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Posts: 24
| First off, I LIKE your new format. Nice!
I remember how the Mantas came out with a lot of hype, but I also seem to remember a rather slow start as far as guys reporting on their luck with the bait.
Did they come around?
I have a couple and they are nicely made baits that glide well, but I haven't raised a fish on mine. I'll admit that I don't fish muskies nearly as much as most of the members here, so I'm hoping for some positive reports. |
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| When they first came out everybody was using them and it seemed like everybody was seeing fish. Then they got cycled to the bottom of the bait box as people went back to their old favorites (or other new stuff). They're nice baits, but they are not magic.
Case in point: I fish with one guy who probably believed he'd catch a fish on every cast with the thing. After three casts, Manta was on the bottom of his box to rust and he was throwing the rotten old lure he uses 99% of the time--that's when I swooped in, grabbed the Manta and caught a fat 41 (on about the 4th cast,). My fishing buddy didn't talk to me until he had a fish up (about 2 hours later); yeah, it was on the Manta he took off my rod while I was releasing my fish. |
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Posts: 642
Location: mount prospect illinois | I got one on a manta the first time i used it. Had whiffs after that. Seems you can almost over work this bait and cause fish to miss more often since it can glide so far to the sides. At least that is what i noticed. Toning it down a bit (side to side movements) may allow more strikes vs misses. I wouldnt put it in the bottom of the box though. |
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| I had good success this year with the firetiger manta boating 4 fish during the season with a few misses and a lot of lookers. Best results I had was a very quick pace with an occasional swing out until the fall when the slow wide swings seemed to work best. |
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| One must spend time w/ the Dali Lama in order to understand the uniqueness of the bait. Tibetan monks would journey down the mountain sides each spring on winding zig zagging paths, chanting Mantas as they traveled. Paul Peck, the baits producer, watched in amazement as the monks went first left, then right...up the knolls then down the knolls in back and forth, up and down motions...before you know it, Paul had in mind to create a bait that simulated the fluid movement of the monks, and in honor of their simple traditional Tibetan prayers, named the new bait the MANTA! Next time you tie one on, keep in mind of how one man watching the Discovery Channel used both history and creativity to give us a bait that was born of legendary proportions...
During the year of 2003, each Manta sold will include a free stick of incense in the package, and instructions on how to hum your way to success!
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Posts: 938
Location: NeverNever Lake | "Gee" "You" "Are" "You" (Guru), Sponge !
You is a literary genius ! No man is an island, but you are a long point stretching far out into the sea of tranquility. Oh wise one, do you forsee a Sherpa bait in the near future ? I think the Monk has already been taken. Chummmmmmm Chummmmmmmmm |
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Posts: 585
Location: Gaithersburg, Maryland | I know they just came out with a larger version. I wish they would come out with a SMALLER version. I believe it would be a hot bait. |
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| Good idea Raze, perhaps the small version of the Manta could be named Sherpa, and an even larger Manta named the Yeti. I search the peaks and valleys now as we speak for the elusive Chou Lin bait, one which can be peacefully reeled in, yet defend itself and capture a fish should it find itself under attack...ahhhhhhooooommmmmmmmmm..... |
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Posts: 938
Location: NeverNever Lake | Everybody was "Tai Chi" fishing.
Back to the ???. During the 2001 season I boated a bunch of fish on the firetiger manta. If there was such a thing as a "beginners glider", this would be the one. You can work it in many ways on the horizontil plane but you won't get much vertical action as with the Jerko and Undertaker. And yes, I have had plenty of misses on it too. |
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Posts: 2
| Sponge,
Your mind works in very mysterious ways--I like that. ~grins~ (Have you thought of a career in marketing?) I do like the Yeti/Sherpa concepts.....you have my gears turning.
The larger version of the Manta (the Manta Hang 10) is out, and dealers are starting to place orders and receive them in their stores. As for a smaller version (ie "Sherpa" ~grin~), I do have some prototypes that work very well (4.5" to 5" range).
Some of you are wondering, so here is the scoop on the status of the little guy, directly from the horse's mouth (or horse's something else, depending on who you talk to):
There are a number of factors to consider when constructing a miniature side-to-side glider. As you reduce the overall size and length of a side-to-side glider, the lure becomes more sensitive to the weight of what is connecting it to your line (no snap, plain snap, snap swivel, or wire leader). Too much weight on the connecting components will disrupt the lure's balance, causing a miniature glider to go nose down as well as killing its ability to turn sideways on the glide. Line type is another. Some lines like mono not only stretch when twitched, but they also can have a tendency to sink. What does this mean? Well, it means that instead of a forward and up force, you're now applying a forward and down force, once again disrupting its action.
Okay, you're saying "Why is he telling me all this?" It is because in order to come out with a successful miniature version of the Manta, we have to determine our target market. The bass people aren't going to want to have to use a small wire leader to balance a miniature glider properly. They're going to want it balanced for a snap or a direct tie-on. They also aren't going to want to pay more than 6 dollars for it. Most of the cost in producing these lures is labor, so simply by reducing the size of the lure, the cost does not go down significantly enough to make them attractive to the bass market. In order to reach that target price, we're faced with tooling up with very expensive molds, molded paint, and extremely high (costly) production runs to get our unit costs down--and then, unless I can pull another design rabbit out of my hat, the lure will be balanced for use without a leader. I think I can pull that design rabbit out, however. (That hat isn't empty yet. ~smile~)
The other option is to make them a more labor-intensive way, balance them for use with a small leader, and sell a lot fewer of them at a higher cost. I am currently looking at both options.
When will this take place? Only the Dalai Lama knows....
Paul Peck
RiverRun Tackle Co.
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Posts: 1438
| Holy crap Sponge. You pulled the big dogs chain hard enough to get him out of the dog house. But he did grin at you so that must be good. Paul, waiting patiently for the micro manta. Scott |
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| Lol Theeds...make "food for thought" available...peeps will come to eat...eventually the CHEF himself will appear to check on the mental dining experience the guests are indulging in....
Paul, I must thank you for being the first person to credit for me even having a mind, and for that I am grateful! I'd love check out marketing, but thus far I've been confined to marketing in the local Waldo Mart...however I do purchase their stuff, then return the next day and retail it back to them for a profit....really do enjoy the Manta, and plan on "humming" one next month at Cave Run. Credit must be given to RAZE, as he suggested the name Sherpa for a future bait...give the rest of the fine folks on this board credit for allowing me to do my part for "Dummin' Down America".;) |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I started using Manta's upon recommendation from Rex Dougherty, and I haven't been disappointed so far. I think my success with them is partially based on how much I have chucked them the past three seasons or so. I have not taken a big fish on one yet but have had some dandy follows, and lot's of bonus pike. I use it more as a search bait, then toss back twitch baits or topwaters depending on water temps in late spring and mostly topwaters and spinnerbaits in the summer. Fall has been very productive with Manta's for me, my perch one has really taken a beating. I really think that everyone has their confidence bait and this is one of mine. |
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Posts: 1936
Location: Eau Claire, WI | I gotta say I love the action and ease of use, from a guide standpoint the Manta's are about the easiest using glidebait ever...:) Makes it great to give to those who are a little less experienced.
Like a few others I had "musky hypnosis" syndrom the first year. I saw more fish on these baits than you could shake a stick at but had a hard time getting them to eat it. Change ups, pauses, they just didn't want to eat it.
Last April I talked to Paul and Dave at Crazy D's show and it sounded like I was presenting the bait properly trying to elicit strikes.
I purchased one of the "shallow" models and low and behold got several fish on it last season, including a 32" walleye at the boat side while fishing a tournament in the rain.. Very cool...largest "eye" this kid has ever got.
Hey Paul if your following this could please email me, been wondering about a modification to these and before I ruin one I am curious if you have tried this...
Edited by Mark H. 2/3/2003 7:00 AM
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