Where are the boils????

[scrodycat]

I made it out to willard a couple times this week in the evening when the water was calm. Searched mostly the southern and western areas for any boils. Did not see any at all. Any speculation on why, or when they may start to be more consistent?
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[toadly]

I will be heading out to the same area this afternoon. The bait is there about 1 inch long.Late August last year it was 2.5. Maybe with the later summer the shad maybe later too. Still its a bit early. Just got to keep going and keep an eye out for larger shad and of coarse BOILS!
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[fishinfool]

Your exactly right as soon as the shad hit around two inches and they start schooling up then it's game on.Right now there so scattered in tiny pods that the wiper are just slurping the small schools off the surface. another three weeks and we should start seeing boils. Plus the weather has been so unstable that doesn't help either.

fnf[cool]
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[scrodycat]

Well lets hope in the next few weeks the boils start to come alive. I was told that if its cloudy, and if the sun does not make a reflection on the lake its hard for the wipers to school the shad to the surface. I don't know if that is true, but in the past it seems that boils were more prevalent in clear sunny afternoons. At any rate thanks for the information. Can't wait to see them boils start.
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[hike_n_fish]

I fished Willard today along the north dike and ran into a micro-boil where a school of about 50 fish rose in unison right on the front of my boat then imediately submerger and re-appeared 5 seconds later two feet to the side of the boat. Its the first boil I've seen and it does look a lot like the water is bubbling or boiling when they hit the surface. They were moving very fast and I didn't have a chance to try to catch any. Other than that I only managed to catch one small catfish.
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[toadly]

Well I made it out to the south dike yesterday. There were no boils that I saw. Still to early. I did catch a nice little Smallie. They sure fight hard for there size. It was about 12 inches. Tried a white spinner bait. Anyone use spinner baits for wiper? Are they a good seach lure, or how about a boil lure?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Quite a few wiper fans have come to know the effectiveness of spinner baits for wipers. They work especially well early in the year (April/May) and again in late fall (October). Spinners on lures create flash and vibration that help induce reaction bites when fish are not as active...due to colder water or turbidity, etc.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A couple of years ago I watched a Willard "regular" working a big white spinnerbait around the brush and stickups in the NE corner of the lake. He was wading and throwing his lure right into the nastiest cover. Wipers were in there chasing shad and he was catching fish with regularity. He hooked more than he brought in because they often wrapped up in the sticks and tore loose. He was using heavy braid and wasn't breaking them off. And some he had to wade in and unwrap them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I know a few guys who throw spinnerbaits at the rocks prior to and during the false spawn period each spring and do very well. Again, white or silver seems to work best but when the water is cold and/or stained chartreuse also produces well.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Other spinners work well throughout the year. I catch a few on roadrunner lures and also on regular inline spinners...similar to Roostertails and Panther Martins. Small ones in silver or white work well when the fish are chasing small shad. A good way to work them is to cast long, allow them to settle to the bottom and then burn them back up through the water column. Cat and mouse strikes.[/#0000ff]
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[toadly]

Thanks for the info. I started using spinner baits again this year. ( used them some years ago for Bass in Calif.)
I've had good success with the at Mantua. I like that I can cast them a mile so that makes them a good lure for the boils at Willard. I found that for now I prefer fishing off the banks. My toon at willard seems to be a magnet for
a-holes and there jet skis. Half tempted to bring a paintball gun and let them feel my wrath.[]
I will keep them in my bags from now on.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I used to carry a slingshot...and used it. But the rangers advised that I not bring it any more. They would rather write a citation for a proximity violation than arrest a harassed tuber for defending his territory. But I got mine a few times first.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have always liked using spinner baits...in all sizes for all species. But it is hard to find them in smaller sizes. I make some of my own by pouring wire into modified jig molds and then working the wire into small spinnerbait rigs. The ones I use most are on the "minnow" heads and you can fish them with either a small tube or a twister. Good for fishing a plain crawler for walleyes too.[/#0000ff]
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[inline "MINI SPINNER JIGS.jpg"]
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[Springbuck]

What is wrong with the little jig spinners they sell, TD? I like them, and I like being able to change jigs, etc..

I use them a lot. 3 for 1.99 everywhere..
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[TubeDude]

[quote Springbuck] What is wrong with the little jig spinners they sell, TD? I like them, and I like being able to change jigs, etc..

I use them a lot. 3 for 1.99 everywhere..[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]Nothing wrong with them at all. I have been using them for over 25 years myself. I just like to add one more element of personal control by having exactly the size and color of blade and the type of jig head I want. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Those little "beetle spins" have caught a lot of fish for a lot of people.[/#0000ff]
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[inline "BEETLE SPINS.jpg"]
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[CoyoteSpinner]

FWIW - I've heard those spinner baits suggested as a good option for Musky fishn.

Also - in searching for boils - didn't see it mentioned here, but look for diving birds. They'll attack from above, while the Wipers push from below. Synergy in motion.

I've heard it told that boils have turned ON when clouds rolled in.

Sounds like "size matters" when you're talking baitfish!

[wiperhunter2]

Welcome to the site HnF. Too bad the catching is so slow but the next time you see one of those micro-boils, try casting into them with a small cast master lure, like in the pic of the post above. I usually have one rod set up with a small lure like that just in case I see some come on top like you described. Some times they move too fast and I loose them but it is always worth a try.
WH2
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[trophyboat]

We haven't seen too many boils either but we have seen tons of slurping fish, that will bite. All the boil chasers are looking for big boils when these little slurps will produce just as many fish.
Hopefully like fishinfool stated about the shad needing to grow a little then it will be on, and everybody will be off hunting[] As for speculating, I don't do that anymore for Willard bay that place sucks, but i love it.
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[fishinfool]

I just look for any surface action even though these fish are not boiling they should be cacthable I know at least fifty cast that landed right in the direction the fish where moving and not even a reaction strike? that f\Friday we where up there they where slurping all around use and we had many times them come up right next to the boat. whats weird is this kind of bite has happened at least the last five or so years,prior to that you could throw what ever you wanted in a boil or any surface action and you would get bit?[:/]Glad you and your girl have figured it out and keep use posted when they actually start boiling I hope I'm close on when I expect them to start boiling the shad fry where very small still and the wipers didn't have to work very hard to get a meal.once the shad hit a certain size around two inches they group up more in bigger schools and tha's when the wipers have to work a little and there less picky.
any way let use know.

fnf[cool]
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