After paying a visit to Tube Dude on Friday in order to replenish my ice jigs for the season, we hit Mantua yesterday morning. Joined by my son (CM Fishing) and my brother (Fat Biker). We arrived at 8:30 am to discover the second largest city in Utah. We drove all the way around south side to the parking lot at the end of the road. We accessed the ice back there east of the inlet. Found a foot of slush on top of 5 inches of good clear ice. Walked through the slush until I was tired and punched a hole. It was 6 feet, but I was tired and needed a rest so I dropped a TD Mantua killer in black down the hole. Within 30 seconds I had a big gill on the ice. I never drilled another hole all day. Was catching 3 to 4 trout for every gill. Got a couple of nice ones in the 18 - 20 inch range. We ended the day with 18 gills and an estimated 60 bows. A fine day by any standard. Went home and made a big pot of TD pig out chowder, and have enough left for fish tacos tonight.
P.S. No perch caught, and both wax worms and meal worms worked equally well.
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Nice report, CVF! Don't you just love it when you only have to punch one hole in the ice? Looks like a great day. Those are some healthy gills for sure!
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Wow, nice report and glad to hear they are still biting... That slush monster is nasty... Hope it froze up solid last night, but doubt it did completely... Thanks for the details... Later J
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I'm guessing that it won't be slush today.
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[#0000FF]Glad you guys scored some chowder fixin's. Also glad the trinkets worked well for you. Hate to think what might have happened if you hadn't caught fish in that first hole. Mighta had to drill one or two more.
Gotta love it when the old fisherman's "dowsing rod" works right and you set up in the right place the first try. Almost makes you believe you know what you are doing.
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TD - I'm pretty sure Fatbiker will be paying you a visit shortly, in search of the black Mantua killers...
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you have got some nice sized gills there looks fantastic.
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Love big bluegill! Nice work
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Don'tcha just love that slush monster? I bet that chowder was much better...nice job.
Was out there today. That slush ain't all the way frozen like some would have hoped. Worth it though, me and Chris caught a ton of nice Gills and Bows. Strangely, not many perch this year.
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Tom showed Casey and I how to do it. He probably caught two for everyone I did. Went back to the same area this morning. Slush we as pretty much frozen. Caught four or five good bluegills and 10 or so trout. Still pretty solid when I left at 1 pm.
Larry
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Any snowmobilesign or wheelers on the ice yet it's much easier to move around and if the fish don't cooperate you can ride for fun .
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Mantua is too crowded to ride for fun... Plus with the springs and open water spots you will want to be careful on a sled there... I expect there is probably enough ice there to take a snowmobile out now, but be courteous to the other folks fishing there and don't make any unnecessary noise... Or you might catch the wrath of a village of pissed off ice fishermen... If you want to go ride find a spot other than the lakes where folks are trying to talk fish into biting.. If you do take it out, find a spot and shut it off, even the power augers seem to tighten the lips of the fish for a while... Sorry I've had bad experiences with people on sleds, wheelers and such on the ice and I'm a little touchy on such subjects... The guys that take kids out fishing and then let them ride their machines all day and don't tell them to stay away from where others are fishing is a big pet peeve of mine... Later J
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Great report. We were out there on Monday and did well too. That slush was a butt kicker. And my dang feet got wet on the way out. My boots are great for ice but apparently not so much for slush. I'm interested in these TD ice flies. I'll have to see if there are any left.
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"I'm interested in these TD ice flies. I'll have to see if there are any left."
[#0000FF]The supply is low...and the price is up.[/#0000FF]
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As long as it's not pre Christmas hatchimal prices in interested. Haha
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[#0000FF]Hatchimals? Had you figured for a Barbie Doll guy. Maybe because that is the only kind of dollie my wife lets me play with anymore.
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