A Day on the Lake
with
Greg Mangus
with
Greg Mangus
We’re applying an R & B twist to the popular BASSmaster Magazine series “A Day on the Lake.” It can be beneficial to see how a professional angler dissects an unknown body of water in the southern part of the country, but would it not be more applicable for Michiana anglers to see how one of our own superstars dissects a Michiana lake? This is what the R & B is bringing to you.
The rules are simple. On a mystery lake, a Michiana angler will have five hours to come up with a 5-fish limit following the same rules enforced in an R & B Bass Circuit tournament. The lakes selected are small and do not typically host tournaments and they will remain a mystery to the readers. We will run an article for each season: winter, spring, summer, and fall.
For the first installment, local legend Greg Mangus stepped up to the plate. When it is more comfortable indoors, he was game to take on the
The rules are simple. On a mystery lake, a Michiana angler will have five hours to come up with a 5-fish limit following the same rules enforced in an R & B Bass Circuit tournament. The lakes selected are small and do not typically host tournaments and they will remain a mystery to the readers. We will run an article for each season: winter, spring, summer, and fall.
For the first installment, local legend Greg Mangus stepped up to the plate. When it is more comfortable indoors, he was game to take on the
Winter Series. Mangus needs no introduction. He is, flat out, one of the best anglers to ever come from Michiana and is recognized throughout the entire Midwest. As a participant in the R & B Bass Circuit, competitors revere him as a perennial favorite no matter where. However, more impressive, competitors also revere him as a genuine person; approachable and receptive to all, regardless of skill level. He is an ambassador for our sport and has no secrets on this Day on the Lake.
So hold on to your mouse and keep your eyes glued to your computer screen. Every move, bait, and observation from the legend is recorded below. Here is what happened December 3, 2011, on a small Southern Michigan lake.
So hold on to your mouse and keep your eyes glued to your computer screen. Every move, bait, and observation from the legend is recorded below. Here is what happened December 3, 2011, on a small Southern Michigan lake.
7:50 I meet Mangus at a convenience store. I was five minutes late and apologize. He laughs and tells me in comparison to one of his fishing partners, I am early. The original maker of the Mango jig is towing a 2008 206 Champion boat equipped with a brand new Yamaha V Max Sho outboard, 101 pound thrust Fortrex Minn Kota trolling motor, and four separate Humminbird units. At the console, 788 and 797 models are installed, and on deck are the 597 and 788 models.
8:29 Mangus launches his boat in 42 degrees, overcast skies, and a south wind at 10 mph. The surrounding landscape is covered with two inches of snow. Except for us and an isolated duck hunting johnboat, the launch is empty. It is interesting to note, that just a week ago Mangus participated in a tournament with temperatures in the mid 50’s and a water temperature of 46 degrees. This week was altogether different. The day following his tournament saw high temperatures only in the 30’s and has since only eclipsed 40 degrees twice. In fact, four inches of snow blanketed his yard just four days ago. The water temperature at the launch today is only 36.8 degrees.
8:30 The creator of C Flash crankbaits surveys the lake while alternating speeds with his new outboard, “I just got this motor this week and am still in the ‘breaking in’ process.”
8:38 He ends up in a small cove on the northern end of the lake. He explains, “This time of year the best places to begin are the same places the ice fishermen gather to catch bluegill. Obviously, I don’t know those places today. So the next best thing to do is head to the northern most part of the lake for two reasons: first, is because it will receive the warm southern winds, like today; but these places also stay protected from the cold northern winds.” His first bait of choice is a homemade, ½ ounce, brass colored blade bait.
8:29 Mangus launches his boat in 42 degrees, overcast skies, and a south wind at 10 mph. The surrounding landscape is covered with two inches of snow. Except for us and an isolated duck hunting johnboat, the launch is empty. It is interesting to note, that just a week ago Mangus participated in a tournament with temperatures in the mid 50’s and a water temperature of 46 degrees. This week was altogether different. The day following his tournament saw high temperatures only in the 30’s and has since only eclipsed 40 degrees twice. In fact, four inches of snow blanketed his yard just four days ago. The water temperature at the launch today is only 36.8 degrees.
8:30 The creator of C Flash crankbaits surveys the lake while alternating speeds with his new outboard, “I just got this motor this week and am still in the ‘breaking in’ process.”
8:38 He ends up in a small cove on the northern end of the lake. He explains, “This time of year the best places to begin are the same places the ice fishermen gather to catch bluegill. Obviously, I don’t know those places today. So the next best thing to do is head to the northern most part of the lake for two reasons: first, is because it will receive the warm southern winds, like today; but these places also stay protected from the cold northern winds.” His first bait of choice is a homemade, ½ ounce, brass colored blade bait.
8:42 Mangus works the blade patiently by lifting it approximately 5 feet off the bottom and then lets its fall on slack line (right).
8:46 He puts the blade bait down and tosses a watermelon colored Poor Boy’s Erie Darter. It is matched up with a 3/16 ounce Bite Me Sparkie Spider Grub Jig.
8:46 He puts the blade bait down and tosses a watermelon colored Poor Boy’s Erie Darter. It is matched up with a 3/16 ounce Bite Me Sparkie Spider Grub Jig.
8:49 A fish bites the Darter and Mangus immediately sets the hook, but it fails to penetrate.
8:50 Mangus’ concentration while working the Darter is impressive (left). He “scoots” it along the bottom by snapping the bait constantly on slack line; he does not lose a beat. Each snap of the line is executed flawlessly. The bait moves a foot per snap. “Speed is key during all times of the year. Even this time of year, you can’t fish a bait too fast; if the fish want it, they will eat it. It’s real important to establish how fast fish want the bait retrieved.”
8:52 He lays the Darter down and slings a ⅜ ounce All Terrain swimjig in the gold shiner color scheme, partnered up with a matching, unknown swimbait. He retrieves the bait painfully slow to keep contact with the bottom. “If you watch carefully, you will see the swimait move the line 6 inches from left to right.”
8:50 Mangus’ concentration while working the Darter is impressive (left). He “scoots” it along the bottom by snapping the bait constantly on slack line; he does not lose a beat. Each snap of the line is executed flawlessly. The bait moves a foot per snap. “Speed is key during all times of the year. Even this time of year, you can’t fish a bait too fast; if the fish want it, they will eat it. It’s real important to establish how fast fish want the bait retrieved.”
8:52 He lays the Darter down and slings a ⅜ ounce All Terrain swimjig in the gold shiner color scheme, partnered up with a matching, unknown swimbait. He retrieves the bait painfully slow to keep contact with the bottom. “If you watch carefully, you will see the swimait move the line 6 inches from left to right.”
8:53 “Always fish with the wind when you can,” he advises. He has positioned his boat facing into the wind, opposite direction of the flat he is fishing, yet turns around and casts with the wind. This places his bait across the boat and past his outboard motor. He positions the boat this way to keep it still.
8:54 Sitting in 10 foot of water, he puts the swimjig down and tosses a bluegill color patterned Magnum 44 C Flash crankbait.
8:57 His rod buckles as a bass loads up his crankbait directly under the boat. He works it from the right side of the boat around the trolling motor to the left side. It has one treble hook in his mouth and is shaking his head violently, yet he flings it in the boat. His first keeper weighs 2.2 pounds. “That fish hit just as my bait began coming up.” I am amazed he is throwing a crankbait in water this cold. He replies, “Actually, the crankbait bite heats up just before the ice forms.”
8:54 Sitting in 10 foot of water, he puts the swimjig down and tosses a bluegill color patterned Magnum 44 C Flash crankbait.
8:57 His rod buckles as a bass loads up his crankbait directly under the boat. He works it from the right side of the boat around the trolling motor to the left side. It has one treble hook in his mouth and is shaking his head violently, yet he flings it in the boat. His first keeper weighs 2.2 pounds. “That fish hit just as my bait began coming up.” I am amazed he is throwing a crankbait in water this cold. He replies, “Actually, the crankbait bite heats up just before the ice forms.”
9:01 Surprisingly, he ditches the crankbait and goes back to scooting the Darter across the bottom. He recalls a moment last year when BASSmaster editor Louie Stout wrote an article on the Darter and wanted his thoughts. “I was fishing Randall Lake with a buddy and I told him to just meet me at the ramp. By the time he got to us, we had 7 fish over 4 pounds in our livewell. All were caught with the Darter.”
9:04 Almost on cue, he sets the hook but nothing tugs back. “It might have been weeds.”
9:06 He has yet to power up the outboard since beginning on the northern end of the lake. He began in a cove and has moved onto a deep flat. But this area has all he looks for in the winter. “This time of year, fish prefer to be on a deep flat like this. It's even better when weeds are present such as they are here.”
9:04 Almost on cue, he sets the hook but nothing tugs back. “It might have been weeds.”
9:06 He has yet to power up the outboard since beginning on the northern end of the lake. He began in a cove and has moved onto a deep flat. But this area has all he looks for in the winter. “This time of year, fish prefer to be on a deep flat like this. It's even better when weeds are present such as they are here.”
9:10 He has been floating between 10 and 12 foot of water for 40 minutes and has been casting shallow throughout, but now picks up his blade bait and tosses it to the depths. There are no takers.
9:13 “I’m marking a few fish on the graph. Now I just got to figure out what they want.” He slings the blade.
9:16 Back to the swimjig and casting shallow. He works it on the bottom with little rod action. He allows the swimbait to do the work.
9:20 While still dragging the swimjig, he remarks “If you can find bluegills and shad you will find bass this time of year. I am seeing some on my graph. The crankbait and Darter might be the deal today.”
9:13 “I’m marking a few fish on the graph. Now I just got to figure out what they want.” He slings the blade.
9:16 Back to the swimjig and casting shallow. He works it on the bottom with little rod action. He allows the swimbait to do the work.
9:20 While still dragging the swimjig, he remarks “If you can find bluegills and shad you will find bass this time of year. I am seeing some on my graph. The crankbait and Darter might be the deal today.”
8:47 “I like how this steep bank runs adjacent to an inside turn. However, the graph is showing a lot of clutter and that typically is a bad sign.” What is the clutter? “Hard to tell. It could be decaying weeds, leaves, or other junk being blowin in from the wind.” The south wind is blowing directly into the cove.
8:48 He has worked the western half of the cove and comes up to a point. Beyond the point is a deep flat. Armed with his Darter, he works his way on the flat but stays in the deep end.
9:23 A fish sucks in the swimjig and Mangus immediately sets the hook. What impresses me is how slow and lackadaisical he can work a bait, but his reflexes to set the hook are cat-like. The hook finds a mouth to penetrate this time. The fish puts up a good battle but falls victim as he swings it aboard. His second keeper weighs 3.61 pounds. “It felt like a weed, but then I noticed it was coming towards me.”
9:33 While dragging the swimjig, he discovers a hump on the flat that raises within three feet of the surface. It seems to be barren of any cover.
9:39 He puts the swimjig down and opts to scoot the Darter along the bottom of the hump.
9:42 After catching his first fish at 8:57 on the Magnum 44 crankbait and putting it back down at 9:01, he finally picks it back up. Why did he go away from it, “I wanted to see what else they would hit.”
9:33 While dragging the swimjig, he discovers a hump on the flat that raises within three feet of the surface. It seems to be barren of any cover.
9:39 He puts the swimjig down and opts to scoot the Darter along the bottom of the hump.
9:42 After catching his first fish at 8:57 on the Magnum 44 crankbait and putting it back down at 9:01, he finally picks it back up. Why did he go away from it, “I wanted to see what else they would hit.”
A Super Hero has been blessing Mangus' boat for 2 years: "Don Watts and I did a tournament on Lake Wawasee and he found him in the parking lot. He put there and it has not flown away yet."
9:43 He brings in a wad of green grass. “Normally the deeper flats will keep their weeds greener, longer.”
9:46 Back to the swimjig; the boat is sitting in 13 feet of water and he is tossing into seven feet.
9:46 Back to the swimjig; the boat is sitting in 13 feet of water and he is tossing into seven feet.
9:47 Mangus sets the hook and exclaims, “It’s a hawg!” He works the fish up to the boat where it gives him fits by shaking its head and jumping out of the water. He reaches down to lip the fish and ads with a laugh, “I don’t know how the pros don’t lose them more often when lipping (below) these guys.” But he lands it, and it is a beauty. His third keeper of the day, and third on this flat, weighs 5 pounds even (left). “That fish came from 3 foot of water. It was sitting right on top of that hump.
9:54 He catches a nonkeeper on the hump with the swimjig.
9:55 “Fish on! And this is another big one!” This fish, which also fell for the swimjig, weighs 4.12 pounds (below left).
9:58 He has them dialed in now as
9:55 “Fish on! And this is another big one!” This fish, which also fell for the swimjig, weighs 4.12 pounds (below left).
9:58 He has them dialed in now as
another fish gets fooled by the swimjig. It completes his limit. This fish weighs 2.27 pounds. “That fish was on the shallow part of the hump too.” He has caught 15 pounds on four fish the past 35 minutes.
10:01 Still working the hump, he admits, “I feel like I could get them on the crankbait as well. I’m going to finish going across this flat with the swimjig and then go over it again with the crank. Right now I want to get as many as I can with the swimjig.” The water temperature has warmed up to 38 degrees.
10:06 Yet another keeper bass sucks in his swimjig and he flings it aboard. This fish weighs 1.6 pounds (below right) and does not help his limit. “The fish are hitting this swimjig pretty hard.” He adds, “It is not uncommon to catch big fish this time of year. In fact, it’s the best time of the year to catch big fish. But for
10:01 Still working the hump, he admits, “I feel like I could get them on the crankbait as well. I’m going to finish going across this flat with the swimjig and then go over it again with the crank. Right now I want to get as many as I can with the swimjig.” The water temperature has warmed up to 38 degrees.
10:06 Yet another keeper bass sucks in his swimjig and he flings it aboard. This fish weighs 1.6 pounds (below right) and does not help his limit. “The fish are hitting this swimjig pretty hard.” He adds, “It is not uncommon to catch big fish this time of year. In fact, it’s the best time of the year to catch big fish. But for
some reason the small fish are often harder to come by. This depends on the lake though.”
10:10 Believe it or not, this swimjig is a bait he rarely threw until September of this year. “I had a friend from Ohio visit me and he showed me how he worked this bait. I did not know if it would produce in cold water or not.” Mangus has always been adamant that you can learn from anyone. “You can even learn something from a kid. If a child has confidence in just one bait and you take him to a spot that is holding fish he might get them. You can learn something from him there.”
10:21 He continues to drag the swimjig despite not getting a bite on it the past 15 minutes.
10:25 He has come to the end of the flat and states, “It is time to hit the same area with the crankbait.” He cranks up his new outboard to the same spot he began. When he arrives he tosses the Magnum 44 C Flash.
10:21 He continues to drag the swimjig despite not getting a bite on it the past 15 minutes.
10:25 He has come to the end of the flat and states, “It is time to hit the same area with the crankbait.” He cranks up his new outboard to the same spot he began. When he arrives he tosses the Magnum 44 C Flash.
A ⅜ ounce All Terrain swimjig in the gold shiner color scheme was Mangus' primary bait in 38 degree water. He landed over 16 pounds with it.
10:30 Also in the bluegill color scheme, Mangus ties on a different C Flash crankbait. This one is a square bill. He reveals, “This is a 22 prototype square bill not yet available to the public.”
10:40 After 10 minutes of cranking the prototype without a bite, he slings the darter onto the flat while sitting in 10 feet of water. At this time he brings up the R & B Bass Circuit and the 2012 schedule. He likes the schedule and acknowledges, “Now that the LakeDrive circuit is gone, the R & B is the best circuit in the entire area.” Coming from a man who has fished dozens of circuit the past decade, it is quite a compliment. He is looking forward to competing next season and certainly the swimjig will be part of his arsenal.
10:40 After 10 minutes of cranking the prototype without a bite, he slings the darter onto the flat while sitting in 10 feet of water. At this time he brings up the R & B Bass Circuit and the 2012 schedule. He likes the schedule and acknowledges, “Now that the LakeDrive circuit is gone, the R & B is the best circuit in the entire area.” Coming from a man who has fished dozens of circuit the past decade, it is quite a compliment. He is looking forward to competing next season and certainly the swimjig will be part of his arsenal.
Teddy Bradley and Mark Fennell will have their work cutout to repeat as Points Champions.
10: 44 As he comes to the point that separates the cove and flat, he switches back to the 44 Magnum. He stands in 11 feet of water and casts into six.
10:52 He is catching a lot of green weeds with his bait and comments, “Snapping through the grass is a big trigger in every season; no less now than during the warm months. But since it is not working now, it’s time for a change.” Promptly, he picks up the square bill crankbait and flings it towards the weeds.
10: 44 As he comes to the point that separates the cove and flat, he switches back to the 44 Magnum. He stands in 11 feet of water and casts into six.
10:52 He is catching a lot of green weeds with his bait and comments, “Snapping through the grass is a big trigger in every season; no less now than during the warm months. But since it is not working now, it’s time for a change.” Promptly, he picks up the square bill crankbait and flings it towards the weeds.
10:55 Mangus switches back to the 44 Magnum and pulls some weeds up. He throws some on the deck of the boat and exclaims, “I love that kind of weed!”
10:58 Still failing to get a hit on the crankbait, as he anticipated, he switches back to the square bill.
10:58 Still failing to get a hit on the crankbait, as he anticipated, he switches back to the square bill.
11:03 A fish slaps at the square bill but fails to hook up.
11:04 He is at the halfway point of the day and has yet to leave the first place he began. His focus for the remainder of his time: “I will look for similar areas and primarily toss the swimjig, but I will continue to mix it up. I do not allow myself to get stuck on one bait because you can miss what is happening or what is changing. Plus, there can always be two patterns dominating at any one time. One bait may be attracting the smaller fish and another may be attracting the bigger fish.” He smiles and adds, “Right now, I’d take anything.”
11:07 He is sitting right where he had his flurry earlier in the day and tosses the deep crankbait, but this time hauls only water.
11:11 Mangus cranks the outboard. He heads to a midlake point that is protected by the wind and finds a deep flat alongside it. He tosses the 44 Magnum and immediately discovers a hump as well. He adds, “Humps are not the best cover this time of year, but I can’t rule it out the way the bite has shutdown.”
11:18 He leaves the hump and focuses on the flat with the 44 Magnum.
11:20 Time for the swimjig; he lays the crankbait down and tosses the bait responsible for over 16 pounds today.
11:24 A fish swipes at the swimjig, but does not hook up. “I got too excited and set the hook too soon,” he confesses.
11:26 It is blade bait time. Beyond catching fish, Mangus admits, “The blade bait is also a great search bait.”
11:29 He offers the swimjig to the fish, but the offering is ignored.
11:31 He gives scooting the Darter along bottom a chance, but it too is ignored.
11:33 I ask why the Darter is a more effective cold water bait than a tube and his answer surprises me, “I don’t know that it is. But what does happen in the winter, are the young of the year bluegill become vulnerable. They hide in the weeds, but now those weeds are dying and they become accessible. A Darter does do a good job of mimicking these bluegill.”
11:35 Mangus again reverts back to the swimjig and mutters, “This area looks just like the other area. I should get bit.” He does not.
11:38 “I am not a camper.” He explains, “I like to run and gun if I’m not getting bit.” He stows his trolling motor and looks for new water.
11:04 He is at the halfway point of the day and has yet to leave the first place he began. His focus for the remainder of his time: “I will look for similar areas and primarily toss the swimjig, but I will continue to mix it up. I do not allow myself to get stuck on one bait because you can miss what is happening or what is changing. Plus, there can always be two patterns dominating at any one time. One bait may be attracting the smaller fish and another may be attracting the bigger fish.” He smiles and adds, “Right now, I’d take anything.”
11:07 He is sitting right where he had his flurry earlier in the day and tosses the deep crankbait, but this time hauls only water.
11:11 Mangus cranks the outboard. He heads to a midlake point that is protected by the wind and finds a deep flat alongside it. He tosses the 44 Magnum and immediately discovers a hump as well. He adds, “Humps are not the best cover this time of year, but I can’t rule it out the way the bite has shutdown.”
11:18 He leaves the hump and focuses on the flat with the 44 Magnum.
11:20 Time for the swimjig; he lays the crankbait down and tosses the bait responsible for over 16 pounds today.
11:24 A fish swipes at the swimjig, but does not hook up. “I got too excited and set the hook too soon,” he confesses.
11:26 It is blade bait time. Beyond catching fish, Mangus admits, “The blade bait is also a great search bait.”
11:29 He offers the swimjig to the fish, but the offering is ignored.
11:31 He gives scooting the Darter along bottom a chance, but it too is ignored.
11:33 I ask why the Darter is a more effective cold water bait than a tube and his answer surprises me, “I don’t know that it is. But what does happen in the winter, are the young of the year bluegill become vulnerable. They hide in the weeds, but now those weeds are dying and they become accessible. A Darter does do a good job of mimicking these bluegill.”
11:35 Mangus again reverts back to the swimjig and mutters, “This area looks just like the other area. I should get bit.” He does not.
11:38 “I am not a camper.” He explains, “I like to run and gun if I’m not getting bit.” He stows his trolling motor and looks for new water.
11:40 He idles until he discovers a flat in front of a channel. He begins dissecting it with the swimjig.
11:41 He discovers, “There is also a high spot out in front of the channel.”
11:43 Mangus has been fishing the winter for over 20 years and the cold does not bother him. He admits, “I am lucky. My hands stay warm in the cold. My wife calls me “Hot Hands.’”
11:47 He probes the high spot with the Darter without avail.
11:49 After studying his graph carefully, he divulges, “There is also a ridge out in front of this channel.” He chucks the darter to it. No takers.
11:57 Living up to his words of “run and gun,” Mangus again stows his trolling motor and heads to the west side of the lake with his eyes glued to his Humminbird units. Offshore, he discovers a ridge and stops to investigate. He likes what he sees and tosses the swimjig.
11:41 He discovers, “There is also a high spot out in front of the channel.”
11:43 Mangus has been fishing the winter for over 20 years and the cold does not bother him. He admits, “I am lucky. My hands stay warm in the cold. My wife calls me “Hot Hands.’”
11:47 He probes the high spot with the Darter without avail.
11:49 After studying his graph carefully, he divulges, “There is also a ridge out in front of this channel.” He chucks the darter to it. No takers.
11:57 Living up to his words of “run and gun,” Mangus again stows his trolling motor and heads to the west side of the lake with his eyes glued to his Humminbird units. Offshore, he discovers a ridge and stops to investigate. He likes what he sees and tosses the swimjig.
12:04 The sky has been overcast all day, and now raindrops begin to fall as well.
12:12 The rain stops, and for the first time today, the sun attempts to break through the clouds. It is 44 degrees.
12:13 “There is an inside turn on this ridge,” Mangus discovers, “If fish are on this ridge, they should be here.” Apparently they are not as his swimjig hooks only water.
12:18 He has saturated the inside turn with the swimjig without success. He cranks up the outboard and heads to the east side.
12:22 He stops when he finds another deep flat with weeds. He is sitting in 10 feet of water and casts the swimjig shallow.
12:30 For the first time in four hours, the sun is out in full force. The air has warmed to 45 degrees, but the water remains at 38 degrees. Mangus continues to probe his swimjig on the flat. Despite being optimistic after finding weeds on this flat, he has failed to catch a fish.
12:35 He switches to the blade bait. Sitting in 12 feet of water he tosses it to the depths.
12:37 “There is an inside turn here: should be a fish,” Mangus comments. But the blade bait fails to produce a strike.
12:41 With less than an hour remaining and without a fish in over 2 ½ hours, Mangus fires up the outboard and heads back to the only area that has produced.
12:45 What has happened to the fish? “I don’t know. But, I suspect they just stopped biting. It’s possible they have moved real shallow or are suspended over deep water. There is only one way to find out.”
12:46 He remains on the edge of the flat and tosses the Darter to shallower water. No takers.
12:50 The wind is blowing directly into the cove. To keep the boat in position he points his boat towards the bank, but points his trolling motor backward. By doing this he keeps the boat in position and removes the obstruction of the outboard.
12:55 Back to the swimjig, Mangus realizes, “I got time to make one more pass all around this flat again.” He adds, “It only takes one cast to catch a 6-pounder.”
1:05 A fish pecks at the swimjig, Mangus sets the hook but fails to connect. This bite coincided exactly when the sun tucked behind the clouds.
1:17 “They must not be biting,” Mangus concludes. “I should have gotten bit by now.”
1:29 Back to the ramp. Despite not catching a fish the last 3 ½ hours, he clearly showed how an angler can catch big fish in water just a few degrees above freezing. His top 5 fish weighed an awesome 17.2 pounds.
Day in Perspective
“When possible, it is always best to fish the same areas that is popular with the ice fishermen this time of year. I believe fish will move a long distance to get to their wintering holes. When you don’t know these spots, because of the more favorable weather it will receive, the north ends of lakes seem to be good bets. If I were back here tomorrow I would continue to toss the same array of baits to see if their tastes have changed. It was obvious for a brief period of time the swimjig is what they wanted, but that can change from one day to the next.”
12:12 The rain stops, and for the first time today, the sun attempts to break through the clouds. It is 44 degrees.
12:13 “There is an inside turn on this ridge,” Mangus discovers, “If fish are on this ridge, they should be here.” Apparently they are not as his swimjig hooks only water.
12:18 He has saturated the inside turn with the swimjig without success. He cranks up the outboard and heads to the east side.
12:22 He stops when he finds another deep flat with weeds. He is sitting in 10 feet of water and casts the swimjig shallow.
12:30 For the first time in four hours, the sun is out in full force. The air has warmed to 45 degrees, but the water remains at 38 degrees. Mangus continues to probe his swimjig on the flat. Despite being optimistic after finding weeds on this flat, he has failed to catch a fish.
12:35 He switches to the blade bait. Sitting in 12 feet of water he tosses it to the depths.
12:37 “There is an inside turn here: should be a fish,” Mangus comments. But the blade bait fails to produce a strike.
12:41 With less than an hour remaining and without a fish in over 2 ½ hours, Mangus fires up the outboard and heads back to the only area that has produced.
12:45 What has happened to the fish? “I don’t know. But, I suspect they just stopped biting. It’s possible they have moved real shallow or are suspended over deep water. There is only one way to find out.”
12:46 He remains on the edge of the flat and tosses the Darter to shallower water. No takers.
12:50 The wind is blowing directly into the cove. To keep the boat in position he points his boat towards the bank, but points his trolling motor backward. By doing this he keeps the boat in position and removes the obstruction of the outboard.
12:55 Back to the swimjig, Mangus realizes, “I got time to make one more pass all around this flat again.” He adds, “It only takes one cast to catch a 6-pounder.”
1:05 A fish pecks at the swimjig, Mangus sets the hook but fails to connect. This bite coincided exactly when the sun tucked behind the clouds.
1:17 “They must not be biting,” Mangus concludes. “I should have gotten bit by now.”
1:29 Back to the ramp. Despite not catching a fish the last 3 ½ hours, he clearly showed how an angler can catch big fish in water just a few degrees above freezing. His top 5 fish weighed an awesome 17.2 pounds.
Day in Perspective
“When possible, it is always best to fish the same areas that is popular with the ice fishermen this time of year. I believe fish will move a long distance to get to their wintering holes. When you don’t know these spots, because of the more favorable weather it will receive, the north ends of lakes seem to be good bets. If I were back here tomorrow I would continue to toss the same array of baits to see if their tastes have changed. It was obvious for a brief period of time the swimjig is what they wanted, but that can change from one day to the next.”
The mystery lake and where Mangus caught his 5 best keepers.
Lake A