Willow Springs 5/30

[Fish Hawk]

on the water around 7am 59° water temp. started trolling for trout about 45min before fisrt bite. first double came at 8:30 off tip of sardine point. sarted going up the west side of sardine point and picked up a few more trout and a nother double. than headed to the east side of sardine point and picked up a few more trout. got up in the trees on the east side of sardine point and crappie sacked everywhere on the graph. started casting john deer and it was on. little crappie, i mean little crappie. fished till around 3. ended up with 7or8 trout, all stockers @ 8" maybe 15 crappie going at .5lbs. 62°water tempe at 3. nice day, 70° air temp at 3pm.     

[Piscolli]

Nice Hawk, thx for the report.

[Fishless]

thanks for the report Bill, saw Johnny Johnson catch a couple (nice crappie) at willow springs two years ago on one of his shows?? thought interesting, sounds like there is a bunch in there, I have caught a lot in years past a lake mary and it takes them a longgggggggggggggg time to grow up with limited forage for food and short growing season with the lake so cold. sure would rather see crappie than those northern pike in the trout lakes at least they don't compete.

Bill did you find the crappie with your new side scan secret radar unit??

how crowded was it

[Fish Hawk]

I did find the crappie with my new radar unit. when i got there was no crowds, when i left it was standing room only around the shore I've never seen so many poeple. out on the water was fine. I had to pull all the way out to HWY260 to finish tieing the boat down. poeple every where. glad I went early and took the boat. I bet there was not place left to camp.

[Whatagearhead]

Nice report - sounds like you beat the crowd by being in the middle of the lake 

[boatpeople]

 Great report Bill, can you use minnows at Willow Springs?

[Fish Hawk]

Great report Bill, can you use minnows at Willow Springs?

no minnows at WS

[PhishingPhreek]

Never mind that post I had on how your trip was...

I fished WS that weekend and managed 4 trout and 1 tiny bass. I had to work hard to catch anything... maybe I was fishing the wrong spots. Met a guy at Woods Canyon who told me about the crappie at WS and went to the cove I could have SWORE he said was the crappie area and I didn't get anything back there. Where is this Sardine Point?

[AZfisherdude]

Good question. I have fished that lake a few times. This was before I knew what crappie even were though. I know I haven't caught any up there. Bluegill, bass and trout but no crappie.

[Fish Hawk]

for crappie at WS, go to the cove stiaght across the lake form the ramp. use your electonics to find them