Fishing for the kids

[TubeDude]

[font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I joined up with some DWR folks and invited anglers to harvest some fishies from Mantua, to be transplanted to the kids fishing pond at the state fair. There were boaters and bankers but we were the only tubers. We probably caught as many or more than anyone else.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Weed growth is thick, as expected. It comes clear to the surface in 18 feet of water in many places. The key was to find small holes that were 16 to 17 feet deep and vertical jig with small jigs tipped with worm or perch meat. The only fish we caught shallower were really small bluegills and perch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Once we found weedfree holes with some depth and large enough to hold a small school of fish, we could get bit as soon as we got past mid depth. A lot of fish were suspended and/or would come up off the bottom to intercept our jigs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe and I both caught quite a few bluegills, throwing back the smaller ones and putting about 15 or 20 apiece in the holding nets. We also caught LOTS of perch, from 3" to over 10". I lost a couple at the surface that might have hit 12". I'm guessing that we contributed about 50 perch between us, and we kept a few for bait on other waters. Also tossed a lot of smaller ones.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This was probably the first trip I have made to Mantua that I have not caught bass. I saw a few smaller ones hooked near shore by folks fishing aggressively for them. But, no incidental bass for us, which is unusual. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did score an 18" rainbow on the small white bait bug I was jigging for perch in 17 feet of water. Since DWR didn't want any trout in their pens I shot a pic and sent it back down.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This was one of those days when we really needed the little marker buoys we carry, to mark small spots away from easy visual reference. The holes in the weeds were often quite small and if you moved away you would go fishless. If you stayed on them you could usually keep catching fish. A few feet made a lot of difference. Since we don't anchor our tubes, we really need that marker sometimes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Chartreuse jigs produced better early in the morning, but as the sun got higher the best color seemed to be white. We used both worms and perch meat. Got both bluegills and perch on both, but the biggest perch came on the small white jig with perch meat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water temp at launch was just under 69 degrees and warmed to about 73 by the time we left around 2. Quite a few boats, mostly small fishing craft. One aggressive water skier that had to play slalom with the fishing boats and kept everybody bobbing. That can make it tough for finesse fishing. Otherwise, the weather was nice and it was kinda quiet for a holiday. It was kinda purty seeing the spots of yellow and orange starting to show up on the hillsides.[/#0000ff]
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[flygoddess]

I loved Mantua at one time. A lot like Henry's Lake, very shallow and weeds. However, I use to be able to catch 24+" trout out of there. Someone wanted to introduce a new species to the water (perch) and it all went down hill from there. I remember when they planted Kamloop to the lake and then we had record heat and they disapeared. It would have been awesome if they had survived. Kamloop grow about three times as fast as rainbows.
With all the jet skiiers and the ice fishing, I don't go there anymore.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yep, there are a lot of trout folks who cry about losing Mantua, as it once was. However, I don't think the kamloops project was a great success. They are too touchy about temperature to survive well in lowland Utah waters.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hey, have you tried the rainbows at Yuba? From sometime in October until iceup those big bows cruise the shoreline looking for a fight. Last year the average was over 3#, with many over 4# and more than a few between 6 and 8#. I fished them mostly with small spinners but saw a couple of fly guys bendo on bigguns so I know they are susceptible to feathers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have caught steelhead and big rainbows in several states and I have to say that I have never hooked any rainbows that fight any harder than those Yuba fish. You gotta give it a go.[/#0000ff]
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