Wilhelm 2019
Didn't find a Wilhelm post yet for this year, so here we go.
As of April 7 THERE ARE NO **** DOCKS. Well, the docks are there in the parking lots. But not where you need them. And this lake isn't steep like Shenango. Launching my 20' boat wasn't the easiest (we just launched it with my partner in the boat though) but retrieving was nightmarish. Would have been fine if you wanted to wade, but the water was not warm enough for that nonsense. We launched at #3 and also checked the Marina just in case. No joy on the dock action.
Water is cold! Started out at 48 degrees and got to 49.5 or 50 if you were real shallow up North mid day. I thought this was a good temp for the crappies but that's apparently because I suck at reading. Need some more warming to wake those fish up.
Shad - there was a die off last week by the look of it. So there are 8-10 inchers dead everywhere. Not one of those huge fish kill situations where there are hundreds of them everywhere stinking, but you'll see floaters all over the lake and dead ones in the rocks and ramps. Disturbingly we also say a bunch of dead bluegills and even a dying bullhead. Bullheads will live in a bucket of mud for a week and never complain... so I hope someone hooked this one badly or a bird half ate him or something. Because if bullheads are dying in your lake that's a really bad sign.
Didn't catch a fish all day. Fished clear up into the trees, in as little as 2 fow and also in 8-12 fow. Nothing. Did snag a shad but I don't count that. Only saw one boat catch anything, and they were sitting on top of a deadfall/beaver situation catching tiny panfish. Plenty of fun for the kids at least.
And in case you didn't catch the Fergies post, they are closing at the end of April to sell golf carts. So you'll need a new bait store.
I'm going to give her a couple three weeks and try again.