09-02-2007, 12:44 PM
[cool][#0000ff]The cats will spawn wherever they can find enough brush or rock to set up a defensible nest. The males fight for the good spots and then there is a procession of females that each lays a few eggs in that nest. A good process for diversifying the gene pool and assuring that they don't put "all their eggs in one basket"...in case of nest failure due to raids by carp or sunfish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Even in the lowest water years there are likely some depressions in the bottom or some isolated rocks that provide suitable nests for at least a few kitties. But not like in the high water years, when they have the whole rock dike shoreline to choose from...or the flooded brush in the northeast corner. And, yes, a lot of cats do spawn up in the channel too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Catfish have the reputation of being bottom feeders, because in most parts of the country they live in waters that are always muddy, with poor visibility. But around the country, wherever there are clear water rivers and reservoirs, catfish do become sight feeders and will hunt and chase down live prey. Willard Bay has always been a good place to fish for cats with lures and even flies...when the water is up and has good clarity. I have taken them on topwater along the dikes when fishing for wipers or smallies. And, I have caught them near the surface on shallow running lures in over 20 feet of water when they were up hunting for shad. Sometimes they are taken right in among the wipers on a boil.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, with the murky water, the cats are not effective at hunting the shad. Shad typically stay higher in the water column and without the visual help from clearer water the kitties are handicapped in their hunt. So, they revert to hunting along the bottom for whatever they can find.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I worked out into the deepest water I could find out of the north marina. That was mostly about 10 feet, with one depression of 11 feet. There were lots of fish suspended from just above the bottom to about mid depth in many areas of the deeper water. The size of the marks would indicate to me that they were probably shad, but my sonar was not tuned finely enough that I could see their exact size and shape.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As long as the water stays murky, it will be more difficult for the predators to find their food. But, all of the main predators...walleyes, wipers and kitties...are equipped to find food in complete darkness, through their sensitive lateral lines. They are finding enough to eat, but are not chowing down for winter like they normally do this time of year. All of the cats we kept were "lean", but healthy. The one wiper we kept was much thinner than those we caught earlier in the year. The fillets were not very thick at all. However, I have had reports from others that they caught healthy wipers. So, some of them have adapted better than others.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If there is an ice cap on Willard this year, the water will clear up and the shad will be easy pickins in the shallower water. The REAL issue is whether the shad will survive. They live on microorganisms...algae, zooplankton, etc. The abundance of their food depends on the fertility of the lake. And, there has been little runoff or nnutrients coming into Willard for quite a while. It would be interesting to know how healthy the shad population is in general, and whether or not they have enough food (and stored fat) to take them through a long hungry winter. If all the shad die off, the predators will need to send out for anchovy pizza.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Even in the lowest water years there are likely some depressions in the bottom or some isolated rocks that provide suitable nests for at least a few kitties. But not like in the high water years, when they have the whole rock dike shoreline to choose from...or the flooded brush in the northeast corner. And, yes, a lot of cats do spawn up in the channel too.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Catfish have the reputation of being bottom feeders, because in most parts of the country they live in waters that are always muddy, with poor visibility. But around the country, wherever there are clear water rivers and reservoirs, catfish do become sight feeders and will hunt and chase down live prey. Willard Bay has always been a good place to fish for cats with lures and even flies...when the water is up and has good clarity. I have taken them on topwater along the dikes when fishing for wipers or smallies. And, I have caught them near the surface on shallow running lures in over 20 feet of water when they were up hunting for shad. Sometimes they are taken right in among the wipers on a boil.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]But, with the murky water, the cats are not effective at hunting the shad. Shad typically stay higher in the water column and without the visual help from clearer water the kitties are handicapped in their hunt. So, they revert to hunting along the bottom for whatever they can find.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I worked out into the deepest water I could find out of the north marina. That was mostly about 10 feet, with one depression of 11 feet. There were lots of fish suspended from just above the bottom to about mid depth in many areas of the deeper water. The size of the marks would indicate to me that they were probably shad, but my sonar was not tuned finely enough that I could see their exact size and shape.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As long as the water stays murky, it will be more difficult for the predators to find their food. But, all of the main predators...walleyes, wipers and kitties...are equipped to find food in complete darkness, through their sensitive lateral lines. They are finding enough to eat, but are not chowing down for winter like they normally do this time of year. All of the cats we kept were "lean", but healthy. The one wiper we kept was much thinner than those we caught earlier in the year. The fillets were not very thick at all. However, I have had reports from others that they caught healthy wipers. So, some of them have adapted better than others.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If there is an ice cap on Willard this year, the water will clear up and the shad will be easy pickins in the shallower water. The REAL issue is whether the shad will survive. They live on microorganisms...algae, zooplankton, etc. The abundance of their food depends on the fertility of the lake. And, there has been little runoff or nnutrients coming into Willard for quite a while. It would be interesting to know how healthy the shad population is in general, and whether or not they have enough food (and stored fat) to take them through a long hungry winter. If all the shad die off, the predators will need to send out for anchovy pizza.[/#0000ff]
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