Dave Mansue – Learning from the Detective
Each year, our September trip to Springfield, Missouri to attend the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame banquet ends with a detour just south to Reeds Spring to spend time with our friends the Morgenthalers and the Mansues.
While Pete has fished with Dave Mansue before, this year Dave was lucky enough to take both of us out.
On the way to the lake I always ask a million questions to prep myself for the day. I asked what we’d be throwing and was told “football jigs and glide baits.”
I told Dave I wasn’t great at either and I think this kind of excited him. Even though it was a fun fishing trip, Dave spent much of his time in “guide mode.”
Everyone says a jig is a big fish bait but historically I’ve had trouble hooking the fish that bite it. I mentioned that to Dave he immediately set out to adjust my mechanics. He said it’s all in the rod: Cast out and hold the rod up between 10 and 12 o’clock. The line should be close to taut. If there is too much slack the fish will take the bait and then feel you, providing him with a chance to spit the bait. We were casting to the grass line, letting it hit bottom, and then slowly dragging over the rocks until we hit sand. At that point we’d reel it in and repeat. Once I felt a fish on, quick reel and hook set.
Fishing was tough that day because they weren’t generating current, but thanks to the on-the-water lessons I managed to catch a few. I can’t wait to employ these new mechanics in Mexico and send Dave pictures of the GGGGGiant bass.
Next up, a 9” Extreme Outdoors Glide Bait. It looked extremely realistic and it seemed as heavy as a real fish. I lobbed it into the water to avoid breaking it off, and then reeled it back right under the water’s surface. They key to making it swim right and then left was sharp little half-turns of the reel handle.
I had a ball lobbing that glide bait and watching it glide, side to side, swimming back to the boat. I eventually go the motion down and it made me happy. Then it happened – a big bass came up to it right at the boat and the excitement got the best of all of us. Not enough line to reel again and the fish must have seen the boat and swam the other way. It was just satisfying knowing that the bait works and actually draws fish to it, but it just got me more excited to figure out this bite in the coming months and years. Now I join Pete in suffering from an expensive glide bait addiction. Tackle Warehouse here I come.
Dave Mansue’s Jig Fishing Gear
Dave Mansue’s Glide Bait Gear
Castaway Taranis flipping stick
I learned new techniques, caught a few bass, but the best part of the day was spending it with my guide and good friend Dave Mansue -- oh yeah, Pete, too.
