04-18-2019, 01:39 PM
I haven't fished Mantua for a while, but usually bass are quite catchable soon after ice out. All I usually look for is a decent warming trend so the water will be warming. If that water is 48+ with stable warming sunny weather you can bet those bass are chewing and they could be up shallow on sun exposed banks.
It doesn't always have to be perfect beautiful warming weather either. I'm out here in the Uintah Basin and my friend and I were whacking bass steadily last weekend during a strong cold front with 15 mph wind, wind chill down to 30 degrees and snow squalls all around us. We got 36 bass between us, including a 5 pounder in 2.5 hours. These bass were in 2 feet of water and hitting slow rolled spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and Texas rigged creature baits which out produced a dropshot.
If ice has been off Mantua for more than a week or two, I'd bet the bass are biting!
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It doesn't always have to be perfect beautiful warming weather either. I'm out here in the Uintah Basin and my friend and I were whacking bass steadily last weekend during a strong cold front with 15 mph wind, wind chill down to 30 degrees and snow squalls all around us. We got 36 bass between us, including a 5 pounder in 2.5 hours. These bass were in 2 feet of water and hitting slow rolled spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and Texas rigged creature baits which out produced a dropshot.
If ice has been off Mantua for more than a week or two, I'd bet the bass are biting!
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