Willard Bay

[stout_trout]

I got out on Willard from 5:30pm 'til dark today. The activity was good until about 7:00 or so... it started getting cooler and the activity slowed.

I fished the south end and I just cruised the about 20 feet off shore. (pretty slowly)

A white zonker with big yellow eyes worked for me.

It was a lot of fun... not fast a furious, but enough action to stay optimistic. I landed a largemouth and a wiper (Hurry for points). I have four other fish on but I didn't land them.

It was interesting to feel lots of little bumps on the fly... I don't know if it was bottom, smaller fish or the larger fish just messing around, but the wiper that I caught seemed to "taste" the fly 3 or 4 times before it actually took it. Is that typical for wipers?

Thanks to Lowcountry for the tips.

[steelie]

All the wipers I've caught from there hit the fly like a freight train, I've never fished this early though.

[Lowcountry]

Great! Were there anything of any size? Did you take a temperature of the water? Just curious.

I would have joined you, but I had to keep the store opened. We'll fish up there.

[stout_trout]

I don't have a thermometer, so I don't know the temp.

With regards to size... I don't know what a normal size is, but they seemed decent. The largemouth was probably 13 or 14 inches and I would say the wiper was about the same. Both were fun fish!

I was surprized by how many fish I lost... I had a really low landed to lost ratio... I don't know why. I was setting on the strike... maybe I shouldn't?

Now I really need to catch a walleye and a crappie...and a carp and a catfish....

[Fred]

and a sucker!

Did you just wade out, or did you float tube?

[stout_trout]

float tube... just crusing the shore..

Fred, I don't think a pontoon would work as well! :) You would definately be better off with a tube.

[DrewTrout]

Don't sweat the catfish. When the weather gets really warm, hit that place in the evening and drag a white or olive beadhead bugger just off the bottom by the dike - you'll catch a catfish. The carp should already be feeding on top. Just walk the dike and you will see schools of them. When you say the south side, can you be more specific? There is a lot of south side out there - a couple of them have large "beachy" areas w/ pea gravel (oh how I miss the days when I could drive on top of the dike).

by the way, as I stated in the "Utah Lake" thread, I did pick up a small walleye a couple of weeks ago buy the light pole.

[stout_trout]

I was fishing the southeast corner... right in the corner. I've been dying to pick up a walleye, but I took care of the carp at Utah lake today. I will keep that catfish tips in mind too.

Where is the Lightpost that I've heard so much about?

Did anyone fish it this weekend? If you did, let us know how it was.

[DrewTrout]

The light pole is in the northwest corner of the reservoir. You just drive around the back until you come to it. You can't miss it. It is a big light pole - actually they replaced the old one w/ a new one this year.

I'm suprised you picked up a largemouth in the southeast corner. I have caught a lot of smallmouth there but never a largemouth.

[stout_trout]

Drew

I didn't know there where small mouth in Willard.

That's cool!

Thanks.