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| Well, yes, I have been to cheap to buy one of the buggers. My question is for those of you getting to the short rows of your season, did the manta perform?
I have not heard anybody really chanting the manta mantra here or on any other board, though everybody was woo wooing about this bait earlier in the spring.
Anybody out there really killing them on the things or are they just a bait that sold fisherman?
And does the colder water seem to have incresed interest and hits on this bait? |
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| I bought two, I always buy two that way if I know if I get a dud. The bait does what it says, it swings side to side, sometime too much and hangs up with the leader, but if you work it long enough you can get over that. I sold mine by August, took a loss and went on with life. I think they just went side to side too much, like a HR. Seems to put muskies in a trance. "MUSKIE HIPNATIZIM". They work dont get me wrong, plenty of folks have caught muskies on them. Its just not my style, I like a glide bait that I can through a change up on. I want to be able to do the simple side to side, then go up down real quick once or twice in the retreive. The change up using baits like Reef Hawgs and Undertakers has been very efective from me. Thats just my style and it catches me fish. |
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| I'm with Jason. I bought three last winter and gotta say they certainly live up to their reputation for action. Unfortunately, I think they are a 100% visual bait AND you gotta keep 'em moving or they will hang on the leader. Long pauses are tough unless you really concentrate on timing and strength of your tap. They are unmatched for how wide of a swing they have.... but I feel the Hydrofoil is "Lateral Line Camoflage" and doesn't trigger strikes like it should.
I saw one musky caught on the Manta (thanks to my dad).... but last winter I would have guessed it would have been many many more than that. Maybe the rumored 10 incher coming out next year will displace more water and be a producer......
jlong |
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| Sounds like 2 positive no's. I have tried several gliders in the last two years, encouraged by all the endorsements on the boards but can't say that they have produced very well on a per cast basis compared to the jerks already in my box. One that I have liked is the small dancin shad but am still learning the bait.
Is there no one out there with the key to the manta?
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| I do like the manta. My dad threw it alot untill I got him to try some other gliders. He loves the power probe. The manta glides really well and you can run it fast or slow unlike some other gliders. The slower you run it the more likely it will hang up on the leader. It's a good bait and of good quality. If you are into gliders like I am it's a must in your tackle box.[:)] |
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| Had this very discussion in the boat yesterday. Of all the baits I bought this year, the Manta is the only disappointment. I agree w/ jlong, you have to see it to work it well. Also seems to glide too easily which makes it tougher to work (???) if that makes any sense.
final vote....."No sir, didn't like it"
skee...1[:bigsmile:] |
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| I bought two Manta's this past spring and I agree with the others as far as the action goes. Very easy to work fast or somewhat slow, but go too slow and it hangs up often. Best side to side glide of any bait I have ever seen. All that said, I saw more fish on the Manta than on any other lure this season, but caught very few of them. The Manta produced the most smashing hits as well, very similar to a topwater hit. When they wanted it, there was no doubt as to their intentions! I also lost the largest fish I hooked this season, and probably the largest of my life to a Manta. I feel the weight of the lure (3.5 oz.???) lets the fish throw it very easily as compared to other lighter lures. Just because of the sheer number of fish this lure shows me compared to any other lure in my box, I'll keep throwing it despite the fact that it doesn't get hit that often and when it does it's tough to keep them on. |
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| Well I must be a really poor fisherman or something, because I think the Manta's are great! After the first day on the water, I have had barely a hangup on the leader, and no complaints about its action or whatever. I do not believe the claims about it producing more followers or fish not liking the rhythmic action. Bottom line, it has caught I don't know how many fish for me- 150? 250? including pike & bass, and has put more MUSKIES in the boat that any other lure this year. It's not perfect or the only thing I use or anything, I like to use wild, erratic, all-over-the-place lures as well, but Mr. Manta flat-out produces for me. I will give you an example of how difficult it is to pattern and categorize musky behavior/lure preference: our boat has never caught a musky on a bucktail! We are not long-timers or anything, and we don't throw them very much, but I would guess that we burn bucktails more than y'all work Mantas!! Its funny, I think! And I'll trade you some bucktails for Manta's! |
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| I didnt fish the manta much this year but I do catch fish on Hughes rivers and people complain about those being too consistant to trigger strikes,, I think when people fish gliders they have a tendency to put their wrists on cruise control,,twitch reel.twitch reel, twitch reel,etc, Vary the degree of how hard you twitch,,let the lure shoot out to the side once in awhile,,give it sudden straight ahead bursts of speed by cranking the reel handle fast like its trying to escape,,Jackpots have the same side to side gliding action and they trigger fish. |
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| Nobody... and I mean NOBODY can dispute the fact that the Manta has the ultimate swing when it comes to glide baits. That is why I immediately bought three. I've seen them catch fish.... but there is definitely a common theme by many that they look better than they taste.
My beef is the inability to do what you want with the bait.... primarily on the pause. The bait seems to continue forward for eternity... and when the user wants to scoot the bait out far and let it HANG... you foul. When you need an extra FAST dart... the bait almost turns around backwards (often fouling). Maybe these baits will turn on this fall when a SLOW sink is often KILLER... but I'm not hanging my hat on that.
Is it possible this bait has TOO much action for the majority of musky fisherman? I'm not sure. I've experimented with many different retrieve styles.. and feel the bait needs to keep moving (I like a pause for a trigger) to prevent fouling (inefficient). Also, like I said earlier I think it creates a laminar flow (why it moves so smoothly, effortlessly, and such great distances) behind the bait which does NOT stimulate the lateral line. Its like fighting with one hand tied behind your back. You need to convince the fish to eat it because the way it looks... not feels. I prefer a bait that uses both (doubles your chances).
Am I ready to give up on this bait... NO WAY. Will I reach for it first when I want a glide bait... not YET. I think what guys are looking for by this thread is NOT to bash this lure... but learn how to UNLOCK its full potential.
Does anyone have the key???
jlong |
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| Has anyone tried altering one to slow it down? What did you do?
And did it work? It seems like it should be possible to add a small amount of something (some resistance?) to slow it down, and from gliding so far...???
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| Bought three this spring and had more follows than I could shake a stick at. Only several strikes and they seemed to miss it. I put them away until a few weeks ago when I was up in Crandon area.
Maybe I've found something for us to try...
Gentle Slow Straight Pulls, followed by twitch or tap. Seems to take the "big swing" out of them a bit and then the change up "taps" helped to trigger a few fish. It takes some concentration to keep this type of retreive going but it's been the best for me so far.
I have other gliders "Undertakers", "Phantoms" and have figured out a few moves and modifications with "Squirko's" to be spending any more money on Mantas. For those that have them and want to use them, try what I've mentioned above it may work for you.
Mark
Musky Adventures
Eau Claire, WI |
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| Well since I have been writing a hefty thesis these past monthes my board time (and boat time) has been sadly diminished. It takes a topic near and dear to my heart to stir a reply these days, and hey that's what we've got here...MANTAS! Boy did happy hooker hit it on the head - don't be lulled into that regular walking pattern that I see so many become comfortable with. A huge key to the manta is soft unrythmic taps, and when you do give it a good yank (maybe once or twice a cast max) be sure to engage the reel just after the jerk. This keeps the leader off the hooks and seriously triggers strikes on those long "squirts" to the side. This is not a trivial retrieve, but it certainly can be ingrained into a decent musky-teer's muscle memory. In fact I've done this retrieve so many times this year that I can go through the motions while sitting at the computer (which is really intriguing my dog at the moment). Cooking the manta in mid retrieve is deadly also...I mean REALLY frying that sucker with a 6.3 gear ratio, then going back to the soft taps. Another mandatory manta tip is to stick some hi-vis tape on the back - this allows you to get excellent feedback and really learn the lure.
We have also used the manta with good success as a throw back on followers - in fact it is always the next bait a follower will see from our boat (after that maybe the dancin raider before we leave her alone for a spell). I've made a few manta copies (don't sue me Paul) in the 10-11" range that are really sweet, although the amount of lead I have to add to them to get a suspender out of this light plastic is annoying. If anybody's into this making homemade plastic jerkers, drop me a line to compare notes and materials. Ok, the grind calls...experiment and don't quit on that little wonder! |
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| I don't use the manta but another bait with that action. I fee to make it reaaly trigger strikes you need to stop it and pause and resume times on the retrieve. This triggers strikes for me. I also feel that sometimes just a hard snap to take it out of its pattern and them starting again does same thing.. Goog luck.
Don Pfeiffer |
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| I have to say I have moved more fish this year with a Lac Suel Perch Manta than with any other bait. I however have boated only two muskie's with it and quite a few northerns. I think only one season of use really won't define how well a bait it actually is. I think if people give it more time they will have some excellent results with it. I may be a bit partial to it because they are made here, but I think I'll continue to throw it as my number one glide bait. |
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