01-26-2003, 10:59 PM
[cool] Willard walleyes are a lot like the tale of the 5 blind men describing an elephant. Each touches a different part of the elephant, and each has a different impression of what an elephant is.
I have caught 'eyes from Willard every month of the year...in soft water and hard. They are never what you could call predictable, but there are things you can do to increase your percentages and minimize your frustration. That's true of walleyes wherever they are found.
During the year, beginning with rising temps in February and March, the small males get nervous (prespawn) and begin moving into the rocks around shore. They can be taken on a variety of plastics, spinners and crankbaits. Once the spawning period gets closer, you occasionally hang a large female, even though they are not as aggressive as the males. Their bellies are swollen with roe and they aren't thinking about anything but dumping their loads.
Post spawn, which typically begins around the first to middle of May, sees the females chowing down at all hours of the day...on some very large food items. Used to find "floaters" with large crappies stuck in their throats. Now they are happy with the large gizzard shad, when they can find them. Trolling large crank baits and plastics deep during the day, and shallower or near the rocks early and late will produce some big ones. Use whites and silvers in bright conditions...yellows or chartreuse in low light or after dark.
Once the summer temps take over, the walleyes still feed, but only occasionally, and usually after dark. During the daytime they lay on the bottom of the deepest and coolest spots, waiting for the "Power squadrons" to get off the lake and for surface temps to cool a couple of degrees. The last hour before daybreak is about the best time to toss lures. Otherwise, drag a traditional worm harness at paint drying speed.
Around the first to middle of September, when the first autumn storms start blowing in off Salt lake, find a windblown shoreline, with muddy water, and pitch some small black jigs. These imitate the small catfish the walleyes feed upon at this time.
By early October, the water temps are chilling down again. Smaller plastics work better than large hardbaits or large plastics. Go to 1 1/2" to 2" stuff, on 1/16 ounce heads. A red head and a white body works well in the daytime. Use a hot red head and chartreuse sparkle early and late...and go to a 3" chartreuse after dark...until the cold sends you home.
You can catch walleyes through the ice at Willard, but not if you have a lot of company. In the shallow waters of the marinas, I always tried to be the first one on the ice, and drilled the holes with a hand auger, as quietly as possible. If I could remain quiet for awhile, without others stomping out on the ice, I would jig a small silver spoon or tube jig, to catch a few small males, and an occasional female. As soon as the sun got bright, or someone else stomped out to find out how I was doing, that was the end of the walleye action.
I never used sonar while I fished Willard, and I never had any success in finding walleyes under the ice in the open lake. However, if you have a good underwater topo map, and a GPS, and a sonar, you should check all the high points and the low points. they will usually congregate around some kind of structure during the winter, and only move if driven off by undue noise and activity.
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I have caught 'eyes from Willard every month of the year...in soft water and hard. They are never what you could call predictable, but there are things you can do to increase your percentages and minimize your frustration. That's true of walleyes wherever they are found.
During the year, beginning with rising temps in February and March, the small males get nervous (prespawn) and begin moving into the rocks around shore. They can be taken on a variety of plastics, spinners and crankbaits. Once the spawning period gets closer, you occasionally hang a large female, even though they are not as aggressive as the males. Their bellies are swollen with roe and they aren't thinking about anything but dumping their loads.
Post spawn, which typically begins around the first to middle of May, sees the females chowing down at all hours of the day...on some very large food items. Used to find "floaters" with large crappies stuck in their throats. Now they are happy with the large gizzard shad, when they can find them. Trolling large crank baits and plastics deep during the day, and shallower or near the rocks early and late will produce some big ones. Use whites and silvers in bright conditions...yellows or chartreuse in low light or after dark.
Once the summer temps take over, the walleyes still feed, but only occasionally, and usually after dark. During the daytime they lay on the bottom of the deepest and coolest spots, waiting for the "Power squadrons" to get off the lake and for surface temps to cool a couple of degrees. The last hour before daybreak is about the best time to toss lures. Otherwise, drag a traditional worm harness at paint drying speed.
Around the first to middle of September, when the first autumn storms start blowing in off Salt lake, find a windblown shoreline, with muddy water, and pitch some small black jigs. These imitate the small catfish the walleyes feed upon at this time.
By early October, the water temps are chilling down again. Smaller plastics work better than large hardbaits or large plastics. Go to 1 1/2" to 2" stuff, on 1/16 ounce heads. A red head and a white body works well in the daytime. Use a hot red head and chartreuse sparkle early and late...and go to a 3" chartreuse after dark...until the cold sends you home.
You can catch walleyes through the ice at Willard, but not if you have a lot of company. In the shallow waters of the marinas, I always tried to be the first one on the ice, and drilled the holes with a hand auger, as quietly as possible. If I could remain quiet for awhile, without others stomping out on the ice, I would jig a small silver spoon or tube jig, to catch a few small males, and an occasional female. As soon as the sun got bright, or someone else stomped out to find out how I was doing, that was the end of the walleye action.
I never used sonar while I fished Willard, and I never had any success in finding walleyes under the ice in the open lake. However, if you have a good underwater topo map, and a GPS, and a sonar, you should check all the high points and the low points. they will usually congregate around some kind of structure during the winter, and only move if driven off by undue noise and activity.
Your three minutes are up. Please deposit some other responses.
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