water in the lake. Not looking good.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I played roller coaster on the waves for a while while dragging a minnow on one rod and throwing plastics with the other. Water temp warmed up to 45 just outside the harbor. Nothing doing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I finally broke out of the mudline and into some cleaner water. The temp also jumped up to about 47. Still not warm enough for peak activity but better than muddy and 43.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I kicked against the wind and waves for over an hour, working my way down to the feed lot area. I worked in and out in big S curves...from 8' of water to as deep as 16'. Saw almost nothing on sonar and felt absolutely nothing on either rod.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]At 8:45 the sun broke through the clouds, the water calmed down and warmed to 48 degrees...and my minnow rod jumped for the first time. Set the hook and brung in a nice cookie cutter kitty. Skunk relief.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No more bites for a while so I powered down to my "zone" and put out two bait lines. The kitties were home even if nothing else was. I brought in several in quick succession...keeping seven and throwing back several. I figured it would be a simple matter to top off my limit (8) whenever I wanted to. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That was when the kitties turned finicky. I had a series of "pop and drop" hits and lost two hooked fish on the way to the tube. That almost never happens. I put up one bait rod and started throwing plastics again with my second rod. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The weather forecast called for the weather to "change" about noon. So I was keeping an eye on the clouds in the distance. At 11 AM I began working my way back toward the harbor entrance. I was still dragging a minnow on the bait rod and pitching plastics on the second. About 11:30 I finally got the hook into another kitty and got it into the tube. Done.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Then I noticed a big dark cloud moving fairly fast in my direction. I figured Mama Nature finally guessed that I had sneaked onto the lake without giving her any warning and she was coming to punish me. So, I brought in my rods, kicked my little trolling motor up to high and boogied for the ramp. I made it in plenty of time to avoid getting wet. But, Mama Nature caught up to me on the way home and spit on me for most of the trip.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]That's okay. I got mine.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I figured the only way to fool Mama Nature would be to not plan a trip but to have my gear ready and whenever a last minute forecast looked doable...to just do it. So...last night's iffy forecast had improved by this morning...and I did it.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Launched at the South Marina about 7 AM. Air temp 39 and water temp a chilly 42 inside the harbor. The water also looked like chocolate milk and had lots of junk floating around in it. I later noticed a lot of runoff coming in over the baffles at the inlet.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I figured that with the cold muddy water coming in there would not be much in the channel. I figured right. Nary a bump on the way out to the main lake. A bit of a NW breeze had a "chocolate ripple" going on the water in the lake. Not looking good.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I played roller coaster on the waves for a while while dragging a minnow on one rod and throwing plastics with the other. Water temp warmed up to 45 just outside the harbor. Nothing doing.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I finally broke out of the mudline and into some cleaner water. The temp also jumped up to about 47. Still not warm enough for peak activity but better than muddy and 43.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I kicked against the wind and waves for over an hour, working my way down to the feed lot area. I worked in and out in big S curves...from 8' of water to as deep as 16'. Saw almost nothing on sonar and felt absolutely nothing on either rod.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]At 8:45 the sun broke through the clouds, the water calmed down and warmed to 48 degrees...and my minnow rod jumped for the first time. Set the hook and brung in a nice cookie cutter kitty. Skunk relief.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]No more bites for a while so I powered down to my "zone" and put out two bait lines. The kitties were home even if nothing else was. I brought in several in quick succession...keeping seven and throwing back several. I figured it would be a simple matter to top off my limit (8) whenever I wanted to. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]That was when the kitties turned finicky. I had a series of "pop and drop" hits and lost two hooked fish on the way to the tube. That almost never happens. I put up one bait rod and started throwing plastics again with my second rod. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The weather forecast called for the weather to "change" about noon. So I was keeping an eye on the clouds in the distance. At 11 AM I began working my way back toward the harbor entrance. I was still dragging a minnow on the bait rod and pitching plastics on the second. About 11:30 I finally got the hook into another kitty and got it into the tube. Done.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Then I noticed a big dark cloud moving fairly fast in my direction. I figured Mama Nature finally guessed that I had sneaked onto the lake without giving her any warning and she was coming to punish me. So, I brought in my rods, kicked my little trolling motor up to high and boogied for the ramp. I made it in plenty of time to avoid getting wet. But, Mama Nature caught up to me on the way home and spit on me for most of the trip.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]That's okay. I got mine.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
