# Willard Bay lures?



## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

I have had several requests and questions about the lures i use at Willard. Is anyone interested in me posting pictures of the top producers? I would be more than happy.
Here they are with a description of how i use them. Keep in mind, there are thousands of lures out there that will work but these are the ones that have produced well for me.

These are the diving cranks that i use most of the time. Rapala Shad Raps either fixed or jointed and there is 1 that is a Wally World $2 lure that works great also. The Rapalas are size 6, 7, and 8's.
[attachment=2:26rt17tu]Willard lures Divers.JPG[/attachment:26rt17tu]

These are the lipless cranks i use. There are several different makers but Rapala Rattlin Raps are my favorite. There are also Prizm Shad made by Producer(no longer available except on Ebay) and another Wally World special made by Konami. The Rapalas are size 5 and 7's.
[attachment=1:26rt17tu]Willard lures lipless.JPG[/attachment:26rt17tu]

These are my top producers this year and last. I start with these lures and then change them out as the fish tell me what they want.
[attachment=0:26rt17tu]Willard go-to's.JPG[/attachment:26rt17tu]

The diving cranks i will start out at 85' behind the boat either flat lined or behind planer boards. I will then move out to 100' and onto 120' depending on the depth of the fish and when they start to get hit. I usually end up going 100' most of the time with theses lures.
They can be trolled as slow as 1.5 mph and as fast as 4 mph. The best speed i have found is right at 2.7.

The lipless cranks i start at 100' and can go as far as 140' depending on the fish. 120' seems to be the best distance for 2.7 mph. Later in the year i will actually bring them up to 40' in the prop wash and catch aggressive fish. The prizm shad and generic lures always get the hooks changed out to higher quality before they go in the water. The factory hooks are weak and too small IMHO. 
When i am using divers and lipless at the same time(planers and flat lines) i will put the lipless on the planers usually. Sometimes it doesn't matter but this is usually how it ends up.

If i am catching more fish on one or the other i will swap them all out to what is working best. It changes from 1 day to the next.

I have started adding skirts to some of my cranks and it seems to be working. You just have to be careful because if they are too big or long it can kill the action of some lures and cause them to roll and come to the surface. Generic cranks are notorious for this and have to be tuned on occasion. 
Hopefully this will help some of you that are struggling with Willard and increase your success.
Just remember, it is s a good idea to try different lures and techniques. The most odd looking lure in your box can produce some great results. Don't be afraid to buy the $.99 lures from Wally World either. They can be great lures at times. Enjoy 8)


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## rockymountainelk (Jan 18, 2009)

I would not mind i few willard tips never had any luck there. Lets see em.


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## REPETER (Oct 3, 2007)

That would be a great help. Even with a good knowledge of "what to use" most of us will still have a hard time pulling fish out of that pond.


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

I am working on it, fishing is keeping me busy. I will post them in the next day or so. I will also add some tech. for the lures i post. 8)


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

Pics are up!


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Very helpful!!! How do you know how much line you have out on a spinning reel or do all your trolling rods have counters?


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

Nor-tah said:


> Very helpful!!! How do you know how much line you have out on a spinning reel or do all your trolling rods have counters?


You kinda get the feel for it on spinning gear but all my rods have line counters. They are awesome to use. I don't troll with spinning gear. All bait casters and line counters. It takes the guess work out of it. :wink:


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

You can buy a line counter that attaches to any rod, for under $10.00.
The reels with line counters are nice but if you want to use your open face reels, the add-on counter works fine.
Thanks for the pictures Brody.
Looks like you own stock in Rapala.


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Good to know guys!!


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## Coach (Apr 23, 2009)

This is a great post! I have tried with no success at Willard and didn't know if I had the right stuff or not. Was happy and dissapointed to see some of my stuff in your pictures because then it means it's just me


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## MEEN (Jan 27, 2009)

Great post. Thanks for the info and photos Lunkerhunter. I have always had great success with trolling curly tailed jigs and never done very well with the crankbaits.


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## luv2fsh&hnt (Sep 22, 2007)

Coach said:


> This is a great post! I have tried with no success at Willard and didn't know if I had the right stuff or not. Was happy and dissapointed to see some of my stuff in your pictures because then it means it's just me


Coach if you are trolling the cranks that LH2 illustrated and your not catching wipers troll faster. I have always considered the wiper an easy fish to catch not as easy as a pellet head slimer but alot easier than walleyes and somewhat easier than bucketmouths and smallies. I am beginning to think the reason so many people have trouble with wipers is trolling speed.My experience with wipers is 1.5 is way to slow for their liking.2.2-3.2 seems to be the most effective speeds.I normally start out at 2.5 and adjust from there.If I start getting a bunch of strikes that fail to hook up I will slow down a little if I am not getting hit I keep speeding up until I find the speed they want on any particular day and it will change from day to day and sometimes hour to hour.Good luck and give us a detailed report when you finally tangle with your first wiper.Warning you will lose most of your interest in trout once you get the wipers figured out.


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## Coach (Apr 23, 2009)

I do think I'm trolling too slow, mainly because I always think that others are trolling too fast. I don't have any way of telling how fast I am going but I do have a feel for it somewhat. Thanks for the advice, I will give it a try.


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