So bhowick and I hit Willard this morning about 10:00am. The wind was blowing a lot harder hat I expected but still VERY fishable water conditions. We got out of the marina and heaed south as far as we could go. Which wasn’t much farther than pelican beach. We started trolling/drifting to the north, we were pulling a blue/silver rat-l-trap, a jointed shad rap, and a spinner with a Gulp Alive black shad on a bottom bouncer. I wanted to troll 4 lines, but with the wind and no planer boards I thought it might be too tough.
We ended up along the north shore and trolled that untill the ice started. Then trolled back to the beach that is just north of the marina (not sure the name) there I started to mark alot of fish, both clouds of bait fish and larger fish, but no bites. I put out the ancore and we tried piching jigs, cranks, the kitchen sink, everthing we thought of. We got a few follows, but no takers.
We trolled a little longer and covered every inch of open water that was out there, but no luck. I know that it is VERY early yet, but I was hoping that we might hook up with something today.
Water Temp inside the marina was a steady 42.3* outside of the marina it veried between 37.2* and 39.9*.
While inside the marina we decided to hit the docks up for some panfish. I even brought me vexilar fl-20 ice fishing pack so we could walk around on the dock and take a good look, but I couldn’t even mark a fish in the marina.
I went out there today also got there around 3 p m. and another skunk!!
Thought I would catch a catfish or carp at the least using a dead minnow or crawler but notha.
diddnt throw any rattle traps but used some jointed rapalas and diddnt event have one follow. Used all sorts of plastic as well and natha! I think I am done shore fishing for the year. I am not very knowledgeable about that lake and I think I am a little discouraged for now.
Don’t get discouraged about Willard. It can be a great place to fish although it is still a little early. Some years I I have nailed wipers as early as Feb. and then nothing for the next week. Walleye should be coming on any day now too.
Fish the dike just outside the south marina,fish are in spawn mod or close to it so there going to hit the inlets,there is more than one inlet.couple are on the north east side.
thanks for the info. I was thinking that I should have been trying the south side because of the inlet. It sucks the gate is closed. Anybody know when or if they will open the south marina this year?
Good advice there. Also no, it’s not ever too cold. That’s erroneous. Caught giant wipers right along the edge of the ice for several years consecutively in the N marina…just too shallow now yet. They bite ice fishing too.
