Lake Manuella Fishing Reports

[Faner50]

Good grief what a mess. Caught a couple of eyes during the week. I then TRIED to fish on the weekend.... FORGET IT ! First off, I couldn't find a place to park my trailer on the access. Swimmers in trailerless cars were parking on the access slots. Finally I got launched. I felt like a bear in a hornets nest. Water ski boats all going in different directions and coming too close to my boat. Question.,.,. Is it in the rules that you have to be a jerk to own a Ski Do ? One water skier came by 30 feet from my boat. He got the finger from me, turned around and told me I was in the way. Good grief !! I moved to the middle of the lake (there is a hump out there). I still got buzzed. I decided enough was enough and headed to the access only to find some family thinking the dock ( and a couple of Ski Doers) was built just for them and a great place to swim. In my opinion, Manuella is too small to support all the boats. They ought to allow only skiing in one direction and also make the lake a NO WAKE LAKE after 7:00 PM.

Some salvation though... I hear the lake now gets you swimmers itch and they can't scratch enough in my opinion.

Just another whinner.

Faner

[KMR85]

i think there is a law that boaters/skiiers/jet skis must stay a certain distance from you, but that is what i have heard. never read it myself. with a small lake like that and a bunch of traffic, someone else will drown out there soon. i say this because it wasnt too long ago that someone did drown out there. hopefully those jet skiers run a little closer to shore next time and suck up some sand/rocks in their jet.

[harvey lee]

Jet ski's must stay at a minimum of 150' from your anchored boat and then there ia also a no-wake within that distance. Now, if you are trolling, those rules dont apply as you are a moving watercraft.

If you were to press charges against that person, you would need to take a photo of the person and Jet ski, get thier DNR number off the vechile and report it to the DNR. If it were to go to court, you would also need to testify.

Maybe just take your digital camera with and let them see you are taking thier picture and they may just think twice and go away.

[LMITOUT]

Either that or they'll think they're getting more attention in front of the camera so they get even closer for "action shots!"

[KMR85]

both of those assumptions are legitimate. i am sure this will continue anyway, there arent enough dnr/sheriff on the water to help prevent it and going to court is a 'PITA'. judges are just way too arrogant and they are terrible to deal with, even if you're the person who didnt do anything wrong.

[harvey lee]

This is what the DNR in ST Paul stated to do when I talked with them today in regards to this question. I know it may be a PITA, but it may also stop a few and make them think.

I guess one might say its kinda like TIP, it works at times but can be a pain.

[trackerbrent]

My in-laws have a cabin on the lake. I agree with you the traffic is unbearable some weekends. The vehicles with no trailers and using the access dock, don't get me started on that. There is a park right next to it to park at for those with no trailers. Access is horrible, I barely can float my bass boat off the bunks. When I am at the cabin I try to fish early morning and towards dark. Can be some good gravel lizard fishing though. I seem to catch mostly smallmouth fishing for them.

[Faner50]

Thanks for the replies. Ya know, I would think that the "Lake Association" (and I use the term loosly LOL) would take a more active part in managing, or at least developing some rules for water craft, for that small lake. One direction water skiing and jet skiing. Establishing NO WAKE time frames, boat ramp repair, etc. I found that the Manuella Association has a web site but its pretty useless. Contains no content what so ever. They do seem to view Milfoil as a possible problem but no doubt the interest concerns their decreasing property value as the milfoil begins to grow in front of their property. In my opinion, if something isn't done, people will be standing on their docks AGAIN, watching the sheriff drag the lake for ANOTHER body.

Still whinning.

[nk45]

Boated on Manuella for the first time this week. Sounds like I was lucky to go during the midweek. The family and I were one of three boats on the water that evening. Comments on the one way skiing...who would enforce it? There are a lot of people who use the lake that don't live on it. It is one of the cleaner lakes in the area so people are attracted to it. One other quick item...the family and I dropped anchor and did some swimming. One of the first things I did was step on an old beer can. Just a reminder to take any garbage you may have off the lake. This was an old can...mostly rusted...so it wasn't a recent toss. Hopefully these days people are smarter...but, maybe not.

[Faner50]

It's HOT !! Drilled holes on the north/northeast side of the lake just out from that house with the big white pillars. We found the drop from 8' to 16' and set up. Twenty minutes after drilling we lowered the camera. Wow ! Walleyes just hugging the edge of the weed bed in 10' -> 13' on the drop. The camera must have spooked them so we switched from horizontal viewing to vertical with the lens up at the 5' level. Slowly the fish moved back in.

It was a little frustrating at first in that they just wouldn't bite. They'd look at the bait, circle and circle but wouldn't take. We tried plain hooks to lures and they just wouldn't bite. My buddy then pinched the head off a minnow, hooked the head horizontally on a gold jigging spoon and POW, a 13 incher smacked it. We had to jig the bait in that the dead sticks produced nothing. In the late afternoon we must have caught a dozen small walleyes which we returned to the lake. Between the walleyes we were bothered by some small perch but it still was fun. As it got dark around 5:30 the bigger fish moved in. We ended up with 9 (after 5:30) ranging from 14 to 16 inches. By 7:30 it was dead. Nothing on the vexi or the cameras. Darn near froze to death but worth it even with cold fingers and toes.

Faner50

P.S. Has anyone tried the "fingers" on Stella ?

[LMITOUT]

Nice report. That is one of those lakes you don't hear a lot about during the winter, and I've never fished that lake in the summer or winter.

[bassNspear]

i feel the same dan, i never talk to anyone about this lake when were talking about fishing lakes in this area.

Thanks for the report. My old man has his house out on belle, but might have to move it.

[slim1]

We got some there about 8 years ago sounds like the same spot. I heard that the fingers where giving small walleyes early then slowed down a lot. Only a couple of houses out there now. Nice report on Manuella the last time I was out there was to swim with the kids.Slim

[Faner50]

If your Dad decides to move his house off Belle and on to Manuella, which I think is what you were talking about, he/you have some decisions to make. That north/northeast spot I spoke about earlier is not the only spot on the lake. You might want to vexi a couple of others....

....Also on the north shoreline, out from a small kind of pink cabin, is another underwater point. It tops at 6 to 7 ft then a sharp drop on both sides into 15 then to 20. A weed line also exists around that 7' top then drops off as you move south. The drop is pretty quick. Once you find the point you can move 10' feet south and find that you are in 15' of water.

....Another spot is straight out from the "crapper" that sits on the south end of the little park on the east side. Again, another under water point. More like a tube in shape. Same kind of drop as mentioned above but starts at 10' and drops to 20.

....There is another...the "hump" on the southwest corner of the lake out about 300 yards. 10 foot hump in the middle of 25' feet of water. Its a small area maybe 40' square on the top and hard to find. Won't support alot of holes or portables but sometimes in the winter that spot can be a bonanza.

Anyway, thats a few of the spots on Manuella. I'd post GPS readings of those places but I choose not to. I'll just let you "Hutch Heros," all piled on top of each other on Belle, find them on your own.

Last but not least, I do though like the 2 "fingers" on Stella. Find the tips of those babies and you can be in biz ! I mostly fish Mille Lacs but in the winter, Manuella can be fun.

Good luck to all and remember to leave the area you fish like you found it. Replace your divits !

Faner

[Faner50]

I remember when I was a kid, we'd go walk the creek coming by the old creamy (town of Casey) on the norteast outlet from Manuella. During the day northers ran that creek and at night you could shine a flashlite at the creek and see all those white tipped tails and marble eyes heading to Stella.

Now days, with that high culvert in place. It doesn't happen anymore. Good for Manuella and bad for Stella. Throw in the fishing stocking that has taken place on Manuella and if you know the bottom....you're in biz.

I wonder....on the northeast bay on Manuella, there is a sharp drop not 30 yards from shore, right on the west corner of that northeast bay. I have always wondered through my years why I have never seen even a spear house on that corner.

good luck to all

Faner

[creepworm]

Anyone ever try this lake. I am thinking of heading out there some time and have never heard anything about it.

[lovetheice]

looked like there was 2 houses out toward the middle, I have never had luck on the lake except in summer

[Faner50]

Suggestion for fishing Manuella. On Northeast side of the lake, there is a bay. On the eastern edge of that bay where the shoreline starts to turn north into that bay, there is a drop off very close to that corner and very near shore. It is just east of the bullrush stand near the shore line. Find that drop, punch a hole and drop down a medium size shiner or half alive sucker on a dead stick or tip up. You might get a Northern. For walleyes though, I'd stick with the east side "fingers" on Stella.

Good Luck

Faner

[Faner50]

Sorry, on my last post. The drop is on the WESTERN edge of that bay not the eastern. The compass in my head is AFU. Maybe its the metal plate in my head. Also I stated east side fingers on Stella. I meant to say, WEST side fingers.

Sorry

Faner

[hunter101]

ive fished that area on Stella, many walleyes but they are all to small to keep.

[huskie0302]

Hey my parents are thinking about getting a cabin on Manuella, can you guys give me some info on the lake, clarity, kinds of fish, anything you think I should know, thanks

[rattleL]

nice little lake decent walleye and smallie fishery at times. A few gills, lots of lakes in the nearby area that offer great fishing.

[huskie0302]

Thanks for the respond. Ya I use to bass fish it when I was in high school, never really got into the walleyes or smallies. Hows the large mouth population?

[My_Key]

Check the DNR website. Use the lake finder, there it will give you numbers and sizes of the most recent survey.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/index.html

[Hester]

Huskie, the largie population is ok but not great.

Your best chance of seeing some largies out there would be to go in the middle of the day when its 90+ degrees out. Wait a while and they will come right to the surface.

[huskie0302]

Ya I've fished it some when I was in high school. Just wondering if it has changed much since then. Ya I checked out the survey before, doesn't look too promising. Any ideas on the walleyes, deep?? shallow?

[FlyRodAddiction]

Shallow, i've been on that lake for years and they are almost always shallow. I won't promise you anything with any size but the lake gets stocked and it seems that as soon as they hit 13-15" they disappear. My latest intel reports indicate that no one practices catch and release with these fish and that is why they go missing. I have talked to guys at the landing and they will show me a live well full of 12 inchers! It seems that some people will keep anything resembling a walleye these days! As far as small mouth I can't attest to that but i've caught some decent large mouth lunkers in the shallow bay in the spring right after bass opener. If you fly fish, the action gets crazy during the massive mayfly hatch.

[Faner50]

The Milfoil is about to take over the lake in just a couple more years ( property values decreasing?) The foil has moved out to the 9-15 range and getting taller every year. The lake association has tried to kill it but only in spots. It is also hard to fish on the weekends in that its full of ski boats and jet skis in that it has the only swim beach in the area. The public access ramp is a mess. Super shallow. Not trying to be negative just telling, it is, what it is.

Fish are small. Like the other guy said. Once they get past the 12in point they are really tuff to catch. Some small black bass, no crappie to speak of. Some reasonable sun fish outside the milfoil.

GL

Faner

[huskie0302]

ok thanks for the heads up, are they doing anything for the milfoil lately? How did it get so bad so fast? is it all the way around the lake? Its sad to see that noone can C&R on those walleyes, I practice 95% C&R unless we are having a fish fry that day.

[My_Key]

It's not just that lake that the walleyes don't get to grow. It's all of the area lakes. I hammered 9-10 inch walleyes(along with everyone else) on a local lake last winter and I'm betting those fish do not make it thru next winter.