The chubs are not extinct yet. But, about the only ones caught are HUGE grotesque looking fish that would qualify as state records…if anybody wanted to take that away from Ray Johnson. [inline “CHUB OBESITY.jpg”] I have heard reports, both from DWR biologists and other anglers, of catching a few small chubs up near the river mouth in the spring. However, the big spawners are all over 20 years old and nearing the end of their lives. They still spawn, but probably not as efficiently as in their younger years.
It is not likely that the perch population will crash in Starvation. There is plenty of aquatic vegetation for them to use both for spawning and for the young to find refuge. And, even though there are big fluctuations in the water levels, it is rare for the lake to be too low and without spawning structure. That has always been a major cause of crashes in Yuba.
Both the perch and the walleye populations appear to be growing and healthy. All the fish are fat and well fed. Things are great for the present and we can only hope they keep getting better.
I’m of the opinion that Mantua’s 3 to 6 feet of weeds will swallow a double hanger or drop shot.
I’ve had great success with a simple small bullet slider weight (with tiny split shot to stop it about 18 - 24 inches above a half crawler).
The bullet let’s the rig cast and get down, settle atop the weed mat and the crawler then slowly drifts down also. The bullet shape let’s you get it out with minumum losses - usually with a fish attached. If you are hanging up too much the bullet size is too large or just go with a simple larger split shot.
Two weeks ago it was killer - lots o’ perch, bluegill, and even one decent LM. Just find any 9’+ depth hole in the weeds near the middle and hang on. Basically fish on every cast. Excellent for the kids - our last mission was to take a 3 year old on his first fishing trip ever. It worked!
**Drop shotting is a popular and effective method of fishing Mantua…for bass or panfish. The key is to find holes in the weeds that let you drop to the bottom without settling into still more weeds. However, for bluegills and perch, I do much better with a single light jig flavored with some worm or perch meat. A naturally slow sinking jig seems to get hit a lot faster than something that dives to the bottom. But, you have to watch the line as it sinks and if it stops “too soon”, or twitches, that is a signal that something has intercepted it. A “pop on the drop”. **
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**Most of the bigger fish I catch are caught by instinct and careful watching rather than feeling them hit it. **Big fish will often just swim up and suck the lure in…and spit it out…before you even know you have a bite. Sooooo…anything out of the ordinary, set the hook. Hooksets are free. I generally keep my wrist cocked and ready and at the first hint of something going on down there I stop the drop, raise the tip of the rod slightly and if I feel the “rubber band” feel, I snap my wrist to set the hook.
When you get in a good school of fish, they will gather below you and seem to just wait for you to drop something down. You can catch a fish every drop for hours if you serve it up right. When they are really active, a tandem hook dropshot will catch fish, but it is so much more fun to use really light gear and a single jig and to go for the bigger and more finicky fish.
The hanger shot was an attempt to find something that was inexpensive but would provide enough weight to hold down a floating jig rig for walleyes while dragging over bottom vegetation…not weed beds several feet thick. I rig the piece of hanger either on the bottom…traditional drop shot style…or from an 8" dropper with a 3 foot trailer…depending on what I am fishing and how. Either way, the wire hanger snakes through most weeds and rocks without “hanging” easily. And, I think the tick tick on the bottom adds some attraction too.
For vertical presentations, regular drop shot weights probably work better. I make my own from the elongated lead spinner body jig molds I also use to make my spinners.
what jigs do you recomend. I have used plast curly tails and little plastics with frog legs in the past. I got a lot of bluegill but not all that many perch. What kind of jig can I pick up at smith and edwards for the perch.
The good news is that almost anything you send down with perch meat or crawler on it works just fine for perch. When they are actively feeding they munch first and ask questions later.
That being said, perch are always partial to the bright colors…like chartreuse, hot pink, bright red, bright orange and combinations like fire tiger. But, plain white, gold or silver works well too. Heck, I have caught tons of them on basic black and bright purple. And, since they eat a lot of small crawdads, the browns and greens…especially with red or green metal flakes…catch the heck out of both them and the bass.
Most of your fishing is going to be in calm and shallow water so don’t use more than 1/16 oz. for small jigs…tube or grub. The lighter the head you can use and still maintain feel, the better.
**I actually do some of my best perchin’ and gillin’ with little ice jigs tipped with just a bit of worm. If you can get some meal worms at a pet store, take some of them along too. **
Smith and Eddies has lots of good stuff that will work for perch and gills. Think small and use light clear line. They got good eyesight in that clear water.
The chubs are not extinct yet. But, about the only ones caught are HUGE grotesque looking fish that would qualify as state records…if anybody wanted to take that away from Ray Johnson.