Willard Wiper Fest

[SkunkedAgain]

Drove by Willard yesterday and seen a pack of vehicles in the usual lot, I'm assuming this means the wiper fest is kicking in.  Can anyone confirm?  I know it's the right time of the year, but with the cold temps I wondered if it would happen on time or be delayed?  Think I may have to give it try next time it warms up a little... Later J

[Therapist]

What is the Wiper Fest??? Faux spawning run?

[TubeDude]

Wipers usually show up in May for the annual slaughter.

Walleye snaggers are the current crop of baffles bozos.

[oldguy]

You are right on Pat BOZOS is right.

[Panchodog]

I saw a picture of a guy getting wipers on a fly @ willard yesterday. Just saying.......

[gone_fishin58]

I was out there on Tuesday afternoon for a couple hours, casting a white jig only had one hit. Others that showed up while I was there told me they caught a lot on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. But I hope I'm not considered a Bozo for trying to catch a walleye below the baffles. Whatever I was doing wasn't the right method though.

[wiperhunter2]

I was out there on Tuesday afternoon for a couple hours, casting a white jig only had one hit. Others that showed up while I was there told me they caught a lot on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. But I hope I'm not considered a Bozo for trying to catch a walleye below the baffles. Whatever I was doing wasn't the right method though.

I think what he was saying is that those that are there below the baffles snagging the walleye are bozo's, not those that are there trying to catch them legally.

[TubeDude]

I saw a picture of a guy getting wipers on a fly @ willard yesterday. Just saying.......

This can be a good time to catch both wipers and walleyes on the right presentation of flies and lures.   They are hungry in the warming water...especially since there are no shad of edible size for them to feed on yet.

My comments were aimed at the "bozos" that fish for walleyes with large treble hooks.  Or those who catch over limits of the wipers on mussels when they gang up below the baffles in May.  Same mentality as the happy harvesters who catch limits of crappie in the marinas, take them home and then return for other limits.  They treat the fish population as their own private fish market without regard to limits or the rights of other anglers.  That is "subsistence" fishing...not sport fishing.

[SkunkedAgain]

What is the Wiper Fest???  Faux spawning run?

Yup the false spawn when they are susceptible to the mussel harvest....  Pat, these are not the folks at the baffles, I'm speaking of a little further east in freeway bay... Pretty sure they are focusing on something besides walleye....  From some of the other posts it sounds like it may be starting... Thanks for the confirmation... Think I'll try to figure out a day when they'll get going again... Thanks everyone... J

[oldguy]

I was out there on Tuesday afternoon for a couple hours, casting a white jig only had one hit. Others that showed up while I was there told me they caught a lot on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. But I hope I'm not considered a Bozo for trying to catch a walleye below the baffles. Whatever I was doing wasn't the right method though.

I think what he was saying is that those that are there below the baffles snagging the walleye are bozo's, not those that are there trying to catch them legally.

That is whom I was addressing.It seems we have this conversation every year. It just seems that the same group of snaggers only gets larger every year. If the walleye are not allowed  to spawn we  will soon not have any in the future. We all need to do our part.

[TubeDude]

I think what he was saying is that those that are there below the baffles snagging the walleye are bozo's, not those that are there trying to catch them legally.

That is whom I was addressing.It seems we have this conversation every year. It just seems that the same group of snaggers only gets larger every year. If the walleye are not allowed  to spawn we  will soon not have any in the future. We all need to do our part.

Actually, the illegal harvest of walleyes at the inlet is not likely to have that much effect on the overall walleye population.  It is more a matter of sportsmanship and ethics...and legality.  The eggs from walleye that spawn at the inlet have a very low survival rate.  They are often killed by settling in the silt, rather than in well aerated rocky bottom as in "typical" walleye spawning streams.  Ditto for those spawning around the wave washed rocky shoreline.  Always some survive but not nearly the numbers that we would like.

That is why DWR has been netting and collecting eggs and milt from spawn-ready Willard walleyes for the past few years.  They hatch them out and plant them back into the reservoir as "sac fry"...with a much higher survival rate than those naturally spawned.  This has been quite successful and walleye numbers are getting better every year.

My biggest gripe is that those who use "Willard dry flies" (large lures with big trebles) to catch the fish illegally are at least reducing the number of adult fish that ethical anglers would like to catch legally...post spawn.

[oldguy]

Thanks Pat I couldn't have put it any better.

[Therapist]

The "Geneva Dry Fly " has evolved !!! That was a major problem at Utah Lake back in the day when the "bubble up" would attract huge numbers of snaggers. It is a shame that folks will put money into illegal means to catch a fish rather than learn the legal method to do so !! While as TD says " does not affect the overall health of the lake", it just isn't the way you do things !!

[TubeDude]

The "Geneva Dry Fly " has evolved !!!  That was a major problem at Utah Lake back in the day when the "bubble up" would attract huge numbers of snaggers.  It is a shame that folks will put money into illegal means to catch a fish rather than learn the legal method to do so !!  While as TD says " does not affect the overall health of the lake", it just isn't the way you do things !!

The "Geneva Dry Fly" was usually about the same as the original "Provo River Dry Fly".  I first observed it in about 1962...while being shown the only way to catch "pike"...as the local goobers called walleyes in those early days.  It was often fished on stout fly rods...to allow them to swing it out over visible fish in the holes they occupied while waiting to spawn.  The "fly" was usually a large treble hook with a bell sinker tied on underneath.  More exotic ties included some bright yarn or foam tied around the hook shank for better visibility for the angler...to allow easier targeting and better timing for the hard yank hookset. 

I was new to Utah and new to walleye fishing...having just moved to Provo to attend BYU.  As a fairly experienced angler already, I found it hard to believe what the locals claimed...that "pike" wouldn't hit regular bait or lures.  So I bypassed the snagging thing and started fishing spinners and some big bright streamers I tied.  Whaddayaknow?  I actually caught a few of those persnickety fish in the mouth. 

One of my fave tales of that early day walleye fishing on the Provo River occurred one morning up around Madsen bend  (good name).  I worked my way down the bank to a short hole below a bit of whitewater and began casting a streamer fly below a split shot sinker on my spinning outfit.   About the second or third swing through the hole a walleye came up, chased the fly and chomped it.  I put it on my stringer and resumed casting.  Several casts later I got an even larger walleye...with the streamer firmly clamped in its toothy jaws.  Put it on the stringer.  But after quite a few more casts without any action I picked up my stringer and headed back up the bank to move to a new spot.  I was surprised to find a DWR officer waiting for me.  He d and said I was probably the only angler along the lower river that day who would not get a ticket for snagging.  He had witnessed both of my fish being caught fairly.  Amazingly, even after DWR began ticketing for snagging it still persisted...and does to this day.

[UTFISHING]

I hate to say it but I wish they would just close the channel like they had years ago.

Sadly there are a few that go there and try to catch them correctly and those are they same few that pack it in and pack it out..

The Bozos are packing it in and leaving it all over the place it looks like a river hit the dump!!

My best friend is a fish cop and I wish they would go in there more offen and nail these people!

I won't go there because I hate what I see there no respect for the place is shown by the majority of those that fish there and all around that Bay!!!

I know some trash flows down that from ogden and weber rivers but not miles and miles of 30 pound fishing string, worm Styrofoam containers, mussel bags and then oth the food and drink wrappers!!

And yes I've taken more then my fair share out of there but last week after running into the wrong DWR person I will not be doing it again!

[Fowl-Hook]

I hate to say it but I wish they would just close the channel like they had years ago.

Wit 20 vehicles in the upper parking lot I stopped on the bridge above the canal and could not see even one individual fishing the canal. Are they walking to the reservoir, or fishing above the baffles?

[UTFISHING]

There hard to see from most spots but I think you are looking at the wrong baffles.

If you are looking east of the paved road that's not the correct spot you need to look west towards the lake from the road just behind the big pump house!

[Fowl-Hook]

There hard to see from most spots but I think you are looking at the wrong baffles.

If you are looking east of the paved road that's not the correct spot you need to look west towards the lake from the road just behind the big pump house!

I stopped on the bridge that crosses the canal and could see no one to the west of me on the canal banks. Just wondered where everyone disappeared too. In years past I have seen many many folks on the canal banks.

[wiperhunter2]

I stopped on the bridge that crosses the canal and could see no one to the west of me on the canal banks. Just wondered where everyone disappeared too. In years past I have seen many many folks on the canal banks.

There is a well worn path between the canal and the pump house, follow it to the end, where it drops down below a second set of baffles, it's about a 1/4 mile walk.