I experienced two “firsts” on Willard Bay today. First was a forecast with the word “CALM” in it. Second was a forecast that was actually right for a change.
Looked up at the big full moon on the way to the south marina this morning and wondered…“Is this the trip I get mooned…wiped out by the big bright orb in the sky?” Nope. Didn’t happen. But I did not expect to slay the wipers and in that I was not disappointed…sort of.
A chilly 52 degrees air temp when I saddled up my tube on the ramp. The big chunk of cheese (moon) was just settling into the west and it made a cool launch shot. Water temp was 69.4 at launch and warmed a couple of degrees before I got out about noonish.
Forecast called for NW breezes early. And it was a bit bumpy outside the channel when I launched at 6:30. So I fished several spots inside the channel until the chop subsided a bit. An hour of diligent dragging minnows, chuckin’ cranks and plastics produced nuttin’…not even a bump. Didn’t see much on sonar inside either.
Resumed prospecting as I rounded the north side of the marina entrance. My bait and lures continued to be lonely. No attention from anything. Not even snags. Started thinking about the moon again.
Not even the tiniest sniff on bait or lures for exactly 2 hours. I know. I looked at my watch at 8:30 and made that mental note. Then WHAM. Had a hard hit on a blue/sparkle tube jig tipped with worm. Thought maybe a wiper. Nope. Fought different. Walleye? Well, maybe a smooth skinned whiskery walleye. It was the first of many cookie cutter kitties that suddenly decided to come out to play.
I had worked my way down the dike into the ZONE…the area I almost always catch a few kitties. Bless their cooperative souls. They never send me home smelling like skunk…just cookie slime.
I wanted some cats for another upcoming family fish fry so I kept the first 8 to join me in my tube. That only took about a half hour. But, I kept fishing minnows until they were gone…hoping for something that starts with “W”…didn’t care whether it was wiper or wallie. Didn’t happen. Just went through my remaining minnows and releasing a bunch of cookies. Nothing over about 19" today.
Figured I would fish plastics on the way back to the ramp. Rigged up one rod with a high-low double dropshot rig…with my “hanger shot” sinker on the bottom. Two white and silver glitter plastics…one with a red eye and the other with a chartreuse eye. The other rod I rigged with a large pearl twister on the bottom and a 2" white tube jig a couple of feet up to complete the tandem rig. I set my electric motor on 2 and began bottom bouncing the double dropshot rig while casting and retrieving the tandem plastics.
Sheesh! Those silly kitties really wanted to play with plastic today. My drop shot rod kept bending over and bouncing with one catfish after another. If I had a few seconds between pulldowns I would cast the tandem plastics and get whacked on those. I had doubles a couple of times.
I was only about halfway back to the channel entrance when I finally decided I had had all the fun I could stand. The lake was glass and I couldn’t enjoy fighting the chop. The stupid fish wouldn’t leave me alone long enough to take a munch from my sandwich. I had a limit of cookie cutter kitties and it was getting bothersome continuing to get slimy hands from releasing them. Didn’t look like anything else was joing to join the party. So, I brung in both rods, cranked my little electric motor up on 5 and headed for an early departure.
Talked to several returning boaters when I hit the ramp. None of them had caught anything out trolling all morning. One guy said he had done well last week, including an 8.5# wiper, but he had not had a hit all morning today. I was sure glad the kitties like me. I would rather keep busy with them than catch a long nap between wipers.