Mayfly advice

[tbayboy]

Got this email from one of my buddies organizing our trip back to Thunder Bay this year:

 

"The mayfly hatch has been on for about a week now. Should be subsiding early next week. May make the bit tough Wednesday, but all in all we should be fine.

 

Bring your mayfly contingency plan along just in case – mine is an extra case of ale…"

 

I've read what I can and will toss in a few brown hairy jigs to match the little buggers a bit but any other advice would really be appreciated.

 

For DanC and the other Thunder Bay gang we'll be at Maki Bay on Lac des Milles Lac next week 5th-9th, if you guys have any local info/hints to share I'd love to hear them.

 

Thanks in advance

Sean

[tonyb]

I have read that spinner jigs can be effective during a mayfly hatch. Haven't had a chance to try it myself, but the theory makes sense...

 

 

Also, if you do some searching, there is a lot of info on this frustrating scenario...

 

Here is a great article...

 

http://www.ontariofishing.net/news/july2006-2.html

Tony

Edited June 27, 2007 by tonyb

[Terry]

take some real worms and break off about an inch to inch and a half and put it that little piece on a jig or hook

it smells right and is about the right size of the mayflies..don't tell anyone it's a secret

[BITEME]

What Terry Said!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bowshep]

Fish for Pike because the Wallie's are full. Peace Ken

[douG]

Rig your line thru an egg sinker with a floating jig head with a worm section on the hook. You can jig the worm section down to the bottom and let it float up.

 

Small blade baits like Cicada can be jigged to resemble the hatching mayflies too.

[tbayboy]

Thanks for the tips guys, knew this gang would come through. the OFC article was the one I'd read earlier, the small spinner blades is an interesting idea and the worm chunks makes sense as well. And of course if all else fails there's pike (though I'm fishing in the land of 'pike are pests' so the rest of the guys won't get off their arses for them).

[fishindevil]

what terry & what douG....said,the ottawa river has a mayfly hatch and thats what we will do too,a flaoting jig head with a sliding sinker,or a small peice of worm or . the big secret....[LEECHES] walleyes love them alot and WILL NOT TURN ONE DOWN if its presented properly...good-luck,if you try all these ways from all these members and you dont catch fish its called OPERATOR ERROR......cheers

[Dano]

Never had a problem catching walleye during the mayfly hatch, usually do real good. The spinner jigs are a great thing as are small in line spinners. You can get drunk at home man, go fish!!!

[mikeymikey]

Watch this...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MByG-n86_UE

[solopaddler]

Last week the mayfly hatch was at it's peak on my lake, in fact every morning the inside of the boat was covered with them.

If they're being somewhat fussy, as they were last weekend, the best rig (at least for me) is an appropriate sized lindy sinker, 3-4' of light fluorocarbon tippet, and an air injected crawler hooked once through the nose with a single hook.

If you've got a trolling motor and it's not too windy, turn it on low speed and try to work the edges of offshore structure, like large shoals or small mid lake islands.

That worked great for me last week...

If the fish are more aggressive and are actively patroling the tops of the shoals, try drifting, or utilizing the electric and working a 3" twister tail tipped with a worm. Very specific colour though....when the mayfly hatch is on I use a pumpkin/orange coloured twister and it seems to outfish everything else. Again, that particular jig was dynamite for me at times last weekend.

If you look closely you can see the jig in this picture from last weekend.

 

cheers, and good luck!

[tbayboy]

Love this board, thanks guys. Guess one more trip to BPS before I fly out won't hurt

[Sinker]

I was nailing them on that same jig that solo posted when the mayflies were hatching around here. Its a berkley power bait, 3" grub. Pumkin body with an orange tail. I always have one of them rigged and ready to go.

 

Sinker