Willoughby

[Spoondangler]

Anyone make it out this weekend on Willoughby?  If so any luck?  With this awesome weather I think Im gonna make the trip up there again for my days off this week.

[keithm87]

Me and Mountain Musky went out on Saturday and were out till about midnight from around 3pm. People up there are NUTS!!!!! they were driving full size trucks on 8 inches of ice! We caught some burbot and the weather was perfect. we had set up in 25ft of water just right of the boat launch and apparently set up in a spot that was someone else owned even though no one was fishing it when I arrived at 2:15 because at 4:30 a guy came out to a shanty (in a full size truck). I had a line set up from my pop up to shore, and had drilled out an old frozen over 8 inch hole as my last hole in like 12 inches of water. The guy set his line of tip-ups across mine creating a T. I have never seen anything like it, he literally had tip ups on both sides of our line. worse still he set up and 10 minutes later caught a nice rainbow on one of the holes across my line.

[Spoondangler]

Me and Mountain Musky went out on Saturday and were out till about midnight from around 3pm. People up there are NUTS!!!!! they were driving full size trucks on 8 inches of ice! We caught some burbot and the weather was perfect. we had set up in 25ft of water just right of the boat launch and apparently set up in a spot that was someone else owned even though no one was fishing it when I arrived at 2:15 because at 4:30 a guy came out to a shanty (in a full size truck). I had a line set up from my pop up to shore, and had drilled out an old frozen over 8 inch hole as my last hole in like 12 inches of water. The guy set his line of tip-ups across mine creating a T. I have never seen anything like it, he literally had tip ups on both sides of our line. worse still he set up and 10 minutes later caught a nice rainbow on one of the holes across my line.

Man sorry to hear that, everyone we talked to up there was great.  were you on the south end?

[keithm87]

We were right at the boat launch. less than 100yds to the right where the little inlet.

[TRT]

Hmm, you set up near a shanty and wonder why someone cut holes across your lines?
I bet that would not have happened had you set up 250 yards from the nearest shanty
and strung out lines going away from shanty... 

[RobC.]

 So you guys are the ones that left the gut piles all over the place....

[VT Mountain Musky]

thanks for the accusation but no gut piles left from us thats for sure. we do not leave any mess on the ice. and there was nobody at the shanty or anywhere near us at all when we set up. so really we were not at all trying to take anyones spot. we were the only ones around when we set up.  so what do we do in the future?? if we see a shanty and nobody around and we are much farther than a stones throw from it did we really take someones spot? If you set out a permanent shanty do you then own a 250 yard radius of an area??   and just curious what gut piles you are referring too? we did not even clean any fish on the ice or leave any bait on the ice

[VT Mountain Musky]

I dont leave my truck parked day and night at a deer spot and then go home and expect nobody to be hunting that patch of woods when im not there  because i parked my truck there......guess i will just have to put a permanent shack near all of my spots so i can complain if anyone fishes near them?? We were definitely not trying to step on anyones toes or turf, just looking to spend some time fishing with friends......  also ever been to caspian on opening day? i suppose all of those people are a**holes because it can definitely get crowded there, certainly not 250 yards between anglers thats for sure...sorry to rant and get defensive but i have really only had positive interactions with people on this site and on the ice..... and i definitely dont like being accused of leaving a mess on the ice.

[RobC.]

Maybe I should have left that with a question mark....but there was clearly 2 or 3 piles around some of the holes from Sat night and I got there first light Sunday morning....not sure about what went on with the shanty thing.

[JMailbox8]

I dont leave my truck parked day and night at a deer spot and then go home and expect nobody to be hunting that patch of woods when im not there  because i parked my truck there......guess i will just have to put a permanent shack near all of my spots so i can complain if anyone fishes near them?? We were definitely not trying to step on anyones toes or turf, just looking to spend some time fishing with friends......  also ever been to caspian on opening day? i suppose all of those people are a**holes because it can definitely get crowded there, certainly not 250 yards between anglers thats for sure...sorry to rant and get defensive but i have really only had positive interactions with people on this site and on the ice..... and i definitely dont like being accused of leaving a mess on the ice.

[gofish22]

Hmm, you set up near a shanty and wonder why someone cut holes across your lines?
I bet that would not have happened had you set up 250 yards from the nearest shanty
and strung out lines going away from shanty...

So you are saying that we need to give shanties 250 yards of space because they set up in a particular spot? That could be an entire break, point, or weedline. Not a chance. If they are inside I will stop in, say hi and typically set up slightly further away just so I am not right on top of them. But if they are not there, it is fair game. I always leave them a side of the shanty to set up tips. If they don't like that side or someone else comes along and sets up, I don't feel bad. They probably should have gotten out on the ice earlier than me.

[VT Mountain Musky]

sorry to get defensive, just definitely was not us leaving any gut piles on the ice..do people usually clean fish on the ice?? i always seem to leave that chore until i get home..at which point it is usually the last thing i feel like doing haha

[Leafmountain10]

Just something to ponder.... Maybe as you type on your computer, think of the recipients being face to face with you on the ice, woods, or even on your front porch.  I believe it's too easy using social media to throw around accusations, and threatening language with a group like Vermont outdoors folk.  We are all better than this and at the end of the day we are just trying to enjoy some quality time outside. 

I've fished Willoughby a handful of times even though our farm is only 8 miles away.  Usually going to Magog now as the ice is more consistent for kids.  I can see with the ice depth issues we've experienced this year how condensed group of shanty at the access may seem like a safe and reasonable option.   Maybe we need to talk to each other and the guy with the shanty could say what his needs were?  I'd personally like to think it may have been a good day for me to pop some holes on the other side and/or get to know the guys who are out before he is. 

It's a shame we have such a mentality of this is MINE! nowadays.  Our family has thousands of feet of water frontage on the Barton/Willoughby rivers and I'm so happy we live in a state where the waters and their access can't be privately owned.  Ever tried fishing in the West?  Can be brutal my Vermont brothers and sisters! 

[TroutWhisperer]

Hortonia and Bomo have areas where jacks are set up "permanently" for the winter.  I'm sorry, but that doesn't mean that outfitter owns that section.  If I go there and nobody's fishing, I'll fish around them. 

Same goes with hard side shanties.  Of course, I'm not tipup fishing, so I drill a few holes and typically move through the area.  I've never had anyone give me trouble on the ice.  That may be because I'm 6'1" and 320 lbs (a big teddy bear) or may be that I try to be polite and always walk over and talk to somebody before I drill holes within earshot of their setup.  However, if I got to an area that nobody was fishing and they show up later and try to give me a hard time, they'd probably get an earful from me and a civics lesson about the Public Trust Doctrine.

[MarkNJBass]

  I have driven by Willoughby a lot in my travels but have never fished it......is there any smallmouth or largemouth in the lake? Thanks!

[Leafmountain10]

No Bass that I'm aware of.  Super deep, cool water.  Trout, perch, Cusk

[MarkNJBass]

Thanks....I had read about the lake but did not see bass listed but you never know. Beautiful scenery around Willoughby....thanks again.