COLDWATER: Williams Fork Reservoir
Lake trout and northern pike are providing “hot action” at Williams Fork Reservoir. Although the boat ramps there still are out of the water, the lake level is rising fast and ramps soon will be usable. In the meantime, plenty of good firm launching spots exist elsewhere along the shoreline. Lake trout are very shallow now, lying on the bottom in 8 to 12 feet of water and easily within reach of shorecasters. Use whole suckers 5 to 7 inches long or tube jigs tipped with sucker meat. Pike are also in shallow water, about 10 feet deep, in the east boat ramp bay and the fingers. Like mackinaw, they are best caught on sucker meat but will take large spoons, topwater plugs or big red and white or yellow streamer flies.
WARMWATER: Bonny Reservoir
Completion of a new boat ramp is long overdue but shorecasters, belly-boaters and anglers in small hand-carried craft are enjoying great fishing at Bonny Reservoir. Wipers of up to 5 pounds and white bass exceeding 2 pounds are being caught off the face of the dam. A few crappie and walleyes also are being caught there, and catfish weighing up to 10 pounds are hitting along the north shore. The best bite is before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Night fishing is particularly effective. Chartreuse Mr. Twister tails work best for wipers and white bass, minnows for crappie and night crawlers or leeches for walleyes. Catfish can be caught on chicken livers, cut bait or traditional stinkbaits.
