I was going to park outside the harbor area and walk my toon over to the north side of the north harbor dike and launch off there. I believe that the harbor has changed hands again, heard a rumor that the Cross family has it now, can’t confirm though. IF so, things could be a bit better. There is also supposed to be a launch site by the waste water inflow. Have to check it out for sure.
Let me know about that possible launch site. Some good fishing around there but a long kick from Lindon.
Also, isn’t it about time we met up on the water? By my calculations it has been almost 25 years since the last time we fished together. No good excuse.
Nice report Pat. I didn’t get a chance to fish Willard last year but I’m hoping to make up for it this season.
Hey James, stay in touch. I’ll be glad to show you what I think I know.
It is going to be a completely new lake again this year. The water will be back up into the rocks and there will be a bunch of new “structure” wherever the weeds and brush grew up during the low water years. That should make for great spawning for all species.
**There are plenty of wipers left, and obviously plenty of catfish. They have gotten a little bigger on average the last year. They are feeding well. The ones I brought home from my trip were all fat and sassy…some with freshly eaten shad and several with crawdads in their innards. **
The cats in Utah Lake are bigger, and more fun to play with when they are in the reeds. But, the smaller fish at Willard are always ready to play and in my opinion are the best eating catfish in the country. No PCB in them either.
Pat,
Maybe when I’ve had my fill of ice fishing we can get together and target the catfish at Willard.
James.
Pat,
Maybe when I’ve had my fill of ice fishing we can get together and target the catfish at Willard.
James.
Better hurry…or Mama Nature will take back her ice before you get your share. It ain’t gettin’ much colder these days.
Nice to see ya back TD! Long time no no read. Super glad to see ya at it and dying to read your reports and check out ya pics with Nicole!
-ABT
Thanks, my friend. I enjoyed reading the post on your recent return to the fold as well. At that time I was still unable to reply, so I did not. Sorry.
**Hi Nicole. Any chance you guys might be able to swing a trip to Utah this summer? We still need to get you some wipers on Willard Bay Reservoir. **
That is hardcore!!! My wife would have me commited!!
I thought I would ride your coat tails and try fishing for some kitties at the south marina. I had chicken livers and perch and could not buy a bite! I was fishing from shore, fly lining my offerings out into the middle of the channel and all around that point you launched off. I am not sure the depth I was reaching, but I was able to get out to the buoy in the inlet channel? Next time I am coming prepared with minnows and chubs, hopefully that will do the trick. Is it better fishing off of the point that opens into the main lake or staying into the channel. Also, do you know if the walleyes head up that inlet channel to spawn?
That spot seems like it would hold alot of fish, especially when the water rises into that brush a bit more, I can’t wait for open water on Willard this year, I plan to really focus on that lake and get into some Wipers.
Sorry you were not rewarded for your efforts. Fishing from shore at Willard is always iffy. I cover a lot of area in my tube, dragging my bait over a lot of bottom. Sometimes I go a long ways between bites, but when I find a good spot I catch fish on every cast.
My first cat the other day came right in the middle of the channel, not far from the buoy. Then, nothing more until I got about halfway down between the two dikes…then about five or six in a row as soon as the bait settled to the bottom.
I put up my bait rig for about a hundred yards of casting only with plastics and crankbaits. The channel has an edge that drops quickly from about six feet down to 9-10 feet, and that is often a good place to find wipers and walleyes…when they are in and active. Not much going on in 38 degree water.
Yes, the walleyes do run up that channel, and it is closed to fishing from the buoy up to the inlet from March 1 to the last Saturday in April. But, it can be good fishing for walleyes from the buoy out into the lake. I have taken a lot of them in April, both on minnows and plastics.
Better to keep your casts either in the middle of the channel or near the breakline. The brushy area off the points will be good for crappies starting in late April through most of May. But, with all of the new shoreline brush being flooded around the lake, that bit of cover near the points probably won’t have any special attraction.
You may have had success with chicken livers in the past, on the waters you fished, but I have never done well on them at Willard…compared with more “natural” baits. The perch meat should work if you can find the fish. Fish flesh has always been a top producer at Willard…sucker meat, carp meat, minnows, etc. Of course good old crawlers work well too…especially for walleyes when bottom bouncing. One “sleeper” bait seldom used by anglers on Willard is hot dogs. Wienies have caught a lot of kitties on that lake, and a few wipers too.
**I have fished Willard from my float tube going clear back to the 1970’s. Before the wipers and smallies…and gizzard shad…the lake was full of crappies, had gazillions of big walleyes and routinely kicked out catfish between 15 and 20 pounds…with lots of 5# plus cats. **
I dearly love the wipers but I sometimes miss the old days of plenty.
**As the lake comes back up to the high water mark, it should be great fishing for the trolling crowd again. The water will stay cleaner at the higher levels, so the wipers can cruise and hunt using their vision and not have to rely on vibration alone in the murky water of low-water conditions. The shad will bring off a great spawn with all of the new cover and that will provide fantastic BOIL fishing later in the summer. **
Dragging the bottom will be a problem in many areas. Lots of new tamarisk seedlings growing up that will be flooded…and they will not break down for years. Likely to be some purty new decorations on the bottom growth from trollers who cross the brushy humps while washing lures.
Bring it on.
No good excuse for sure, but between keeping track of the out of control 15yr old, sending the boss to Conneticut to visit the Grand Kids, and working 50+ hours a week, I have not had much time. I am planning on spending more time on the water this year, I have to stop the greying of the hair.
Will keep you apprised of the scouting results !!!
**You wrote: “**I have to stop the greying of the hair.”
Flash! Fishing CAUSES grey hair. It does not slow it. I get out over 100 times a year and if fishing helped hair color mine would not be so “blonde”.
You gotta reset your priorities man. Every fishing trip you miss makes you one behind for the rest of your life.
Suggestion: Take the “wild one” fishing more often. Doesn’t always work but it’s worth a try. Will at least give you an excuse to fish more.
I appreciate your insight on Willard, I would have continued chucking chicken livers there all summer. It has always produced for me on all types of water and rarley lets me down, so next time I will be ready with natural bait and hot dogs. I miss my tube dearly in Utah, but I don’t think I would have been out in that 38* water, but I have also never tubed in waders. I know you are familar with Mackeral, does it work well out here. I tried to use it in AR and it didn’t produce well compared to chicken livers or live minnows.
There are a lot of the oily saltwater bait fishes that DO work very well in Utah. Anchovies left over from a trip to Powell work great. So do sardines, mackerel, bonito, smelt and other fish you can buy cheap in Asian fish markets. Sometimes you can get the “aged” stuff very cheap.
**One of my favorite kitty scents of all times is sardine oil. Used to use it a lot in northern California and brought some with me back in the 70’s. Worked well on cats in both Utah lake and Willard. You can buy both sardine and anchovy oils from several sources. It is good to “sweeten up” a piece of carp meat you have let set fo awhile. It is also good to apply to the hot dog pieces. **
**These days I probably use crawdad oil and shad oil more than any other scent. **
You mentioned LIVE MINNOWS. Hope that was a typo because it is illegal to use anything but DEAD minnows in Utah.
I did not mean to imply that chicken livers will never work in Utah. I know of a few guys that catch lots of cats on them. I was saying that I personally do better with fish meat or minnows. But, we all have to fish what we have the most confidence in.
One of the more interesting baits I have heard about in Utah is spoiled elk meat. A BFTer a while back was horrified to find his freezer had shut down and that he had a bunch of BAD meat. After getting the freezer going again, he saved some of the meat to use for catfish. Thankfully, the cats had good taste and did accept the unusual meat chunks. You never know. Not advising it. It might even be illegal if you are “wasting” game.
No I don’t use live minnows in UT, by AR I meant Arkansas, sorry for the miss understanding. Thanks, for the tips, I will put it to good use.[;)]
Argh! Utah … float tubes .. wipers .. a guide who knows his stuff. I want out there this year more than an Ethiopian needs a burger. But Nicole (she said hi BTW) just got a promotion and with it less free time so life goes on merrily in dreamland my friend
Well, I finally got my rear end over to this forum again. [frown] It just seems to be a better environment here. As soon as I get back to some tubing I’ll post up. Right now it’s all moving water for whities and trout. Too bad I can’t post about that here. I think I’d get a more favorable response/interest here. Oh well, I’ll be lurking and will post when I tube it. 
I should get out to Willard and give it a try, huh? Probably will have to use night crawlers since I haven’t made a run for minnows. I seem to do alright with the crawlers anyway.
Hey Leaky, you are a recognized tubaholic, and you have a picture of you and your furry kid in a float tube in your avatar picture. That makes it legal for you to post any kind of report you want. A lot of tubers and tooners don’t get in much soft water action over the winter so we are hungry for any kind of fishing reports.
Welcome back to our little fun room.
Those cats, walleyes and wipers in Willard all eat nightcrawlers okay. Sometimes I do better on minnows but it is probably just because I fish them more than worms.
When the wipers get more active, in late summer, we have to get you out there with your fly rod. That will show you how hard a fish can pull.
Hey Leaky,
If Tubedude says its OK (as he did) we’d all like to see your fish pics. He let me post my carp pics here even though all I could do in my tube when fishing for them with flies was to spook the daylights out of them.
z~