Fishing Forum : Float Tube Fishing: Float Tubing General: Mantua 1st time...need tips

No cats in Mantua. Lots of bluegills, perch, largemouths and trout.

Water is warming and the THICK weeds are growing in. Look for holes in the weed beds and fish plastics for bass. Senkos, worms, jig and trailer. Greens and browns are best but black and purple work well to. Some bass may still be shallow, on the spawning beds. You can get smaller fish on topwater or shallow running cranks and spinnerbaits.

Bluegill and perch are everywhere. Fish a small jig and worm below a bobber or drop it straight down into the aforementioned holes.

Trout will be almost anywhere. You can get them on spinners, flies or small lures. Sometimes they are in shallow...feeding on newly hatched fry or on abundant aquatic life. Most of the time you will do better in the open water areas by fishing flies or lures at mid depth...or sometimes by vertical jigging small lures tipped with worm.

I am attaching a map. You can launch at the main boat ramp and kick along the west dike...out to about 15' depth. Sometimes lots of fish in the area between the shore and the beginning of the weeds.

Another good area is along the weedy and shallow south shoreline...when the fish are still spawning in shallower water. A lot of tubers like to launch at the SE corner...near the inlet...at the recently added launch area there. That will allow you to fish along the east shoreline down to the "hill". This can be some of the best fishing and the water is deeper just a short ways from shore.

On most days you can just watch for the concentration of other anglers to know where the fishing is happening. But even then you will usually be able to find your own fish without all that company. There are usually plenty of fish all over the lake.

One final note: be sure to wear waders. That lake is infested with "swimmers' itch".