BlackSilver
07-11-2005, 09:27 PM
One of my favorite lakes, Vermilion in Minnesota, "enjoys" a classic late-June/early-July mayfly hatch each summer.
Early during the hatch the walleye feed voraciously and you can sometimes catch a limit of 6 fish in 15 minutes or so. As the hatch peaks fishing gets more and more difficult and remains difficult for 2-3 weeks after the hatch has ended.
This summer, the mayfly hatch started on schedule in the last week of June, and fishing was superb. But after a skimpy start, the hatch fizzled in just a few days and never peaked at all.
Now, three weeks or so later, when we'd typically be reduced to chasing bass or sunfish, the walleye bite remains strong throughout the water column, but especially strong in the soft-bottom areas where the mayfly hatch normally occurs.
Are these fish just hanging out waiting for mayflies? What impact will this have on the late summer/early fall patterns?
Hans/MN
Early during the hatch the walleye feed voraciously and you can sometimes catch a limit of 6 fish in 15 minutes or so. As the hatch peaks fishing gets more and more difficult and remains difficult for 2-3 weeks after the hatch has ended.
This summer, the mayfly hatch started on schedule in the last week of June, and fishing was superb. But after a skimpy start, the hatch fizzled in just a few days and never peaked at all.
Now, three weeks or so later, when we'd typically be reduced to chasing bass or sunfish, the walleye bite remains strong throughout the water column, but especially strong in the soft-bottom areas where the mayfly hatch normally occurs.
Are these fish just hanging out waiting for mayflies? What impact will this have on the late summer/early fall patterns?
Hans/MN