Big Mantrap

[husker4u9899]

Looking for fishing information on Big Mantrap and Norway Hills Resort. Starting to plan for 2004 vacation. Would be in the mid-July to early August time period. Any info will be appreciated. Thanks

[Coach Dog]

Husker,
I was also wondering on fishing on Mantrap, muskies in particular. I'm heading up in 2 weeks for some muskie fishing. Have you done much there? Has anyone? Every time I see a post for Mantrap there is not much for a response. Who knows, maybe it's a secret gem!
Coach Dog

[E.Martin]

I fished Mantrap for Musky last Thursday. The conditions were not ideal, but we tries anyway. I was told the fish were reaaly biting around coates island a few weeks ago, but had slowed down. We fished the area and never saw a fish. However on our way out from the access we spotted about a 36" laying under some lilly pads. I was told red/white bucktails were the ticket. Please let me know how you do.
Thanks,
Eli

[fishin magician]

I was up on Mantrap a couple weeks ago. I saw two muskies that were ready to hit but did not. Both were on top water. The lake is clear as a bell so low light hours may be the best.

[Coach Dog]

Any recommended patterns for this lake in mid-September? We're only going to fish for one day, but maybe we'll get lucky.

[JWB475]

Mantrap can be hot at times, and other times a dead sea. It has a nice mix of numbers and at times size...

I spend the majority of my time on the lower basin and the east arm hitting the midlake humps. You are almost guranteed to see fish on these spots (if you can find them).

If you want numbers try smaller bucktails and spinnerbaits - if you want a shot at size, throw topwater. Prop baits are best - like a topwalker or thunderhead... I have yet to land a fish under 46.5 inches on a topwater lure on Mantrap...

AND PLEASE BE PREPARED IF YOU GO!!! I fish Mantrap quite a bit, it is one of my favorite lakes. Fishing pressure is increasing, and I feel that the release reate is not as high as other muskie lakes. There are alot of people out there that know very little about muskie fishing, and wind up keeping the fish they do catch. I see a number of boats out there tossing baits with SPINNING RODS AND REELS. I have also found dead muskies floating in the lake, that were likely caused by release mortality...

If you land a muskie, please keep the fish in the water as long as possible. If you don't have a net or cradle, get one...

When you net the fish, keep the net and the fish, IN THE WATER until it is unhooked. Then if you must, take a quick photo and release the fish as soon as you can. Basically keep it in the water as long as possible.

I may be preaching to the choir here, but last weekend I watched a boat land a 40 inch class fish. They had a nice big net, but when they netted the fish, they pulled it into the boat to unhook it. The guy even went so far as to put on a glove to handle the fish. This fish was out of the water for at least 5 minutes and with the water temps in the mid to upper 70's the odds of that fish surviving that much stresss are slim to none.

Then, after they took a photo, the guy just dumped the fish into the lake! I then watched them hover around the spot, following the muskie as I am sure it struggled to swim away... Hopefully the fish survived...

These guys had all of the tools, but didn't ues them properly.

So please, if you want to enjoy this fishery, handle the fish as little as possible, and keep them in the water....

Sorry for the rant, but I needed to vent...

Good luck,

John B

[Guest]

JWB475 Well put. And you are very correct there are alot of people on that lake in particular that keep fish. I could not believe the amount of fish kept about 3-4 weeks ago when the fish were going good. It really is an individuals choice to keep a trophy fish but I also believe if you put back that 46" it will someday be 50+". Just my personal thoughts. Again your post was well put and I hope it is read by many and we all can take/learn something from it. Thanks

[Coach Dog]

Any recent muskie reports? I'm headin' up this weekend in search of the beast.

[JWB475]

I hit Mantrap last weekend on Saturday from about noon till 9PM.

Day bite was tough for me, but from 6:30pm till just after dark it really picked up. Moved alot of fish on topwater, and had some blow ups. All the fish were shallow, less than 6 feet...

I managed to land a nice fat 46 incher on a Giant Jackpot at about 7PM. Nothing beats landing a muskie on a topwater lure.

Thought for sure I was going to land another shortly afterwards, but it wasn't meant to be I guess...

I will be back on the water this weekend, not sure If I will hit Mantrap or try another lake.

Let us know how you do...

Good luck and best fishes,

John B

[Coach Dog]

Three of us hit Mantrap on saturday. We fished hard and fished from 8 am until about 5 pm. No fish in the boat, but we had 2 follows and one partner had one fish on for a few seconds right away. That fish was huge, close to 45". It jumped clear out of the water and I can still picture it! What a sight, man!!! I saw the other 2 follows and they were dandy fish as well, probably 40".
We threw a lot of bucktails and a few cranks. Black bucktail w/ silver blade is what all follows were on and was the lure that the one fish was on for a bit. The fish we saw were shallow near shore, pads, reeds, adjacent to deep water. We also tried some mid-lake structure w/ no success.
All in all, a successful outing. No landed fish, but we saw fish. Big healthy ones at that. I'm very impressed w/ that lake. It's a pretty lake that is very clear w/ LOTS of structure. I bet the fishing is tough when the sun shines. Can't wait to go again, maybe in October.
Coach Dog