Mantorville Smallies

[Guest]

Has anyone had any experience catching smallies in the Zumbro River either side of Mantorville? Saturday I caught three small one (the biggest was 12 inches) fishing down stream from the camp ground behind the gas station in town. Was successful with both a red and white Mepps spinner and also with a white twister tail on a bullet jig/safety pin spinner rig.

------------------
Fish On!
Big Lew

[goody]

Big Lew ~ I've fished the stretch from Matorville down, and usually did OK on numbers but only occasional found a larger fish (over 16"). It could have just been the time of the year or my presentation, so don't give up on that stretch. Did you notice a lot of strange rock formations along the river bed? White, symmetrical, and covered with uniformly spaced indentations. Some say Wilson or Titlest? I always find at least half a dozen after I get past the course. Maybe there is a connection between
golf and fishing!!! My favorite stretches on this branch are above and below Oxbow, and above Genoa. How about you? I've never dedicated much time above the dam in Matorville, but I'd like to hear from someone that has.

[Jim W]

Now were talkin' guys!! This is great!! A post about smallmouth that I didn't have to start!!!! Keep it up!!!
I haven't fished that section since I was a kid so the info is wonderful!!
Keep the rods bendin'!! Jim W

[goody]

Last night I fished the stretch from the iron bridge at the end of Oxbow, halfway to the cement bridge in Post Town. It wasn't as good as it normally is this time of the year, as I only managed 4 averaged sized fish. It seems that the high water this year really knocked down the banks on that stretch, and some of the rifle/pool/run sections became just slow runs. If the fish were there, maybe they were just more scattered (there were a lot of small trees in the water). The good thing about small mouth, is that they are always moving and they can adapt were they find habitat. Sometimes the fun is finding them again.

goody

[Guest]

Goody,
I have seen some bigger fish near the county road 5 bridge just before the river enters Oxbow. A fellow smallie angler has also had good success between the two bridges past Oxbow. I've yet to try the Genoa stretch. What's your preferred presentation? I generally use either chartruesse or white twister tails, but am willing to try anything.

------------------
Fish On!
Big Lew

[goody]

Big Llew,

My cousin's farm is above County 5, but I haven't tried there yet this year. Maybe next week.

When "uffdapete" got me going on the bass in the Zumbro, 3" (white, motor oil, black, or brown) Power Grubs, and a 1/16 oz. jig was the only way I went. Not only did that presentation always seem to be effective, it was a very efficient way to search a lot of
water quickly. After I got more acquainted with the river, I started using a fly rod
in the stretches that had produced best.
I like to use weighted streamers that can be jigged, or crawled across the bottom of the better lies.

"uffdapete" is more comfortable
using a variety of presentations and also does well with Yozuri Pins Minnows, Rapalas,
Junior Thundersticks, etc. Small tubes can be really even more effective then grubs, and I wonder if the fish are getting educated on grubs.

Thanks for the post on "SEMSA at the fair",
maybe I'll see ya there.