Stopped by the inlet last night while I was "in the neighborhood" for legal reasons. Wanted to see the new dock at the south end. Quit nice - spooky after dark though! Damned muskrats kept freaking me out - swimming by, then slamming off.
Started fishing around 7pm - right at the inlet where the water goes under the road. Hadn't even made it to lake-side, and the action was on.
Spinners didn't seem to be getting attention, so shifted to the ever trusty worm-under bobber. Quickly caught more than my limit - kept a couple of 15 inchers to join the store-salmon on the smoker tonight. They may not have been monsters - but they sure flopped and ran plenty! Most were footlongs, but with shoulders!
As it got too dark to see my bobber against the sunset sky - I tried to aim a flashlight enough to see. Started missing more than I was hitting.
Didn't snap any photos - as it was dark, time was short, and ya'll know what planter bows look like.
Noted lots of rising, and what were probably blue-gill boils off from the slow-wake area right at sunset. So I think I'm gonna have to come back for a float!
That water is just choked green with algae - you can smell it in the air. That's one nutrient rich puddle of water.
Coyote....nice man. I drove from left hand fork to Right hand fork last Sunday. Got into some pretty nice stream Cuts. Even got one that was a little over 16in. He must have been the king of that little hole for a long time...cause it was a small whole...and since the water blew all the beaver ponds apart up there everything is different.
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I was there Sunday morning in the toon. You sure are right about the Algae. We put in on the N.E. dock and the water was green. The water visibility was at 6 inches to 1 foot max everywhere on the lake. Saw little surface activity and fishing deeper was unproductive. I rowed over to the inlet and saw some trout surface slurp going on so threw my spinners and white jigs. Netted 6 trout from 12 inches to one 20 incher. Nice[cool] but that was it. Looked for Bass and came up empty, after fishing top to bottom shallow and deep.
So this water condition. Is this the "turn over"? How long does it last? Water temp is between 55 and 60 deg. Think the Algae will die as the water cools.
Never seen this before in this lake. Don't know how to fish it for the Bass any advise would be appreciated.
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I've seen a few other reports about the algal bloom. Don't know if it's tied to turnover - but we should be getting into that time - though I'd almost expect waters to chill more before we really get into that.
I haven't really been to Mantua much this summer. Maybe oughta ask the Twins. Never have done much good on decent bass there - outside of one spring. And I full-on missed that this year.
Seem to recall last fall - I was pitching shiny silver spinners and watching them flash through the water. So clarity is sure different now.
BUT - been wanting to chase some Gills and try dropshotting for Bass. Maybe I'll make a run Thursday night and go for a float. If I figure anything out - be sure to letcha know. That 20incher wasn't a Cutt was it?
Have ya given up on Willard for now? Off the bike, and back to the toon?
So - Lunker - whatcha pitching on the river? Powerbait and mallows with a little salmon egg? I tried a little run at the little Bear but short trip, no waders, no takers. But I'd try it again. D'you have a Cutty for the smoker then?? Maybe tonight I'll try the canal behind Wallyworld. Seems to have got way flooded in there since the rains.
Got a seat for ya Thursday??!! I know you like the 'Gills!
Won't be long before we'll be walking the hard-deck! But now that I've seen it - don't think that SE dock is gonna help us get on the ice. Maybe the N. end - but doubt they'll clear that road? Seems like the S. road gets plowed.
"So this water condition. Is this the "turn over"? How long does it last? Water temp is between 55 and 60 deg. Think the Algae will die as the water cools. "
[cool][#0000ff]A lot of anglers confuse the algae bloom and dieoff cycle as "turnover". Not so. True turnover happens only on deeper lakes when the surface layer of water cools to a point where it is colder (and denser) than the bottom layer. Then the warmer and less oxygenated water rises to the surface and the colder top layer sinks to the bottom. Turnover. That usually results in poor fishing for a few days until wind oxygenates the top layer and cools it a bit more.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can rely on the algae dying off soon. And the thick weed growth too. It will be floating on the top all over the lake and impossible to fish spinners or flies without gathering "salad". A real "soup and salad" bar.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That's when the trout come to the surface and the other species go deep. A good time to fish a small marabou jig a few feet under a bobber...with maybe a piece of crawler...to catch the trout. And start using small ice fishing jigs down near the bottom to get the perch and bluegills. Bass will hit big tubes and other plastics fished vertical or slowly crawled in the small weedless corridors and pockets. You can also catch all species by vertical jigging a small silver Kastmaster in the deeper spots. All the predators are still feeding on young bluegills and perch fry.[/#0000ff]
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We have fished Mantua quite a bit this year, the Bass were very plentiful. The weeds were thicker than usual but not to bad. The fish sure liked it. Caught many, many Blue gill with the Grandson.[cool] I have never seen this much green bloom before. My guess is it and the excessive weeds were caused by fertilizer being washed into the lake, from the nearby farms. We have had alot of rain after all.
Willard is still on for Catfish. We caught our share Saturday mid morning. The Wiper are out deeper or just some where else. Can still see Shad it the rocks. To cold for a boil now. But I think a boat trolling would do well. The water is murky there as well but not green. A slow troll would be in order there.
The docks at Mantua will be pulled completely out of the water sometime soon before Thanksgiving and the first ice. Like last year. I would be very wary at the inlet on first ice as it will be thinnest there, due to the moving water.
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So TD what is your take on this excessive green gunk?
I have fished there now for a "few" years and till now not seen it like this before.
In years past this time of year would be wide open Bass and Trout time. Now difficult at best with 6 inch visibility.
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[cool][#0000ff]I have fished Mantua since the mid '70s. Always been one of my favorite ponds. I can assure you that there is always the potential for a big algae bloom in the fall. And there is always runoff from the fields. However, this whole year has been unusual weatherwise and water level wise. The heavier than usual algae bloom is likely a product of a combination of an extended summer and other light and temperature related factors. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In the years I have fished Mantua in the fall it has always been different. Some years are better for bass than others. And some years there have been more...or less...trout. There were some years during the early 2000's...during the drought...when the whole lake was ringed with a sticky mud flat and it was ugly.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I don't pretend to know all the answers but I have identified a lot of the questions. Best policy is to just hit it with all you got and hope you get it right.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There is no argument about the reduced visibility having a negative affect on the fish. Virtually all of the fish in the lake are predominantly sight feeders. The lake is normally pretty clear so when they can't see well enough to feed well...well, they don't feed as actively.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It should change for the better...soon.[/#0000ff]
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Thanks for the intel TD! I will keep the faith and keep on fishing. We are a ways off to ice and there is some very good fishing to be had on the wet stuff. Those Bass should be loading up on food for the winter, and as you assured the water clarity will come back. I will try again next weekend. Maybe bring my fly rod for those cruising trout on the surface.
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Ah - the walking encyclopedia of fish-ology! Figured you'd have a good answer!
So I'd bet you'd say lakes are like Ogres - some more so at certain times that others!
So with all the "green salad" and such - would Mantua fall into a [url "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake#Types_of_lakes"]Eutrophic, or even a Hypertrophic[/url] class? I could see that all the early runoff may well have dumped an excess of nutrients this year - most likely accounts for a lot of the reduced water clarity (that and the damn work at PV).
So how deep does a lake have to be to experience "turnover"? I know lakes with deep points like Newton/Hyrum/Porcupine/Pineview that exceed 50 feet sure get into it. But I wonder about a widdle puddle like Mantua - 20-25ft tops (well, bottoms) - or bodies like Willard/UL - which are about that depth at best. Maybe too shallow to really get into the stratification situation?
I have noticed in past years - as the weeds break off the bottom, and floating islands of salad appear all over - you can find those deep dropoffs, walls of weeds - along which I'd observed some of those crazy bluegill boils. Might have to pull out some ice-jigs early and try some vertical action too! It's worked for me elsewhere this summer!
I had to laugh reading the [url "http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/reports_nr.php"]Utah Wildlife report[/url] - when they suggest trolling the docks and boat ramp area with pop gear! You'd spend all your time cleaning off gunk! Not to mention - better watch your whitewater in the "no wake" zone! Talk about zero tolerance!
So - Toadly - now you got me wondering - will they pull all the docks when they take the one out by the launch-ramp? So - without the 'courtesy docks' - do you still have to pay the 'courtesy fee' to launch at that ramp? Forgot to check the signs. I'm sure they'll take whatever they can get!
Not sure about the dock thing. Other that the fact they pull them out. The fee is for useing the ramps so I am thinking as long as a boat can be launched the fee will apply.
So far its not a lake use fee. yet[shocked]
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[cool][#0000ff]Mantua is not "tropic" at all. It is a small manmade reservoir created by damming a couple of small trickles to hold enough water for municipal drinking water and some downstream water users.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]And, it is far from deep enough to ever qualify for a true "turnover" situation. That basically happens only on lakes deep enough to stratify during the summer into upper, lower and thermocline layers. I don't think there is an exact formula for what depths are necessary and I am sure there are great fluctuations based on tributary flows and outlet flows, altitude, mean temperatures, depth and water clarity. Probably some other factors too. I don't think I have ever heard of a real turnover happening on lakes shallower than about 50 feet deep. Could happen elsewhere...like in your bathtub. Be safe.[/#0000ff]
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