Back to Willard - Printable Version

Back to Willard - Printable Version

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Back to Willard - wiperhunter2 - 09-13-2025

After taking a few weeks off from fishing Willard, Ira and I got up to the north marina and found Obi(Shawn launching, just as we arrived. We got out there and after looking around for a while we headed over to the Pelican Bay area and picked up 5 cats but we decided to continue South and after only getting one more cat in the Freeway bay area, we headed back toward Pelican bay and started catching more cats, right away, including a 25 incher. Catching was pretty steady but not fast, until we put number 14 in the boat, then it came to an end. The best lure was a 3 dot chartreuse flig, in 8 to 9 fow. Water temp was 73/74 degrees when we got off the water a little after noon. I took some pics of the ramp to show the holes the power boats blew out of the gravel and rocks just below the ramp.

[Image: IMG-20250912-070112499-BURST000-COVER.jpg]

[Image: IMG-20250912-070053967-BURST000-COVER.jpg]

RE: Back to Willard - obifishkenobi - 09-13-2025

(09-13-2025, 01:19 AM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: After taking a few weeks off from fishing Willard, Ira and I got up to the north marina and found Obi(Shawn launching, just as we arrived. We got out there and after looking around for a while we headed over to the Pelican Bay area and picked up 5 cats but we decided to continue South and after only getting one more cat in the Freeway bay area, we headed back toward Pelican bay and started catching more cats, right away, including a 25 incher. Catching was pretty steady but not fast, until we put number 14 in the boat, then it came to an end. The best lure was a 3 dot chartreuse flig, in 8 to 9 fow. Water temp was 73/74 degrees when we got off the water a little after noon. I took some pics of the ramp to show the holes the power boats blew out of the gravel and rocks just below the ramp.

Good seeing you guys out there we had a very similar day fishing off eagle beach ended up with 12 cats in the box, including one that was 28” the largest to date in my boat at Willard. We have caught a number of 26” cats at Willard those extra 2” really make a difference it was much heavier and dwarfed everything else in the box.

RE: Back to Willard - wiperhunter2 - 09-13-2025

That's the biggest cat I've seen come out of Willard this year, what color flig was it caught on?

RE: Back to Willard - BURLEY - 09-13-2025

Can you educate me on flig fishing? How far is flig behind slip sinker and how far behind the boat is the sinker say in 10 fow going 0.5 mph? Is it just under the boat or as far back as 70 feet? I have frozen chub.

RE: Back to Willard - wiperhunter2 - 09-13-2025

(09-13-2025, 06:21 PM)BURLEY Wrote: Can you educate me on flig fishing? How far is flig behind slip sinker and how far behind the boat is the sinker say in 10 fow going 0.5 mph? Is it just under the boat or as far back as 70 feet? I have frozen chub.

Shawn likes to do a standard length between his flig and the weight but we very the length from 15" to 24". Yesterday 20" was best. We don't use a slip sinker, we use inline weights that are 3/8 to 1/2 oz. We usually just use a spinning reel and make a cast as far as we can, off to the side and it will go straight back after a few minutes. That rod is 90 degrees from the side of the boat, the second rod is inline with the boat, so there is less chance of tangling. Yesterday I used a line counter reel and I was letting out 80 ft of line but 50 to 60 ft would have been fine. We usually cut up our chub when it is still frozen, so it does not mush out. If you wait until it is too thawed, you can be a mess. Once we cut it up we put it in a container and get it out when needed.

RE: Back to Willard - BURLEY - 09-13-2025

Thanks Curt. I will try my luck tomorrow or Monday.

RE: Back to Willard - TubeDude - 09-13-2025

(09-13-2025, 06:21 PM)BURLEY Wrote: Can you educate me on flig fishing? How far is flig behind slip sinker and how far behind the boat is the sinker say in 10 fow going 0.5 mph? Is it just under the boat or as far back as 70 feet? I have frozen chub.

I'm attaching a link to a video on rigging. FLIG RIGGING This will provide suggestions and options. But with all the changes through the year in water temps, clarity, depth, fish location and other factors you need to sometime experiment and change it up to find the system for the day.

RE: Back to Willard - obifishkenobi - 09-13-2025

(09-13-2025, 06:21 PM)BURLEY Wrote: Can you educate me on flig fishing? How far is flig behind slip sinker and how far behind the boat is the sinker say in 10 fow going 0.5 mph? Is it just under the boat or as far back as 70 feet? I have frozen chub.

Glad those guys chimed in, I’m not real scientific in my approach. My leader length is all eyeballed I run leaders 18-30” probably most around 26” right now with stained water. I use a full cast to set out the rods. On the initial set up, I’ll cast the two corner rods straight back then cast the side rods perpendicular to the boat and let them fall back behind the boat as we move forward. When we catch a fish on a corner rod I’ll move the side rod rod to the corner and set the fresh rod to the side position. The goal is to keep all four lines parallel behind the boat. When making a hard turn reel up the out side lines when they start crossing the back of the boat, make your turn then reset. I like to work either into the wind or across it, so I can control my speed.

(09-13-2025, 03:15 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: That's the biggest cat I've seen come out of Willard this year, what color flig was it caught on?

It was either the chartreuse with threes dots or a metallic gold flake with 3 red dots. The unusual thing was it was near the end of the day and I didn’t want to cut up another chub. So Juma put on a head, we usually don’t use the heads and tails. The heads are usually a little heavy for our fligs to float, it was a smaller head.

RE: Back to Willard - wiperhunter2 - 09-14-2025

A friend took some pics of the coffer dam today, looks like they have made some progress since my last trip to the SW corner, several weeks ago.

RE: Back to Willard - Jig-fisher - 09-14-2025

Nice. I ventured out later in the morning this morning for a couple of hours. Had some early errands so didn't leave home until near 9 am. I only caught 5, had a couple good hits that bent and bounced the rods pretty good, but just didn't stay on. But this one was 27", biggest I've caught out of Willard in a long time. White flig caught all but one, including the pop and drops.

RE: Back to Willard - wiperhunter2 - 09-14-2025

(09-14-2025, 05:48 AM)Jig-fisher Wrote: Nice. I ventured out later in the morning this morning for a couple of hours. Had some early errands so didn't leave home until near 9 am. I only caught 5, had a couple good hits that bent and bounced the rods pretty good, but just didn't stay on. But this one was 27", biggest I've caught out of Willard in a long time. White flig caught all but one, including the pop and drops.

Those bigger cats are starting to show up now for sure, not the size of Utah lake but a great size for Willard. Glad to see you are getting out and joining in on the fun Paul.

RE: Back to Willard - BURLEY - 09-14-2025

My floating jigs arrived today. Yay! So, I guess I will hit Willard in the morning. I have one more question: On a 5-6 inch chub, do you crosscut the chest area and tail or are you doing more of a fillet? What size chunks?

RE: Back to Willard - wiperhunter2 - 09-14-2025

(09-14-2025, 07:31 PM)BURLEY Wrote: My floating jigs arrived today. Yay! So, I guess I will hit Willard in the morning. I have one more question: On a 5-6 inch chub, do you crosscut the chest area and tail or are you doing more of a fillet? What size chunks?

Here are some pics that will help on the size of the cut up chub and the setup I have used recently for fligging. Ira likes to use the inline weight that I have below my chartreuse weight an

[Image: IMG-20250914-151401741-BURST000-COVER.jpg]

[Image: IMG-20250914-151553890-BURST000-COVER.jpg]

[Image: IMG-20250914-152412252-BURST000-COVER.jpg]

d that works well too. Let me know if you have any other questions

RE: Back to Willard - BURLEY - 09-14-2025

(09-14-2025, 09:30 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote:
(09-14-2025, 07:31 PM)BURLEY Wrote: My floating jigs arrived today. Yay! So, I guess I will hit Willard in the morning. I have one more question: On a 5-6 inch chub, do you crosscut the chest area and tail or are you doing more of a fillet? What size chunks?

Here are some pics that will help on the size of the cut up chub and the setup I have used recently for fligging. Ira likes to use the inline weight that I have below my chartreuse weight an

d that works well too. Let me know if you have any other questions

Thanks, that is perfect.

RE: Back to Willard - obifishkenobi - 09-14-2025

(09-14-2025, 07:31 PM)BURLEY Wrote: My floating jigs arrived today. Yay! So, I guess I will hit Willard in the morning. I have one more question: On a 5-6 inch chub, do you crosscut the chest area and tail or are you doing more of a fillet? What size chunks?

For Willard I cross cut the Chub starting behind the head cutting every half inch, then the larger pieces I’ll cut again along the spine making two strips.from each piece, I’ll put my hook through the skin at the thickest spot.

RE: Back to Willard - wiperhunter2 - 09-15-2025

(09-14-2025, 07:31 PM)BURLEY Wrote: My floating jigs arrived today. Yay! So, I guess I will hit Willard in the morning. I have one more question: On a 5-6 inch chub, do you crosscut the chest area and tail or are you doing more of a fillet? What size chunks?

I'll look forward to reading your report on how you do at Willard today.

RE: Back to Willard - BURLEY - 09-16-2025

Well, just call me inapt. I spent 2 hours dragging the fligs around west of the north marina between Pelican Bay and North dike. 20 inch leader, using the split sinker weights all for only one pop and drop. Headed to west dike: nothing. Changed to various cranks and still no takers.
I must be holding my mouth wrong. lol
Here is a trophy from my previous Willard trip. His mouth wouldn't even fit over the treble hook all the way.

20 inch cat and a couple SMs were netted also. I also saw a Bald Eagle sitting on the light pole and a bobcat walking along the dike north of the light pole.

RE: Back to Willard - wiperhunter2 - 09-16-2025

(09-16-2025, 02:03 AM)BURLEY Wrote: Well, just call me inapt. I spent 2 hours dragging the fligs around west of the north marina between Pelican Bay and North dike. 20 inch leader, using the split sinker weights all for only one pop and drop. Headed to west dike: nothing. Changed to various cranks and still no takers.
I must be holding my mouth wrong. lol
Here is a trophy from my previous Willard trip. His mouth wouldn't even fit over the treble hook all the way.

20 inch cat and a couple SMs were netted also. I also saw a Bald Eagle sitting on the light pole and a bobcat walking along the dike north of the light pole.

Location is key but that being said we normal find them in many locations. Bobcat, cool, we saw a red fox last time out, pretty crazy the animals you see while out fishing. Keep at it Hue, practice makes perfect.

RE: Back to Willard - MrShane - 09-18-2025

Out here right now and spent a while dragging for my lost rod but giving up and going to go try for some Cats and Perch.
Could not get Chub meat last night, store was sold out so just going to have to use crawlers.
LOTS of fish on sonar so hopefully they are not all Shad…

RE: Back to Willard - wiperhunter2 - 09-18-2025

(09-18-2025, 04:57 PM)MrShane Wrote: Out here right now and spent a while dragging for my lost rod but giving up and going to go try for some Cats and Perch.
Could not get Chub meat last night, store was sold out so just going to have to use crawlers.
LOTS of fish on sonar so hopefully they are not all Shad…

That's a bummer, not finding your rod. As low as the water is now, it's possible that that area was exposed, above the water line and some angler found it. If it was the West dike, near the light pole, there are a bunch of old tires, wrapped in steel cable, in that area, many rigs have been lost there over the years. Good luck on your perch and cat search.