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[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe was busy being a mom and grandma today, so she shipped me off to Mantua. Picked up Out4Trout on the way. As usual, there was the the O4T drama. He forgot crawlers, so we had to stop for some. When we got to the lake, he found that he was missing a strap for one of his fins. I "borrowed" him a bungee cord from my tube tiedown and it worked okay. He also forgot his PFD, but agreed to keep a low profile so he wouldn't get pulled over and checked by Barney Fife...the local constable.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Met up with lavaman, as planned. First meeting after a couple of years of echatting and PMing. He launched his pontoon and O4T and I launched our tubes. Water temp 72 at launch and fish were working the surface. I was the first one away from the ramp and had a small largemouth aboard before the other two boys got wet. Followed that with a couple of quick bluegill. The day looked promising. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Lots of perch and bluegills. Started slow, on small plastic tube jigs. After while, the fish would swim up to look at them but would not bite...even when sweetened with crawler or perch meat. Went down to some little painted body jigs I make for ice fishing. BINGO. The rest of the morning was pretty much nonstop action for all of us.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No huge bluegills. Some in the 8-9 inch range. Perch ran from 3" to about 11". Lost a couple of bigger ones at the tube. Brought home a few both for the pan and to replenish my bait supply. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Lavaman kept whining about wanting me to show him how to catch trout in Mantua. So, I caught a 16" rainbow to show him they were in there. Wasn't good enough. He wanted to catch one too. Tough. Only one rainbow per group.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The forecast was for strong south winds later in the morning. When a stout breeze kicked up about 10, we started kicking for the ramp. We took our time and the wind picked up and died down. it was pretty calm when we actually got off the water before noon. Water temp was up to 76 and the boat and ski traffic was starting to build.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Wildcard was waiting for us at the ramp. We had PMed that he would be up there too and he came over to meet us. Good to see you Johnny, and thanks for the goodies. Yum.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Great to meet lavaman too. I think we figured out that we could probably stand to fish with each other again. Started planning a gorilla floatilla on Utah Lake in the next few weeks. He wants to rassle a big kitty.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Good to fish with you again too Geoff. Trips with you are always "fun"...and like a box of chocklits...you never know what you are going to git.[/#0000ff]
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Hey TD and Lavaman, finally nice to meet both of you. I also did well with the bluegill, (worm & bobber method) from shore. TD, thanks for the jigs, they went to work right away. Next time, I'm bringin' my toon to play with ya'll.
Thanks again!
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[black][size 3]Hey Pat,[/size][/black]
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[size 3]Great report, good pictures, and more than usual, many  s.[/size]
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[size 3]Glad that you all had a good trip.[/size]
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[size 3]After looking at the pictures, i don't think that I would want to buy rope by the length from you. ha ha[/size]
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[size 3]That measuring system may work some places,..... come to think of it, I used it in college.[/size]
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Its not where the fish starts on the tape its where it ends LOL[  ]
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[cool]That was a fun trip Pat and Derek. You know, it was my 2nd tubing trip of the year and so when I haven't been in a while is when I seem to forget stuff to take out on the tube, or to do my checklist first. That was a great time and great company. I've gotta hit Mantua again a couple more times this year before Ice on!
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Well I can honestly say, boys, that this trip was the most fun outing I've had in quite some time. The fishing was hot, and the company was great.
I finally got to meet Pat, and it was an honor. The man knows his stuff and I really enjoyed getting a chance to talk to him without use of a keyboard.
And Geoffrey, I still argue that you'll catch more fish if you'd get rid of that ugly BYU helmet. : ) It was great seeing you too after a year and a half absence.
And Wildcard it was a pleasure meeting you too. I wish we could have talked more, but it looked like you had some serious fishing to do!
What a great fishing trip! I will be taking my kids there soon so they can experience what a 'real fishing trip' should be like.
Thanks again my friends, I'll never forget the good time we had.
Derek [cool]
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[cool][#0000ff]That's okay, Geoff. Forgetting stuff just because you don't do it often enough is a valid excuse.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I go a couple of times a week and I still mess up sometimes. I don't remember what my excuse is.[/#0000ff]
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Its not where the fish starts on the tape its where it ends LOL[ ][/reply]
I think TubeDude is using the metric system on that "12 inch bluegill".
Hey Pat, can I borrow that ruler for my kids fishing tourney next Saturday....Those "12 Inch" panfish will have us taking home the first place "trophy filled with silver dollars" for sure.
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[cool]Oh yeah, and in case Bassrods was wondering, I RELEASED that largie to fight another day and go and eat some tiny bluegill to help the 'gil population to get larger. I really think the 'gils in that lake are a bit stunted. It would be great to see them get to Pelican Lake size...
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[cool][#0000ff]Hey Geoff, I think you make a good point. Both the bluegill and the perch are showing signs of stunting in Mantua. Over the past two years I have observed a drop in both the average size of those two species...and the size of the largest fish available. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Strangely, in the fish I caught yesterday, I observed that the smaller fish seemed to be fatter and healthier than the larger fish. I'm guessing that there is plenty of zooplankton, copepods and other small invertebrates for the fry and smaller fish, but that the food sources for the larger fish are being taxed by the overabundance of both species. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I kept a few bluegills and perch for the table yesterday, and I was unpleasantly surprised by how thin the fillets were on the larger bluegills. Definitely not what they were a couple of years ago...and not even close to Pelican Lake quality.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Anglers have been fishing Mantua more, and catching (and keeping) more fish...as they should. I think the problem is partially the result of reduced natural predation...from large bass. Largemouth populations have dropped way down also, from where they were a couple of years ago. Still some real toad largies in there, but a lower population over all. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I suspect that it is not so much the fault of a few anglers keeping the occasional bass, but the DWR program of harvesting small largemouth to use for stocking the community ponds. DWR does not have a warmwater hatchery program so they must rely on moving bass from one location to another, if they can't rear them or buy them. I have heard that literally thousands of small largemouths have been transferred out of Mantua by DWR. That's gotta have some kind of impact on the predator - prey balance. [/#0000ff]
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[cool]Good info there. I didn't realize that the DWR were taking so many largies out of there. They are messing up the balance in that lake. They need to quit building so many trout hatcheries and actually get a good warm water hatchery going on. We've got enough slimers in this state to fish for and then some-and I like catching them, but certainly not slimers excusively!
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Geoff, maybe they should do what you mentioned to me and Pat. Maybe they should put some pike in there to help balance things out.
Some of the 70 or so 'gills I caught on Saturday were decent size, and one or two were what I considered 'pigs'. But if what you both say is true, about the stunted growth in Mantua, I too, agree that something needs to be done.
That's a nice little body of water that gets more and more pressure as the years go by, and as we roll with the changes, adaptation needs to be implemented.
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Isn't DWR building a warm water hatchary down south somewhere? Does anybody have any info on this. I seem to recall some talk about it in the past, but I haven't heard anything recently....
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[cool][#0000ff]There have been several potential warm water hatchery sites identified. As I recall, most of them have problems with the water supply...either the chemistry or the existence of disease or parasites in the water or streambed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Once a site is found suitable, it has to go through the whole approval and funding process. Don't buy a bunch of new bass tackle just yet.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Right now about the only warm water stuff in the state is the location near Lake Powell for raising wipers. All other warm water species have been purchased out of state, and trucked in. Pretty costly and there is more and more concern about the potential for nasty diseases.[/#0000ff]
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Do you have any thoughts on time line from when they've found a suitable site to operational? 2-3 years maybe?
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[cool][#0000ff]Typically it takes a minimum of two years to get anything done...and then it is usually wrong.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Your guess is as good as mine.[/#0000ff]
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