Little35
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Wilhelm
Any luck at Wilhelm?
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Brightondude
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We went up there and we talled Bill who owns the gun and tackle shop store and he said dont even bother going out in a boat in the coves and along then shore because of the lake weed growing, it got so bad that you need a non motor boat to fish, you can always fish in the middle of the lake. Bill also said that last year was the worse year he had for bussiness and said this is his last year as he is closing up at the end of this season.
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Slay
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Can't say as I blame him. The fishing there is nothing like it was when I was a child.
Gone are the tons of Largemouth and Northerns.
Almost all of the big dead trees in the swamp end are gone now (rotted away). The weeds are so thick that you have to use cable to pull the bass through them if you are lucky enough to catch them.
I only ice fish there but I gave that up myself after this past ice season.
The lake just doesnt produce numbers or size of fish to make it worth it for me.
I know there are still some nice bass in there and muskies...but unless you live very close, it is just not worth the drive.
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kayak99
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Friend of mine fishes for bass on Wilhelm on a regular basis. The numbers aren't high but the sizes are.
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Kokanee Killer
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I have become comfortably numb
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PanfishSlayer
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ORIGINAL: Kokanee Killer
any perch in there
They are about the only things I catch there. Generally aroun 9"s, but here and there with 12"+
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shrodreel
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Wilhelm should have been a "special regs." lake long ago. To many big bass ended up on stringers. Just go into Fergies bait shop and look at the 100's of photos of dead bass people are holding. It's a shame...was an awesome bass lake for many years.
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rapala11 
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is the panfishing any good there? i never fished it (was heading over sunday, but.......) and always heard that the panfish were decent sized and numbers.
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FishHuntForever
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It used to be good the last couple years it has been terrible. Will caught small ones and not even as many as before. Don't know what happened to that lake. I will not fish it anymore, at least for a couple years.
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Bogeyjoker
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Some of the best fishing I've ever had has been on this lake...mostly through the ice. Last year I could have taken home a limit of 12-14" slabs every day I went (usually kept a dozen or so for the pan). This year I couldn't find any slabs...lots of 8-10" though. I haven't fished it on the soft water yet this year, but my buddy has been fishing it the last couple weeks and he had been hammering the crappie (big ones) by the bridge, the stumps and the shallows by the dam. It has slowed down the last week or so though.
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bulldog1
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Are there many Amish that fish there? I used to fish Mahoning lake and catch nice crappie, nothing but small ones now. I'm not sure if they are the cause, but there are always alot of the Amish on the lake and they keep ANYTHING they catch no matter the size. Was told that they grind the little ones up and make fish patties. I'm not here to bash them, just wondering out loud.
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fryem
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I fish Wilhelm every week The walleyes fishing has been pretty good the past 2 weeks 4 outings 14 walleyes between 18 and 22 inches plus a few small ones maybe 8 to 11 inches. Plus incidental catches of bass bluegills and 8 /9 inch perch The only tip i'll give is they are shallower than you might think since I have been skunked on this lake many times. This shallow water fishing has worked for the past 2 years for me in June.
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kayak99
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Are there many Amish that fish there? I used to fish Mahoning lake and catch nice crappie, nothing but small ones now. I'm not sure if they are the cause, but there are always alot of the Amish on the lake and they keep ANYTHING they catch no matter the size. Was told that they grind the little ones up and make fish patties. I'm not here to bash them, just wondering out loud.
A few Amish fish there on a regular basis when the crappie are biting. I doubt they affect the fish population.
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fryem
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I agree they cause no detriment to the fish population most are in row boats even if they do keep little fish so what it is legal ...seems to me like most things you read about fish management encourages the keeping of small fish it's not like the amish are using 30hp motors on a 20 hp lake and running all over fishing a hot "pattern" As us "english" do keeping every big fish we catch even though it is legal...20% percent of the fisherman who catch 80 percent of the fish are the ones who change a lake.
Comments are in no way meant to be critical.
Exception to the rule russians poaching steelhead... news paper reports and police reports back this statement up.
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bulldog1
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You're probably right. Like I said, I didn't mean to bash the Amish.
Mahoning is a flood control project and the water depth can vary ALOT with heavy rains. As much as 20 feet or more. That would probably have more effect at spawn times than any fishing pressure. There seems to be a good population of Musky in this water as well, that could have an adverse effect on crappie too.
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pole_doc
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How do you keep an Amish woman satisfied? Two Menonite. 
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