04-20-2010, 08:18 PM
[cool][#0000ff]The species are the same in both Willard and Utah Lake. But over many generations of adaptation in each of the two waters the catfish have adapted/evolved into fish that behave differently...based upon water depth, water clarity, forage base, co-predators and other factors.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That being said, I fish exactly the same rigs and same baits and lures in Willard as I do in Utah Lake. The big difference is that in Utah Lake 8' of water is deep. In Willard it is shallow. But I have caught catfish from 8' of water in both lakes in the same week.[/#0000ff]
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"Still trying to find the places they hang out there."
[#0000ff]Actually, with all of the catfish in Willard it is probably more difficult to find an area there are NO catfish than finding where they DO hang out. Of course there are factors that bring in more cats or cause them to go elsewhere. But usually you can catch them if you can find them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have fished Willard Bay almost as long as I have fished Utah Lake. I have gotten to know just about every rock around the perimeter and every hole and bump on the bottom within a reasonable distance from shore. Naturally I tend to go back to the areas in which I have had the greatest success...but those spots change throughout the year and from year to year...depending on water depth, temperatures, food resources, etc. There is a definite advantage to having a mental database accumulated over many years of observing the changing conditions.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Still, there are some generalities that mostly hold true most of the time. One is that the cats will swarm into the rocks and brush in May, just as they do at Utah Lake...to make baby catfish. And, just like Utah Lake, a lot of the cats hang in or around those same areas a good part of the warmer months for feeding. Besides lots of crawdads there are young bluegills, crappies and of course grundles of shadlets in season. Not unusual to catch cats on lures meant for wipers or to have them come up and hit topwater in the middle of a boil.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I would like to claim that I can fish any 100 yard stretch of the dike...any time of year...and catch a limit of cats within 100 yards of that dike. I would like to...but I can't. What I can claim is that by using good search techniques (dragging a minnow or crawler) I can find where the cats are holding on any particular trip. THEN I can usually score pretty well on them once I find them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]On any given day you can guess what depth will be best and what area. But, even if you know the lake pretty well you still have to make big S turns...shallow to deep and back again...until you score a few fish. Then, if all your bites come at 11 to 12 feet you watch the sonar to keep yourself in the ZONE to catch more fish with less searching.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are days when I have caught fish from 6' to over 20' deep. Other days they hang at exactly 8' and I can't buy a bite any shallower or deeper. The cats play by their rules...not my fishin' wishes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My 3 favorite areas? [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]1. Along the dike north of the entrance to the south marina. Best area is from about 100 yards south of the hog farm to the bend in the dike. Also a great place for wipers...and there are some great bluegills that hang in the vegetation next to the dike. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]2. Eagle Beach area and across to the NE corner. Lots of humps and bumps with a few flat areas. Sometimes the kitties hole up in the low spots. Other times they are up on the high spots.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]3. Inside the north or south marinas. It is amazing how many boaters blast off into the open lake without really fishing the inlet channel or the back part of the north marina. I have had days in my float tube catching grundles of wipers and kitties all by my lonesome...watching boat after boat blast off for the light pole on the other side of the lake.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Of course I can't give up all of my secrets but maybe we can meet up a time or two and do some show and tell. Much better than written rhetoric...especially mine.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That being said, I fish exactly the same rigs and same baits and lures in Willard as I do in Utah Lake. The big difference is that in Utah Lake 8' of water is deep. In Willard it is shallow. But I have caught catfish from 8' of water in both lakes in the same week.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
"Still trying to find the places they hang out there."
[#0000ff]Actually, with all of the catfish in Willard it is probably more difficult to find an area there are NO catfish than finding where they DO hang out. Of course there are factors that bring in more cats or cause them to go elsewhere. But usually you can catch them if you can find them.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have fished Willard Bay almost as long as I have fished Utah Lake. I have gotten to know just about every rock around the perimeter and every hole and bump on the bottom within a reasonable distance from shore. Naturally I tend to go back to the areas in which I have had the greatest success...but those spots change throughout the year and from year to year...depending on water depth, temperatures, food resources, etc. There is a definite advantage to having a mental database accumulated over many years of observing the changing conditions.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Still, there are some generalities that mostly hold true most of the time. One is that the cats will swarm into the rocks and brush in May, just as they do at Utah Lake...to make baby catfish. And, just like Utah Lake, a lot of the cats hang in or around those same areas a good part of the warmer months for feeding. Besides lots of crawdads there are young bluegills, crappies and of course grundles of shadlets in season. Not unusual to catch cats on lures meant for wipers or to have them come up and hit topwater in the middle of a boil.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I would like to claim that I can fish any 100 yard stretch of the dike...any time of year...and catch a limit of cats within 100 yards of that dike. I would like to...but I can't. What I can claim is that by using good search techniques (dragging a minnow or crawler) I can find where the cats are holding on any particular trip. THEN I can usually score pretty well on them once I find them.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]On any given day you can guess what depth will be best and what area. But, even if you know the lake pretty well you still have to make big S turns...shallow to deep and back again...until you score a few fish. Then, if all your bites come at 11 to 12 feet you watch the sonar to keep yourself in the ZONE to catch more fish with less searching.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There are days when I have caught fish from 6' to over 20' deep. Other days they hang at exactly 8' and I can't buy a bite any shallower or deeper. The cats play by their rules...not my fishin' wishes.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]My 3 favorite areas? [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]1. Along the dike north of the entrance to the south marina. Best area is from about 100 yards south of the hog farm to the bend in the dike. Also a great place for wipers...and there are some great bluegills that hang in the vegetation next to the dike. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]2. Eagle Beach area and across to the NE corner. Lots of humps and bumps with a few flat areas. Sometimes the kitties hole up in the low spots. Other times they are up on the high spots.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]3. Inside the north or south marinas. It is amazing how many boaters blast off into the open lake without really fishing the inlet channel or the back part of the north marina. I have had days in my float tube catching grundles of wipers and kitties all by my lonesome...watching boat after boat blast off for the light pole on the other side of the lake.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Of course I can't give up all of my secrets but maybe we can meet up a time or two and do some show and tell. Much better than written rhetoric...especially mine.[/#0000ff]
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