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THE GREAT OUTDOORS — If you are wanting to fish for warm water species, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources recently selected Mantua Reservoir as the best scenic location this spring.
The 550-acre reservoir, located in northern Utah about 4 miles east of Brigham City, is currently a beautiful hot spot for catching warm water fish, DWR said. During May, the bluegill and largemouth bass move into the shallows of the reservoir and are aggressive and hungry, making for a fun fishing trip.
“During the spawn, the bluegill are very aggressive and fairly easy to catch,” DWR regional fisheries biologist Chris penne said in a news release. “And, for their size, they put up an amazing fight.”
The bluegill average about 8 inches in length and most of the largemouth bass are between 10-15 inches long, wildlife officials said; however, there are also bass available that are 20 inches long and weigh around 4 to 5 pounds.
Except for a $5 fee to launch your boat at a large concrete ramp on the southwest corner of the reservoir, there’s no fee to fish at Mantua or to launch canoes and other boats that can be launched by hand. Anglers can launch small boats by hand on the southeast and north sides of the reservoir. If you’d rather fish from the shore, there is a maintained gravel trail around the entire reservoir, with the best shoreline access on the reservoir’s west and east sides.
When fishing for bluegill at the reservoir, Penne recommends threading a worm on a size 8 or a size 10 long shank hook, crimping one or two split shot sinkers 12 to 18 inches above the hook, and then attaching a bobber about 12 inches above the split shot. Anglers should then cast the worm out, let it settle and then watch the bobber closely. If it starts to bob, move sideways or goes under the water, set the hook by pulling up on your fishing rod, Penne said.
To have success in fishing for largemouth bass at Mantua, Penne recommends going to areas with heavy cover including brushy areas along the perimeter of the reservoir and areas with a lot of aquatic vegetation. Lures that have proven successful include skirted spinnerbaits, plastic worms threaded on a size 3/0 or 4/0 hook and ¼- to ½-ounce bucktail jigs.
To fish these lures, Penne said anglers should make short casts into and along the edges of cover. Then, as you retrieve the lure, use different speeds until you find the speed that attracts the bass. Anglers can also hook a worm on a size 4 or size 6 hook if they’d rather use bait. Crimp one or two split shot sinkers about 12 to 18 inches above the hook and then attach a bobber 12 inches above the split shot.
What are your favorite methods for fishing for bluegill and largemouth bass? Let us know in the comments.
Editor's note: The content of this article was taken from a press release sent out by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. This is not information gathered by KSL.com reporters.
