Details

Published: 07 December 2025

By Louie Stout

As tournament directors put together their schedules for 2026, I’m curious to see if any have the will to at least partially limit the use of forward-facing sonar (FFS).

That’s what pro circuits are doing and for good reason.

Full disclosure – I have it and use it, but you probably won’t see me sitting in the middle of the abys and throwing at dots on a screen. FFS is a tremendous tool for fishing structure the old school way, but it also puts those without the technology at a disadvantage.

Based upon what I saw last year, several tournaments on many Michiana lakes were dominated by anglers who trolled around and only cast at dots they see on their electronics screen.

By limiting FFS, anglers who prefer to fish traditional methods or those who don’t have the technology would have a better chance.

Otherwise, these tournaments are headed to becoming scoping contests and, like the cliché says, “If you’re not scopin’, you’re hopin’.”

Big bass programs

Arkansas has started an “Arkansas Legacy Lunker Program” that is like the Texas’ ShareLunker Program. Both are designed to encourage angers to donate their big bass to the state agencies.

Fish agencies utilize giant bass to create genetically superior offspring with the intentions of creating bass fry for stocking in some lakes to create fish that grow to bigger sizes.

The minimum size for Texas is 13 pounds or bigger while Arkansas is accepting 10 pounds or bigger. When an angler catches one and keeps in his livewell, he calls the agency and they come pick it up and take it to a special hatchery facility.

Now, I know neither Indiana nor Michigan have the resources or the interest in such a program for our largemouth, but it would be so cool if something similar could be developed for smallmouth and even walleyes. (I’m sure my state biologists friends are cringing, but I still think it would be neat to try something like that.)

Cougar numbers growing

Do you remember hearing about cougar sightings in Michiana years ago? The DNR pooh-poohed the idea, and honestly, there was never a cougar confirmed or spotted on a trail camera around here.

Well, that sure isn’t the case in upper Michigan. The DNR reports that they have a record number of confirmed sightings, mostly in the upper peninsula.

There have been 26 so far this year with a month to go. The state has confirmed 161 sightings since 2008.

The Michigan DNR believes the increase in sightings is due to the popularity of trail cameras being used in northern counties.

Details

Published: 03 December 2025

By Louie Stout

Michiana has been blessed with a lot of talented anglers who have shared their knowledge with other anglers. That’s one reason why this region produces so many quality fishermen.

One name that is well known among veteran anglers but likely unknown among the younger ones is Greg Mangus.

Ask any of the elder anglers who grew up in the South Bend/southwest Michigan area, and they will likely tell you Mangus taught them a lot about bass fishing during his days as a salesman at Lunker’s, once a prominent Edwardsburg, Mich. tackle shop.
He created the “Mango Jig” that was one of the best grass jigs for years and later bought and refined CFlash crankbaits that have become one of the region’s best diving plugs.

He was a prominent bass tournament angler in Michigan and Indiana, winning 7 boats in major team tournaments and other events.

Mangus, who retired from the lure business, now lives in northeast Indiana where he has dialed back his tournament fishing but continues to fish locally and pass along his vast knowledge.

Here’s a Q&A we did with him:

MON: You worked for Lunker’s for about 6 years and were always willing to share your knowledge. What did you learn while working there?

Mangus: In addition to learning from customers, I learned a lot by watching fish in the 5,000-gallon aquarium in which we held game fish. When we fed the fish minnows, every fish in the aquarium would try to eat all the minnows that were weak or not normal. And then, at night, when we shut off the lights, the minnows that spent the day on the surface would make a run for the bottom and that would trigger a feeding frenzy.

And, in the morning when we turned on the lights, the minnows would rise to the top and there would be another frenzy feeding.

I also learned about the importance of salt in baits. I wanted us to stock tube baits with salt, but the owner didn’t. To prove my point, I would toss a tube in without salt and the fish might attack it but would spit it out. When I tossed in a salted tube, the bass would attack and swallow it!

MON: How did you come about creating the Mango Jig?

Mangus: I designed it to be more weedless for pitching jigs into wood cover on the river, but it turned out to be an awesome bait that would come through weeds better than traditional jigs.

MON: What about the CFlash crankbait?

Mangus: I was repping Solar Bat Sunglasses and the owner also owned CFlash, which he bought from a Kentucky Balsa Bait Builder. I started repping the crankbaits and after a while, the owner offered the brand to me. The balsa bodies were great, but we had an issue with the paint finish cracking and peeling, so friend Aaron Mast told me about the use of foam. I began clear coating the paint on the foam bodies and eliminated the problem. I sold the bait to Aaron when I retired.

MON: Some anglers say the old versions were better than the foam ones. What do you say about that?

Mangus: They are both good. I fish the new ones and don’t see a difference. I can tell you that a pro who set a record while winning a major tournament on St. Clair was using the foam-bodied CFlash, but of course, never told anyone.

MON: You’ve been in this area a long time and encountered anglers from around the country. How do you think Michiana anglers compare to others?

Mangus: Well, there have been a lot of notable anglers who have fished professionally and done extremely well, including Kevin VanDam and Mark Zona. The late Don Rank (Elkhart) fished a couple of Bassmaster Classics and Chip Harrison was quite successful during his pro career.

MON: You are not only noted for your outstanding tournament success before retirement, but you are equally known for your willingness to share information with others. Most anglers don’t like to give up their secrets. Why do you do that?

Mangus: That’s how I learned what I know. Sure, I spent a lot of time on the water, but the help I got from others played a major role in what success I have had. I had great partners over the years and have always believed you can learn something from everyone.

Greg Mangus Details

Hometown: Freemont, Ind.

Occupation: Retired lure maker and tackle rep

Favorite species and biggest: Smallmouth bass, 7.75 pounds from Pickwick Lake, Tenn., on a hair jig with a pork chunk.

Favorite Michiana lake: (Tie) Clear and Randall Lakes.

Hobbies when not fishing: Making baits for myself

If you on had one lure and why: Swim jig, because it catches big ones.

Favorite rod and reel: Daiwa spinning on a Dobyns Xtasy752.

Lew’s Baitcasting. Flipping and pitching model with Dobyns Extreme 784C.

Best tip to give a new Michiana angler: Fish with as many people as you can. You learn something from everyone. The success I’ve had is because I got to fish with so many different people.”