I also posted on FTL but this seems to get more traffic. I am looking for any tips or tactics to use if and when you encounter a mayfly hatch. Is this a good time to start painting the house or can I continue to fish. A lot of times I don’t have the luxury of waiting these acts of nature out and have to fish as time permits. Any insight welcome.
I HATE the mayflie hatch…. catfish feed on them heavy and when you do catch them there belly’s feel like they have a softball inside them, I am sure everything else on the river forages on them as well. I know some guys use topwater lures that time of year with a lot of success.. for other species…
flyfishin for channel cats… now that would be fun!
Sealegs,
Check FTL for my post back to you. I am not sure how the tactics I related there would work in the river.
Hawger
I fished kabetogama last 2 years . The first year we hit the mayfly hatch, and the walleye’s were hitting the mayfly as they came to the surface. Had a great time, alot of nice fish in the slot. Went back to camp told some guys at the bar and they said no way do walleye’s hit mayflys. The next day there was 5 boats out of our resort on this spot catching fish. I gave them one of those “I told ya so” I’ve also had alot of fun with stripped bass on pool 4 hitting mayflys on the surface next to shore.
Life’s to short to fish with dead minnows! Jim
O.M.F.T.
Are you saying that the walleye’s were hitting mayflys at the surface ? Actually breaking water or like a blue gill / trout hittin a fly ?
ec
As the mayflys rise to the surface when they were hatching the eye’s were hitting them as they hit the surface. We casted into the area’s we seen them hitting and started getting nice fish. If it works just do it, and we sure had fun doing it.
Life’s to short to fish with dead minnows! Jim
I was on Mille Lacs on an Evening Launch when the Guide said to come and look at the sonar. It was as if the bottom had lifted up and was rising to the surface. The Mayflies were everywhere. After they made it to the surface and took off the fishing went from 60 to 0. Completely Dead. When we got back to town everything was covered with Mayflies. What a Mess!
Mayflies, or the little fish flies? There is a HUGE difference. I have seen the phenomina you speak of. Two years ago we were fishing 3 mile and the LMS350 showed columns lifting up off the bottom. It looked like pillars. We took a lot of fish pulling crawlers very deep…..
Tuck
As far as I know Chris these were Mayflies..I figured that the guide grew up there and knew what he was talking about.
I personally love the mayfly hatch. Walleye action is still good. One just has to change gears. Also remember what is feeding on the mayflies, like bait fish. And where the bait fish are, so are the walleyes. You can use your graph over this area and not even mark a fish. That is because the all the bait fish and other fish are near the surface and as soon as you good near the fish they spread out. This is when boards come into the picture. Let out some boards with shad raps or baby thunderstick and you might just have a blast.
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