Big Mantrap

[Justfishing]

I have a few question about Mantrap.

1 I read somewhere that there is a campground next to the Lake. Does anyone know if its a state park or private?

2 Is there a lot of development and boat traffic on the lake.

3 Is it a good panfish lake?

[minneman]

the campground is on the so west part of the lake right next to the access. I think you pay to a $box (noone there)
development,no. traffic?? yes to the panfish, crappies were easy to find last time I was there.

[JWB475]

Never set foot in the campground, but it is right next to the landing (which is one of the nicest you will ever use).

Boat traffic can get annoying on nice sunny weekends. There is not a lot of room on some parts of the lake and if you get two boats pulling skiers or tubes it can ruin your odds of catching anything real fast.

However there are so many bays and arms on the lake, you can always find some peace and quiet on Mantrap.

Otherwise, when compared to other lakes in the area there really isn't a whole lot of development on the lake.

Never fished for panfish on Mantrap so I can't help you there...

Enjoy yourself, Mantrap is a beautifull lake...

Good luck,
John B

[chart1444]

I had good winter fishing for crappies and sunnies and a occasional Northern that would take my crappie minnow.

It felt like you were in the Canadian wilderness fishing there and there was plenty of Action.

[Guest]

Just got back from there. Actually the camp ground is in a state forest not park. The lake is only developed on the east arm, the rest is mostly natural. Boat traffic is minimal, can get a little busy on weekends (not busy like a cities lake though.) It costs $9.00 a night to camp. The panfish situation is not good, there are TONS of them but it seems most are stunted. One in ten is an eater. Also, the fish are all infected with a parasite. They are full of black spots which I am told are the larvae of a sandfly. I was also told that you can still eat them if you cook them well enough, but I wasn't willing to test that out.

[Justfishing]

Thanks for the information. The kids love to catch the panfish and have them for supper. I would rather play it safe with the kids and not eat infected fish. Can anyone tell me of a nearby lake that has good panfishing.

On the other hand I would like to give muskie fishing a try in addition to bass and walleye. What is the muskie fishing like on the lake.

[Guest]

Mantrap is supposed to be one of the best muskey lakes in the state. High numbers of fish and trophy potential. I went up there for a couple days with some guys from work and we fished them hard. We didn't get a fish or even a follow. We tried all the spots on the Hotspots map and many more that looked good. Every type of lure you could think of. We did get some northerns and found some active bass. The water was ultra clear and the weather wasn't the best while we were there. Anyway, I hope you have better luck than we did.