11-19-2013, 11:04 PM
[#0000FF]Not talking "average" here. The "average" walleye pursuer caught very few (if any) walleyes throughout the entire year of 2013...after the spawn. There are maybe 2 dozen hardcore walleye specialists who fish Willard and even they were bemoaning the sudden drop in numbers...earlier in the summer, when they should have been "on the chew".
I maintain communications with quite a few Willardologists and fish it myself. When the diehard pros complain about not being able to find fish I don't tell them they are simply not doing it right. And I have been in boats with them...watching the sonar screen and seeing absolutely nothing in areas that are typically covered with walleyes. Days that would normally produce limits become days in which two or three fish is noteworthy. There was a 3 to 4 week period last summer in which several guys found enough fish to make for decent walleye fishing. And the precious few spots that were producing fish looked like small boat cities most mornings...until it was over. Around the rest of the lake...and for the "average" walleye angler...there were only a few cats and a stray wiper once in a while.
For biologists to make the claim that the walleye population is at an all time high is ridiculous. I have fished Willard for 4 decades...through thick and thin. Even fishing from my float tube I have had walleye days of over 40 fish in years past...along with plenty of the other usual suspects. I haven't fished Willard as much during the last couple of years but my walleye numbers per trip are way down. Like other walleye fans, I guess I must be getting worse with age and experience.
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I maintain communications with quite a few Willardologists and fish it myself. When the diehard pros complain about not being able to find fish I don't tell them they are simply not doing it right. And I have been in boats with them...watching the sonar screen and seeing absolutely nothing in areas that are typically covered with walleyes. Days that would normally produce limits become days in which two or three fish is noteworthy. There was a 3 to 4 week period last summer in which several guys found enough fish to make for decent walleye fishing. And the precious few spots that were producing fish looked like small boat cities most mornings...until it was over. Around the rest of the lake...and for the "average" walleye angler...there were only a few cats and a stray wiper once in a while.
For biologists to make the claim that the walleye population is at an all time high is ridiculous. I have fished Willard for 4 decades...through thick and thin. Even fishing from my float tube I have had walleye days of over 40 fish in years past...along with plenty of the other usual suspects. I haven't fished Willard as much during the last couple of years but my walleye numbers per trip are way down. Like other walleye fans, I guess I must be getting worse with age and experience.
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