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The 3 Amigo's hit Mantua for the first time this season, getting there a little late, and fishing by 0930...My pardners wanted to catch trout, so stayed close to the boat ramp with lots of other short rodders....and they did good on the smaller rainbows, mostly powerbait....lots of people catching trout today....I was interested in seeing if there were any panfish on the NE side of the lake this year, so did the drive back and then the long hike toward that area, talking to several fishermen on the way out...not much seen on the ice by anyone, so I figured it was a gamble, but kept going, 'til my spot 'felt right'...drilled my holes, 5 mins. later got my first tiny tap --- almost 11" perch, one of the biggest I've ever caught here...I was hoping I had a school, but it took another 5 mins to get the next, a 91/2" perch..then slow, then 2 nicer 'gills, then about 11:00 another perch, 11:15 a real bull 'gill, then nothing 'til 11:30 when I accidentally got one of those planter trout on the bottom, same set up as the panfish, 10 FOW....then nothing again 'til 12:30, when I had 2 tiny taps, but no more hook-ups, and dead again 'til 1:00, when I headed back.....overall slow for me, but good to get some nicer panfish for a meal or two...waxworms on sunfish slush bug or chartreuse ice jig both worked pretty good....ice solid 5" thick...Guluk...
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Nice report Joe, you did better than a lot of us, over all the catching is starting off about the same as last year, slow.
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I was there too, did you see a guy with a border collie and a Cabela's tent? Couldn't catch anything but trout, probably caught 10-12. The two I brought home are nasty snail-eating smoker-fodder.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Us other 2 amigos caught close to 30 trout between us. The most came from 5 feet of water and the rest from 7 feet of water. Hard smacks from all that I caught and within a foot of the bottom. Fun day and the NEW tent, sonar, and poles lived up to the hype.[/#800000][/font]
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Bob Hicks, from Utah
I'm 83 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
"Free men do not ask permission to bear arms."
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How big was the biggest trout?
I'm wondering how big they're getting to be in that pond.
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The biggest ones we caught today.
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Nice -- those had to be fun pullin' up...Bigger ones all males?
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Last year the catching was a non-happener here for me, except for a few planter trout....so I was Very Happy to have cranked up a few each of perch and gills this day at Mantua...We gotta try it again, soon...
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Hey Jed -- I saw Way Too Many ice tents out there Thurs....mostly red, but a few blue and a couple black...only dogs I saw were way back by the knoll area...I didn't put mine up -- wasn't cold enough for me (hey, me and Packfan are from Wisconsin) When I do put mine up, it's one of those red ones, but I'll have my BFT tag by one of the doors...maybe we could do that so fellow BFT ers would feel welcome to stop by and chat if they wanted...hope I'll see you out there..you a black Cabela's? ...Guluk
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Almost all mine were in the 12 - 13 inch range with one going 15 - 16 inches.[/#][/font]
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Bob Hicks, from Utah
I'm 83 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
"Free men do not ask permission to bear arms."
