heading to willard friday night for some catfishing, I usually fish from shore but was going to try the boat. My question is should I drift around or anchor up? and should I throw out with a slip sinker or use no weight? any advice for night fishing willard out the boat will help. Thanks
There are catfish all over the lake and they can be anything from shallow to deep…on the same day. But, there seems to be a tendency for them to hang out in certain areas. I drag a bait around behind my tube until I find “the zone” and then I fish that same depth or area. You can do the same thing from a boat. Drift or move around until you find some fish and then anchor up. But, if you don’t get bit within a reasonable period of time it is time to move.
**I don’t do too much night fishing any more but when I used to fish cats at night on Willard I found that they moved shallower after dark. In fact, there were times when I moved into the rocks with my tube and just tossed out a few feet in front of me…after having to fish well away from the dike during the daylight hours. **
And, don’t hesitate to fish right inside the marinas. Both the north and south marinas hold lots of kitties. If a breeze comes up and chases you off the lake you can usually get both shelter and fish by coming inside.
**I like to fish as weightless as possible…with an open bail…and let the fish pick up the bait and move off with it a bit before smacking them. If you wait until they are moving away from you, let them tighten the line and you will usually get more hooksets…with most of the time having the hook in the corner of the mouth. **
You don’t need to make long casts or hold in a current so there is no need for heavy weights, and a lot of cats are touchy if they feel something unnatural. Others don’t care about anything and will snarf up a baited hook that has been snagged in the rocks. All depends on their activity level and how hungry they are.
If you want some fun times, get some lighted bobbers and anchor just out off the rocks. Fish a crawler, minnow or piece of carp meat…or hot dog…about 3 feet under the bobber and cast it fairly close to the rocks. When the cats really come in they will keep those bobbers moving.
Pretty sound advise from TD.
Cats are a schooling fish just like any other most of the year. I watched them scuba diving in the Midest lined up in the mud like they were in the army.
I have also watched them in the bear move up and down the river in schools.
fishing willard at night is one of my favorites especially in june. i don’t know what your boat set up is but i like to use my bow mount trolling motor to slowly cruise the shoreline while i cast crankbaits. the best part is that i’ve found the cats, as well as the wipers, aren’t picky at night. in other words you don’t need to go out and buy the most expensive lucky craft to catch them. any cheap minnow looking crank will work just fine. in fact i’ve cruised bargain bins at sportsman’s warehouse to get my catfish cranks.
as far as the location for the cats in june at night, i’ve found them to be up in the rocks close to the shore. within the top 5 feet of water for sure. especially during the full moon period of the month. i have had an occasional trip where the cats aren’t up that shallow and as TD says i’ve had to search different depths for them as well as switch from cranks to bait. IMO there’s nothing like catching catfish on cranks.
Keeee Rect. I used to hang lots of both walleyes and kitties at night on cranks and plastics. The old Thin Fin lures worked great. Ditto for size 7 countdown Rapalas in almost any color.
But, fishing a 3" yellow or chartreuse twister with 1/8 oz. red head was MONEY. And, surprisingly those work well through a good part of the day too. I once came in second in a catfish derby by fishing plastics from my tube…fishing only about a hundred yard stretch of dike north of the south marina.
Don’t forget your bug spray. Once that sun goes down the mosquitoes at Willard will eat you alive (been there --done that).[frown]
3" yellow may be money, but glow rubber baits are gold.
Just like under the ice, they add that little bit of "find um " for the fish.
Scents on the rubber bait, you betcha.
**I’ve been wanting to try night fishing at Willard too. My only problem is that the park closes at 10 P.M., and I don’t want to pay $16 just for a couple hours of fishing (heck, it’s cheaper than that, at trout farms). But that’s actually for a camping fee… since I won’t be camping, could I stay until 1 or 2 A.M. without committing to a site payment?
I have a park pass, but that only omits the entrance fee (as far as I know).
I’ve been a few times in the evening, but always leave about 9:30 for fear of being locked in and/or needing to pay.
**
oh no. state park fee questions. i took that task on a couple of years ago. last i heard the state parks folks were working on a way to accomodate night fisherman who weren’t camping. there was talk about setting up possible alternative parking areas as well as coming up with a fee that was seperate from a camping fee or that the overnight fee may be covered by a state park pass. basically i think state parks was going to work on better definitions. what exactly “day use” is etc.
the rules a couple of years ago were (although not stated anywhere) that if you were parked in the state park overnight you were considered camping. even if you were taking up only a parking spot and not a camping spot. to my knowledge the only state park that charged a camping fee for the use of a parking stall was starvation.
last year i had vehicle trouble so i didn’t get to do any night fishing so i didn’t check to see if the rules had been changed. i’ve tried to access the state parks website tonight and i haven’t been able to. so i don’t know if the rules have been changed or not.
IMO if you’re only fishing until 1 or 2 a.m. i wouldn’t worry about the camping fee. my opinion is that a parking stall and a launch ramp are “day use” facilities and not camping facilities. i don’t want to go off on a rant though because i don’t know if the rules have been changed or not.
i have never been locked in to a state park. if i remember right when the gate is closed at willard (north marina) there’s a pressure plate that when you drive on it the gate opens.
Last I knew, they do lock the gate at East Canyon. I went up a couple years ago to do some star gazing for one of the bigger meteor showers then do some fishing at dawn. When I got there about 2 A.M., the gate was closed and I had to stay parked on the road.
Though I didn’t stay for fishing after all, me and my friend decided it was too boring to wait another couple hours, and went home to fish at Roy Pond during the warmer part of the day.
couple weeks back I was on the water till about 10pm, hoping for some night-kitties, alas…
as I left the north marina half the gate was closed - the exit side, but the entrance side was open. I wasn’t aware I could get locked in for the night. I’ve picked up a season pass - so that gets me “day use” and a discount on camping, but I’d rather “PLAN” on camping and actually bring a tent/bag/pillow.
Probably better read some signs next time, or if I can catch a ranger.
Planning to camp at Mantua on Sunday this weekend, and take Monday off to celebrate the Solstice - hopefully with some fishing success! May even think about popping over to Willard for a while. See what comes.
hmmm. i might have to look into the closed gate at willard. i can remember fishing there one night until about 3 or 4 a.m. and when i pulled up to the north marina exit the gate was closed. i was afraid i was locked in but when i pulled up close enough the gate opened.
i can see why they would lock the entrance gates, but i can’t see a reason to lock exit gates. locking people into a state park doesn’t seem like a good idea to me even if they are camping.
YOU WON’T GET LOCKED IN. AS MENTIONED, WHEN YOU APPROACH THE GATE YOU WILL ACTIVATE A SENSOR THAT IN TURN WILL OPEN THE GATE IF CLOSED