Are there pan fish and walleye in willard? The only reports I have heard all summer are about catfish and wipers.
I believe that there are crappie in Willard, but I have never caught any. I know that there are walleye in Willard, and I have caught them. However, Willard is best known for the wipers. If you have never caught one, you are in for a special treat.
Yep, there are crappie and Walleye in Willard.
There are also some nice perch but not many. I have also caught smallmouth bass in the past but I’m not sure what the low water has done to the bass the last few years. Years ago in the late 70’s I have even picked up a few German Brown trout in the early spring during the walleye spawn casting Rapalas along the dikes but I haven’t heard of anyone doing this for years. I imagine these trout came down the river during the spring run off.
I have fished Willard since the mid 1970s and have seen a lot of different species of fish and a lot of changes in the populations. Here is a list of species I have either caught myself or observed being caught.
Carp, channel cats, bullhead cats, bluegill, green sunfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, brown trout, rainbow trout, crappie, yellow perch, gizzard shad, wiper, walleye.
Before shad and wipers entered Willard, it was a vastly different ecology. Walleye and cats were the top predators and crappies were plentiful. Also a lot more bluegill and green sunfish. You could almost always catch a grundle of panfish in the marinas…all year…especially through the ice. Sometimes pretty good fishing all around the dikes too.
There are still bluegills. Got some big ones this year on small tube jigs. Haven’t seen a green sunfish for years. They do not reproduce as fast and they are easy pickin’s for the predators.
There are quite a few yellow perch, but most of the ones caught are taken through the ice. Some big ones…up to 15 inches. Most under 10".
You can still catch a few crappies, but most caught are taken by accident by folks fishing for wipers. I got into a couple of schools of them in May and caught about 20 or so. They were the first I have caught in the last five years, but when the water levels are up you can often catch them around the docks in the marinas. The crappies could be in trouble after the last two years of low water. They need cover and structure to spawn and there ain’t anything but mud around most of the lake. They were making an effort in the weed beds of the NE corner this last year but the carp were sucking up their eggs as fast as the crappie could lay them.
The walleyes have taken a hit on Willard too. Not only do they have trouble spawning if there are no flooded rocky shorelines, but they lost a lot of their numbers to being sucked out the outlet when the lake was drained. Walleye respond to current and they were pulled through the unscreened outlet and into the salt marshes below the lake. Thousands were snagged out of the channel below by happy harvesters. Some guys got a few nice sized walleyes this year during the typical post spawn feeding binge in June, but not nearly the numbers as previous years.
There have never been big populations of bass in Willard, but there are probably more smallmouth than largemouth. Some grow over 3#, but the average is around 12 inches…or smaller. They also like the rocks, where they forage for crawdads. The low water has put a hurtin’ both on the crawdads and the bass.
You won’t hear about much except wipers, walleyes and cats in most reports because most of the reports are made by guys who “wash lures” at mach 3.5 behind their boats. Crappies and other panfish respond better to SLS…small, low and slow. If you know where to look and how to fish them, you can still catch the smaller denizens of Willard.
Do people have much luck fishing threw the ice at willard for much? Last winter I did not here much reporting on this sight of people fishing threw the ice at willard.
In the “olden days”, when there were still “fishing seasons” on most lakes, Willard was one of only a few lakes where one COULD ice fish. It was where a lot of Utahns got their first taste of DRILLIN’ AND CHILLIN’. And, the fishing was good for walleyes, crappies and bluegills…with an occasional chilled kitty.
**During the years when the water levels remain high enough to keep 10-12 feet of water in the marinas, the ice fishing “inside” can be good…or bad. The last two winters before the big DRAIN, a few regulars caught crappies, perch and a few wipers and walleyes through the ice in the north marina. But, when there is only a couple of feet of water (current levels) the fish do not come inside. **
However, there are some spots worth trying for ice fishing on Willard. First, the outlet channel is about 7 feet deep right now…and was through the winter last year. Some guys caught catfish through the ice there. And, if you go straight out from the marina, you will find some 10-12 water within a couple of hundred yards. The bottom is uneven, with some humps coming up to less than 5 feet, but there are some trenches and channels with the deeper water. That is where I catch a lot of wipers from my tube, in the lower water situation, and it is where some anglers caught both wipers and catfish through the ice last winter.
Possibly the best shot at good ice fishing on Willard is over along the west side. That is where the deepest holes are…still up to about 14 feet deep. That is where the shad school up for the winter and where the predators hang out for the groceries. If you can drill a bunch of holes in one of the deep spots, and keep moving around…quietly…you have a shot at crappies, yellow perch, wipers, walleyes and catfish.
Most winter Willardites just soak a baited jig at different depths and wait for action. Those who want wipers or kitties…and an occasional walleye…drop down a minnow or whole crawler…weightless…and either let it hang just above the bottom or to settle on the bottom with the bail open on their reel so a taker can move off with the bait.
If you fish wipers through the ice, you need to clue everybody in your group to be ready to reel up when someone hooks a fish. Wipers make big wide sweeps under the ice and will tangle anybody else who still has a line in the water. You have a better chance of catching wipers and walleyes if you fish alone and if you are very quiet once you have your rods set.
Since wipers do fight hard and rub the line on the ice, be sure to use good abrasion resistant line and keep your drag set right. The are a bit slower in cold water but they still pull harder than most fish.
For crappies and perch, fish small tube jigs or CutR bugs, tipped with waxies, meal worms or a piece of crawler. Perch eyes or strips of perch meat work well too. Just be ready for an occasional wiper to grab on. Watch your sonar. Crappies often suspend well off the bottom and even cruise right under the ice sometimes…especially when there is a heavy snow covering. I have caught them shallow enough to watch them inhale the jigs just under the ice hole. Also, it is good to use a spring bobber or a small float when fishing for winter crappies. Sometimes the bite is so light you will not see it or feel it otherwise.
Got it?
thanks for the info. I live in Brigham so it is close. So that should be great. thanks for your help.