Drove over Wilhelm today on 79 looked like a lot of boats out. Anyone do any good?

Fished from 430 to 700 tonight. Targeted walleye. Did not catch any but caught some crappie and perch. I sure hope i fivure them out before i die some day. I know they are there. I saw a 25 incher dead floating. Hope you guys did better.

ORIGINAL: Sergeant Major

I sure hope i fivure them out before i die some day. I know they are there. I saw a 25 incher dead floating.

I fee your pain Fished for the better part of the day, I also targeted walleye...fished and spent time in anywhere from 4-15 foot of water with the majority in the 4-10 ft range. I caught a ton of crappie, majority small in size and 1 sub legal walleye. frustrating day let's hope for better in the weeks to come.

Fished wilhelm for Crappies last evening near launch #1, caught between 20-30 fish. Only one nice fat female, the rest where between 6-8", threw them all back.

This was the first time I fished Wilhelm since 99-2000, from what I remember those fish where a descent size, but not as big as ones I've caught in Shenango. Hope to make it back up in a few weeks.

Hard to beleive Gizzard Shad can destroy Crappie fishing. Shenango Lake is super loaded with Shad but the Crappie fishing is awesome every year. I know the Stripers gorge on the Shad but the lake has schools of Shad throughout. Don't know what Wilhelm's problem is but I have heard many fishermen say the numbers are down several years now. Here is one from Shenango River.   

since either of the two places im bout to mention aren spot burning cuz of how much pressure they get id figure id give a report ... hit the dam the last two days and stopped at dugans run today as well ... brought home about sixty of those monster gils the lake is famous for these days (what a laugh right) wouldnt of bothered but my mom is up an wants a fish dinner before she heads home ... caught probably close to a hundred or better little 3-4inch crappie in that time as well ... it was all fun nuntheless ... sad part of the trip was in the good ol brush pile at dugans run there was a walleye floatin that was everybit of 25 inches dead ... would of been a nice fish to catch alive ... best fish i got in those two day was maybe a ten inch gil its sad to have to catch about 3 hundred fish between multiple people and that be the biggest ... hopefully the stocking of fingerlings over the next couple of years puts a damper on the gizzards and bring the slabs an bulls of old back ... i miss the days of going up there an catching them crappie used to get some pigs

Can't see how intoducing Stripers (wipers) into Wilhelm is a bad thing. They are a hybrid so numbers can be controled . Shenango has had Stripers for many years and Gizzard Shad are very high in numbers. Crappie fishing is good to excellent every year. Walleye fishing also is fair to good on Shenango over the years. Pike and Musky also hold good numbers. Stripers have been caught at Pymatuning also and it is a shallow lake like Wilhelm. If they want predator control on Shad the number one fish is your Hybrid Striper! I have seen Stripers attacking schools of Shad and they don't stop at eating one or two. The Fish Commish can make all the excuses they want but they are missing the boat on this one. This is a win win situation for Wilhelm fishing and controling the Shad population. I mean what would it hurt to stock Stripers now. I don't see any reports on banner fishing on Wilhelm !  # 1 Shad buster big Stripers !

+1

ORIGINAL: CAPTAIN HOOK

Can't see how intoducing Stripers (wipers) into Wilhelm is a bad thing. They are a hybrid so numbers can be controled . Shenango has had Stripers for many years and Gizzard Shad are very high in numbers. Crappie fishing is good to excellent every year. Walleye fishing also is fair to good on Shenango over the years. Pike and Musky also hold good numbers. Stripers have been caught at Pymatuning also and it is a shallow lake like Wilhelm. If they want predator control on Shad the number one fish is your Hybrid Striper! I have seen Stripers attacking schools of Shad and they don't stop at eating one or two. The Fish Commish can make all the excuses they want but they are missing the boat on this one. This is a win win situation for Wilhelm fishing and controling the Shad population. I mean what would it hurt to stock Stripers now. I don't see any reports on banner fishing on Wilhelm !  # 1 Shad buster big Stripers !

how bout snakeheads, that will probably work better :)p

In time the population will adjust and correct itself........I hope......at least that is what I want to believe.

The bass population definately has been affected. What I cannot figure out is how. I cannot imagine a drop in numbers but that is what it seems like. I'm more inclined to believe that the bass have changed their ways and haunts since the proliferation of the gizzard shad thus making them more difficult to catch......until you figure 'em out that is.

On another note about Wilhelm, how about the weeds? They sometimes puzzle me more than the fish. Some years they grow thick and lush, and out to 7-8 feet. Other years they only grow really shallow. Any ideas on why that may be?
Seems like it's been a few years since the lake has had really nice weedlines like it used to.