Willard - Final Float 12-20-18

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Used to be good fishing through the ice at Willard. Crappies were the main forage species and they came inside the harbors during the winter. So you could catch lots of crappies...and there were also walleyes and catfish in the mix.
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[#0000FF]These days it is a shad-based economy. The shad move around a lot and their "fans" follow them. You never know on any given day where one or the 'tother might be. But if you can't find the food you won't find as many fish.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Some guys have dialed in the west side of Willard pretty well in the winter. That's where the deepest water is and that's where the cold-sensitive shad hang out until spring. So if you hit it right...with the right stuff...you can catch perch, crappies, wipers, walleyes...and catfish. Even a stray smallie once in a while.
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[#0000FF]There have been a couple of winters when it was productive fishing right outside the north marina. But every day is a new day. The fish do not set up permanent homes anywhere. You just gotta find a fishy highway and drop down some stop signs.
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