Ice catfish

[SkunkedAgain]

Not yet this year but some of us did last year. Ira got a 27”er if my memory is correct, out of Willard I think. I got a 20 something out of Cutler, but mine was a by catch when I was after panfish. They aren’t to hard to catch if you can find them and they are active. Hard part seems to be finding them. If you find someone that is good at finding them, have them teach me how to find them. Later J

[wiperhunter2]

@Trapfish01!

Anyone catch any channels through the ice at mantua or willard?

Welcome to the site. I can’t remember of anyone catching a cat at Mantua while ice fishing but Jeff is right about Ira getting one at Willard last Winter, here is a pic of the one he caught there.

](WS1cat — Postimages)

[TubeDude]

Lots of cats caught at Willard through the ice. The kitties remain active and feed all year…even in winter. They don’t hit as hard…or fight as hard…but they are some decent tugs and great eating. And you don’t have to fish anything special for them. Whatever you are serving up for any other species will work just fine for kitties. However, a piece of chub meat on your jig will often get more attention from them than wax worms. But a piece of crawler can work well too.

Colors? Doesn’t seem to matter much. But I have probably done best with fire tiger under the ice for cats.

](KEEN 18 — Postimages)

**

[Muskyon46]

X2 on what Pat said. I’ve pulled a few out of Willard in the past. Now we just need it to get a good enough cap on it

[Trapfish01]

Fishing the marinas or main bay if it ever gets safe ice?

[TubeDude]

@Trapfish01!

Fishing the marinas or main bay if it ever gets safe ice?

**Both marinas on Willard are too low for fishing…at least so far this winter.  Best bets are the channels running straight out from the marinas…both north and south.  They were dredged at some point in the past and are deeper than the water on either side.   You should be able to find some 7-8 foot depths within a reasonable walk of wherever you get on the ice.  And that will be enough to hold some fish.  I have fished it a couple of times in the past when depths were about where they are now and the fish  seemed to like those depths.  In fact, when we moved out a mile or so and found deeper holes there was not as much action as in closer…in shallower water.  **

**That being said, if you want to walk a ways there are some potentially good spots to the north or northwest of the channel off both marinas.  But it is always the “biblical system”…seek and ye shall find (maybe).  **

In other past years there has been some good perchin’ and cattin’ in the deepest troughs off the far west side of the lake.  Fishing these involves driving all around the dike on treacherous roads and then hiking up over the dike just before you get to the light pole.

[EyLayo]

Try fishing slow for them. I’ve caught most of mine with a small wiggle of the jig, or dead sticking. Towards the end of the season when the ice is rotten and sketchy, they speed up and start chasing lures better.

[Trapfish01]

Appreciate all the info.
Ever catch walleye through the ice there ?
For whatever reason I can’t figure out the walleye on willard. Caugt a few of those big perch out of there this fall, biggest being 13 1/4

[EyLayo]

One of the wisemen(Pat) told me to be quiet when chasing them. Don’t go at them like a bunch of elephants.

[Jig-fisher]

I’ve seen pictures of at least one channel and one bullhead caught through the hard deck out of Mantua this winter on facebook. The channel was very nice.

[Trapfish01]

Im going to try to get my kids on one this year I think it would be funny watching them try to handle it.

[SkunkedAgain]

Get a carp on through the ice if you want to see the kids eyes bulge out. They are a hoot until you see what you have on. Later J

[TubeDude]

@Trapfish01!

Appreciate all the info.
Ever catch walleye through the ice there ?
For whatever reason I can’t figure out the walleye on willard. Caugt a few of those big perch out of there this fall, biggest being 13 1/4

**In the “olden days”…before shad and wipers…Willard fished a lot differently…both in open water and through the ice.  Lots of crappies and a lot more walleyes.  Both tended to hang out near the rock dikes and in the marinas.  And both were caught through the ice fairly easily.  Now both species are much fewer in numbers and harder to catch.  **

Walleyes are now fish of the open lake and cruise around it looking for food, but seldom hanging out in one defined area (like marinas).  It has been rare to hear of any walleyes being taken through the ice for quite a few years.  They bite well for trollers in May and June but are not caught nearly as well or as often during other times of the year.

Here are a couple of writeups that may provide some help.

WILLARD ICE FISHING.pdf

4. WILLARD WALLEYES.pdf

[SkunkedAgain]

Great write ups Pat, thanks for posting them… Jeff

[Catchasin]

Thanks for the write ups very informative

[lavaman]

@Trapfish01!

Anyone catch any channels through the ice at mantua or willard?

Last year I caught a fat mudcat through the ice at Mantua. Couldn’t believe how big he was. I cursed the people responsible of planting those in there and I hope I never catch another one in that pond. Still haven’t caught a channel cat out of there yet.

[utwalleye]

Hey Guys, check this one out, I caught 2 weeks ago in Boyd lake Loveland Co. was about 30in. caught on a rattle master
with a minnow head in 28 fow.

](IMG 20221223 142341659 — Postimages)

[SkunkedAgain]

@utwalleye

Hey Guys, check this one out, I caught 2 weeks ago in Boyd lake Loveland Co. was about 30in. caught on a rattle master
with a minnow head in 28 fow.

](IMG 20221223 142341659 — Postimages)

Great cat and especially through and ice hole… Were you working that lure fast and actively? I’ve found the cats usually bite a lower active presentation for me… Bet that was an interesting fight… My 21"er took some patience to get wore down and through the hole and that’s nothing compared to a 30"er… great job… Thanks for posting… J

[utwalleye]

@SkunkedAgain

@utwalleye

Hey Guys, check this one out, I caught 2 weeks ago in Boyd lake Loveland Co. was about 30in. caught on a rattle master
with a minnow head in 28 fow.

](IMG 20221223 142341659 — Postimages)

Great cat and especially through and ice hole… Were you working that lure fast and actively? I’ve found the cats usually bite a lower active presentation for me… Bet that was an interesting fight… My 21"er took some patience to get wore down and through the hole and that’s nothing compared to a 30"er… great job… Thanks for posting… J

I shake it light in place until I see the fish show up then start to rise it very slow, if he fallows watch your very close, they will slack line hit
and you won’t even feel a thing and he’s gone just like that. sometimes when I start to move it up they leave real fast other times they hang out for a few and then leave, but the ones that fallow it up are the ones that will hit.

[SkunkedAgain]

@utwalleye

@SkunkedAgain

@utwalleye

Hey Guys, check this one out, I caught 2 weeks ago in Boyd lake Loveland Co. was about 30in. caught on a rattle master
with a minnow head in 28 fow.

](IMG 20221223 142341659 — Postimages)

Great cat and especially through and ice hole… Were you working that lure fast and actively? I’ve found the cats usually bite a lower active presentation for me… Bet that was an interesting fight… My 21"er took some patience to get wore down and through the hole and that’s nothing compared to a 30"er… great job… Thanks for posting… J

I shake it light in place until I see the fish show up then start to rise it very slow, if he fallows watch your very close, they will slack line hit
and you won’t even feel a thing and he’s gone just like that. sometimes when I start to move it up they leave real fast other times they hang out for a few and then leave, but the ones that fallow it up are the ones that will hit.

Thanks for those tips, I need to find cats in deep enough water that I see them on my sonar so I can tell if they will follow… Most of my cat area is so shallow the sonar doesn’t even work, but I’d like to find a spot like that so I could do it that way… Thank you for the great details.. Jeff