I finally got around to making a trip up to Mantua bass fishing. The scenery was awesome with all the fall colors, and the bass fishing was white hot! I was there for a few hours in the morning, and caught over a dozen largemouth. Here is the full report of the conditions, where I fished, what I used, and how I did some bass “Kraken” out at Mantua Reservoir.

 




 

Mantua Bass Fishing

Conditions:

Here were the conditons fishing mantua on a Friday October 17th, from 8am – 12:30pm

Weather:        Air Temp 60 degrees, Bright & Sunny

Wind:      0-5 mph, flat calm all morning.

Water Temp:       55 degrees

Water Clarity:      Stained, Visibility 3 – 4 feet.

Mantua Fishing Spots:

Here is a map of the shoreline I fished. I just walked the bank, and had a blast catching them. All along this stretch of the lake shore, I caught largemouth bass.
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Mantua Bass Fishing Baits:

I only used 2 different baits on my trip to Mantua bass fishing. Both of them worked really well. I caught the majority of my fish on topwaters early in the morning. Then I switched to a  Carolina rig when the topwater bite slowed down. Here’s the baits I used for both these methods, and how I fished them.

1.  Megabass DOG-X: This bait worked great! I would cast it parellel along the shore, and walk it along the edge of the bank. I had over a dozen strikes on this bait. The key was a steady, not to fast retrieve. Occasionally, I would pause the bait completely, and they would strike. I used the Megabass DOG-X in the wakasagi color. It’s a great color, and catches a lot of fish.

2.  Jackall Sasuteki Craw: This bait caught bass, and the bass I caught on it were better sized than the ones I caught on the topwater. I used the Jackall Sasuteki Craw set up on a Carolina rig. I like the way this bait glides rigged up on a Carolina Rig. I used a 12 pound mono-filament leader with a 3/8 oz tungsten bullet weight for the rig set up. My leader behind the weight was about 1.5 feet, and on the end of the leader I tied on a 3/0 gamakatsu hook and texas rigged the Sasuteki craw on the hook. I would cast the rig out, and slowly hop it, or drag it along the bottom. I had to watch my line close, because the bites where really subtle.

How I Did:

I’ve never been to Mantua before this trip, but I was impressed with what a great little pond it is. I had a fun morning of fishing. I wound up landing about a dozen bass, and had some awesome top water strikes. All of the largemouth bass were around the 10 – 12 inch size. They were fun little guys. I wound up catching one decent bass at about 2 pounds and 16 inches long. Even though I didn’t catch a lot of bigger quality fish, it was fun to get my line stretched. I couldn’t believe how aggressive these little guys were blowing up on my bigger topwater baits.

It was a cool brisk fall morning. The colors were beautiful. I arrived at Mantua Reservoir at about 7:45 am.  The lake was really low, so you could walk along the shore easily. I spotted a rocky steep sloping bank and headed over there. I tied on my megabass dog x spook, and started fishing along. My goal was to see if I could draw up a strike to find where the bass would be holding. Then go back through those spots with a finesse presentation to catch them.
 

 
I’d made about a dozen casts out from the shore, and decided to make one cast parellel to the bank. About 5 feet out from the bank, I was walking the spook along, and boom! A small bass erupted on it. I was pretty stoked. I started making casts close to the shoreline, and that was the ticket to getting strikes. They were hitting the topwater really well. I landed about 7 of them casting parellel to the shoreline.

Once I got to the end of the point, the sun started climbing up and the bites weren’t as frequent. I decided to tie on a Carolina rig Sasuteki craw, and see if I could finesse me out a few more fish. I quickly popped another one on my second cast with the Carolina rig off the point! I caught another half dozen bass on the Sasuteki craw fishing the same areas where I’d thrown my topwater earlier. The biggest bass of the day came on this method. Here is a picture of him.
 

 
At about 11:30 am I decided to fish the rest of the way with a swimbait hoping to catch a pig. I threw the swimbait for an hour, but alas no giants came up to eat it. It was worth a shot. I’d already had a good time, and was pumped about the good numbers of bass I caught.

What a great time of year to head to Mantua. The fishing was good and the fall colors were epic. I hope this post will help you in your next trip out on the water to Mantua bass fishing. Please comment below about your experience with bass fishing out at Mantua, and make sure to subscribe to the blog to keep updated with trip reports to keep you “Kraken” bass!

As Always,

Stay Stoked!!

Gear Used:

Baits:

Megabass DOG-X
Jackall Sasuteki Craw (Green Pumpkin)

Rod & Reel Set up:

Spiderwire Stealth Braid 300-Yard Spool Moss Gree 30lbs.
Shimano Sellus Medium Heavy Worm and Jig Cast Rod 7’2″
Quantum Fishing Smoke 9 Bearing Baitcast Reel 7:3:1 ratio

Terminal Tackle:

Strike King Tour Grade Tungsten Weights, Green Pumpkin Sapphire, 3/8-Ounce
Gamakatsu Extra Wide Gap Worm Hook-5 Per Pack (Black, 3/0)
Stren High Impact Monofilament Fishing Line, Lo-Vis Green, 1000-Yard/12-Pound