Mansfield Report: April 2024

Greetings from Port Mansfield! What a great winter fishing season we’ve had. The fishing success we’ve enjoyed, along with the new trout regulations enacted last month, have me very excited for the future. I cannot help but believe the three-fish bag limit and reserving trout between 20- and 30-inches from harvest will have an enormous impact toward re-establishing our once world-class fishery.

Moving on to what has been happening on the water; we have made it through winter and now headed straight into spring. Personally, I would have preferred a few more weeks of winter, and I say this because trout are always heavier in the colder months. That said, though, we still have a good shot at a career-best specimen remaining as April is another strong month for big trout.

Over the course of my fishing career I have landed four trout that weighed more than ten pounds. One came this past January, two came in the month of March, and one in April. With that in mind, I can also say that most of my heavyweights (8-pounds-plus) came in late-February and during March. Going strictly by the numbers, I would say March is the best month for a personal-best trout.

There are a number of factors that contribute to trout weight, and while any month has potential to produce a PB specimen, the most predominant factor seems to be colder weather. I watched as they packed on weight this year with the arrival of each cold snap, and also watched them seeming to shed it just as quickly during each warming trend. Perhaps the best-case scenario would be a cooler than normal early spring season with a cold snap just a week or so prior to the first spawning event.

Our tides should begin to rise soon from traditional wintertime lows, which will open more areas for us to probe, as well as providing more areas for bigger trout to stage for their first spawn. I’ll be sure to be working secondary flats off the beaten path looking for these highly-treasured fish.

Any water temperature greater than about 63° will have me tossing surface lures over potholes, hoping to convince a big trout to consider taking a closer look. When working over potholes, I like to pause a few seconds, followed by a couple of quick twitches. Immediately following those twitches is when larger fish seem mostly likely to go after it. Likewise, with suspending twitchbaits and soft plastics such as the Wig-A-Lo on a 1/16^th oz jig worked into a pothole; it’s all about the pause and a couple of twitches. Keeping the bait in the strike zone those few extra seconds can be the key when targeting big trout in cooler water. Check the accompany video via QR Code for more details.

April will also bring us lots of windy days and I’ve come to embrace it rather than becoming discouraged. We will have to work through some muddy water, which is fine because if the fish are there they will still need to eat. A good topwater such as the Mansfield Knocker or the good ole’ KWigglers 4-inch paddle tail will still get the job done. Both have proven to be very capable arrows in your quiver that will help you have a successful day, despite less than desirable water conditions. Something worth noting about the 4-inch paddle tail; there is no doubt you can feel its vibration when making short bursts when using a sensitive rod such as the Fishing Tackle Unlimited G2 Green Rod. When I feel the vibration in my reel seat, I feel confident fish can also feel it in the water, despite muddy conditions. This lure has been around for decades and for decades it’s been able to provide results. Consider this the next time you encounter dirty water.

I am happy to report I’ve jumped back into a Yamaha and am now running the 250 SHO on my SCB Recon. A program under Yamaha I would like to let folks know about is Yamaha Rightwaters™. This is a conservation-oriented program in the sense of maintaining sustainability of our resource through education, partnership, advocacy and leadership. Yamaha Rightwaters™ champions environmental stewardship and supports marine habitat restoration, invasive species control and scientific research. All this is right in my wheelhouse, so it just made sense to jump in and work with them. Many thanks to all the companies out there who recognize the importance of our resources. Check out Yamaha Rightwaters™ when you get a chance.

Until next time, remember fresh is better than frozen.