Where are those eye's during the May Fly hatch?

[offthehook67]

I have often thought about this and keep forgetting to ask what you guys/gals are doing to find the eye's during the May Fly hatch?

I consider myself to be an avg to slightly above avg walleye guy. I can find em and catch em. However, the one time of year I struggle is during the May Fly hatch. Ugh!

I have searched high and low for the buggers. Deep water, break lines, humps, sharp drop offs, rocks etc etc. I know my home lake fairly well but is it a 16,000 acre lake with an attached 5,000 acres via a channel. I have ran my boat from north to south, east to west, and everywhere in between and I can't graph a fish to save my life. Quite frankly if my life depended on eating walleye during this time to survive I'd probably be dead lol

This being said I am wondering where you all are finding consistent catches of eyes during a major or minor hatch of these darn flies?

Also please input what works for you? I have seen a show on TV where they used jigs with half a crawler stating they look similar to the hatch.

As I have thought about this more and more I am thinking the eyes are up in the weeds? I did some research online this morning regarding the flies and it stated......

Copy/paste:

The naiads live primarily in streams under rocks, decaying vegetation, or in the sediment.

HELP!!!!!! please I have been dumbfounded during the hatch.

I would guess there are plenty of us out there that are looking for input regarding these darn flies.

I will sit back and listen

[REW]

The best place to find those walleyes during a big May Fly hatch is on another body of water that does not have any fly hatches going on it.

Lets look at it this way:
Say you go to a mall where there are a thousand restaurants, fast food outlets, and all of them have your very favorite food for free.
I dare say that many folks would simply go in and eat, and eat, and eat.

Now you run across another restaurant that is a bit further away and a bit harder to get to.
So, would you continue to pig out at the many free outlets, or would you pony up your cash to eat at the more distant spot?

I use this analogy to more or less illustrate what is going on with the fish during this time of plenty - of their favorite food.

-------------------------
A few years ago, I was up on Mille Lacs during a big may fly hatch on a dead calm early summer day with my son and friend.

We were out in the middle working some of our better fishing spot.

As I looked ahead into the gin clear water on the dead calm day, I could see pods of very big walleye - just slowly swimming along about 3-5 feet below the surface of the water. Every now and then one would cruise up to the surface, gulp down a bunch of flies and go back to their leisurely cruise.

We flipped everything that we could think of and everything we had in the boat for an hour. None of them even turned slightly toward anything that we were offering, even though we could see that the bait or lure was only inches from the fish.
Yet, the fish would continue to rise to the surface and munch down the banquet available to them there.

Yet, later that day, we went to a different lake with no hatches going on, and had not trouble getting our limit before going home.

Your choice.

Be safe

[Phil T]

They are cruising around sucking up rising nymphs. Nymphs are a protein source that requires almost zero energy to catch. Energy in - energy expended = growth.
Try slowly trolling a really small spinner and `1/4 nightcrawler. Even that is low %age fishing.

[offthehook67]

Originally Posted by REW

The best place to find those walleyes during a big May Fly hatch is on another body of water that does not have any fly hatches going on it.

Lets look at it this way:
Say you go to a mall where there are a thousand restaurants, fast food outlets, and all of them have your very favorite food for free.
I dare say that many folks would simply go in and eat, and eat, and eat.

Now you run across another restaurant that is a bit further away and a bit harder to get to.
So, would you continue to pig out at the many free outlets, or would you pony up your cash to eat at the more distant spot?

I use this analogy to more or less illustrate what is going on with the fish during this time of plenty - of their favorite food.

-------------------------
A few years ago, I was up on Mille Lacs during a big may fly hatch on a dead calm early summer day with my son and friend.

We were out in the middle working some of our better fishing spot.

As I looked ahead into the gin clear water on the dead calm day, I could see pods of very big walleye - just slowly swimming along about 3-5 feet below the surface of the water. Every now and then one would cruise up to the surface, gulp down a bunch of flies and go back to their leisurely cruise.

We flipped everything that we could think of and everything we had in the boat for an hour. None of them even turned slightly toward anything that we were offering, even though we could see that the bait or lure was only inches from the fish.
Yet, the fish would continue to rise to the surface and munch down the banquet available to them there.

Yet, later that day, we went to a different lake with no hatches going on, and had not trouble getting our limit before going home.

Your choice.

Be safe

Great analogy REW....

On the lake I fish in the morning when I go down to the harbor the darn flies are everywhere. Hanging on light poles, covering our boats where you cannot even see the color of our covers. When I finally get the boat cleaned off and head out all I am seeing (during calm water) are large swaths or streaks of the shells that the flies leave behind. Streaks of these a mile long or more. Very few of the live or dead flies are lying on the waters surface.

My issue has been I cannot graph a fish period! I always say "they didn't grow legs and walk out of the lake"

They have to be somewhere right? They show I watched was on Rainy Lake and there were large swaths of the same I experience on that body of water during their shoot. They found them and were catching them. Of course how much time and editing went into that 30 min show? IDK

My point is where in the world are these fish congregating during the hatch? They have to be somewhere right? I am pretty darn good with my two birds and ALWAYS can find and catch eyes except during this week long fiesta for the eye's.

And I will probably have to pull my rig and move to another lake. Heck there are hundreds around me

PS, I have not thought about the first 5-10 feet under the surface to look for them. I have seen the cisco's come up in the evening and feed off the surface but not the eye's. Might have to consider that. I am still thinking deep in the weed growth.

[3M TA3]

Some of the best Walleye fishing I've ever experienced has come during the hatch, both here on Burt Lake and on Lake Erie. I really don't have any complaints. In fact, it seems to keep a lot of folks away and I am happy with that.

[offthehook67]

Originally Posted by Phil T

They are cruising around sucking up rising nymphs. Nymphs are a protein source that requires almost zero energy to catch. Energy in - energy expended = growth.
Try slowly trolling a really small spinner and `1/4 nightcrawler. Even that is low %age fishing.

Well you would think that I would be able to mark these fish on my HB's right? I am serious I am solid with my two birds. Never an issue finding them. I am not marking a fish to save my life lol

I have been thinking about exactly what you're saying and incorporating a slow troll with a bullet sinker over the tops of the weeds with a slow death spinner set up. I saw an episode on Linder's show where James did this with a bullet sinker and a regular crawler/spinner harness. Bigger the spinner the higher it stayed and smaller the deeper of course. (Thinking out loud here)

I think this is a great topic for all of us.

3M TA3

What techniques are working for you during the hatch?

Do the research. Where and when and out of what type of basin goop do Mayflys hatch from? Then look down stream somewhat for holding structure and/or areas where the fish can momentarily leave that structure to suspend/ eat/ and return.

[offthehook67]

Originally Posted by Rich Ziert

Do the research. Where and when and out of what type of basin goop do Mayflys hatch from? Then look down stream somewhat for holding structure and/or areas where the fish can momentarily leave that structure to suspend/ eat/ and return.

The majority of the areas I see the hatch shells in swaths is over VERY deep water. 40 to 100 feet deep. I would think its a very soft mud bottom. Suspended fish is probably the ticket.

[BreezyPoint]

I really have a hard time understanding this because I seem to have no trouble catching walleyes during the may fly hatch on Lake of the Woods. I have fished in may flies so thick you couldn't see the surface of the water and the boat impeller port has to be cleaned to keep the water flowing. All I do is troll crank baits along soft bottoms adjacent to a weed line. I catch them just as I normally would. I think the may flies put the feed bag on for the walleyes and the trick is to get something easy and more appetizing in their sights. I am usually fishing 6-10 fow.

[3M TA3]

Originally Posted by BreezyPoint

I really have a hard time understanding this because I seem to have no trouble catching walleyes during the may fly hatch on Lake of the Woods. I have fished in may flies so thick you couldn't see the surface of the water and the boat impeller port has to be cleaned to keep the water flowing. All I do is troll crank baits along soft bottoms adjacent to a weed line. I catch them just as I normally would. I think the may flies put the feed bag on for the walleyes and the trick is to get something easy and more appetizing in their sights. I am usually fishing 6-10 fow.

Exactly that at night for me. Except in Lake Erie I've had tremendous success with bottom bouncers and my own crawler spinners. Actually, in Erie, it's hard to keep the buggers from jumping in the boat just about any time of year.