fly hatch

I just spoke with a friend that was up Monday, He said he didn't catch anything because of some kind of bug hatch that was going on.
Would someone volunteer a little info on the subject ?
Thanks, Dennis

That is the famious brown hex mayfly hatch. It is unbelievable and has shown up on weather radar as a big storm over the lake. The flies infest everything, buildings, boats, sidewalks that "crunch" when you walk. It is actually a sign of a healthy water shed and must really be seen to be believed. Sometimes a "mayfly rig" will work when the bugs hatch. Hope this helps.

Dennis, I don't think it's at the peak seems to be just starting. The little buggers live about 24 hrs. to propagate and die and it is ongoing for a couple of weeks. They are not as pesky as others on the lake they are just there and sort of neat. Make a trip to P.C. and the area campgrounds and docks. Go at nighttime when city lights are on look at the shop windows and you will see what I mean. As far as the bite it may or may not effect it, probably just an excuse for the lack of catching.:rolleyes:

Gene

Mayflies. They're so thick that Port Clinton won't even turn their street lights on during the hatch. They're harmless individually, but their numbers make them a nuisance.

Here you go....Attachment 4177Attachment 4178Attachment 4179

Ike, nice pics for sure. Was these recent and where at?

Gene

like me, i think they like your boat:)

Thanks,,,These were 2 years ago in the Oak Harbor area.. First time I had ever seen them..One thing I found out about them real quick. If you are taking an evening walk during hatch,,,Keep your mouth shut,,lol ,, A pic of them stacked in parking lot.. Attachment 4180

Yes we were out Monday as well and the hatch is starting for sure. the worse part of the hatch is they smell like rotten fish when they die so cleaning up after them can be a stinky and messy job. When I was a kid and yes that was a really long time ago we had a really bad summer in PC, the mayflies were so thick they brought in scoop shovel tractors to scoop them off the roads. They were blocking the radiators in cars causing them to overheat and really stink. My dad said it was like driving on ice from the mashed bugs on the road. I can remember seeing dump trucks hauling loads of them to the dump. I have been fising the lake in this area much of my life and yes the hatch definitely slows down the catch rate of the fisherman, in some years I just keep the boat in the barn and wait until it passes, not worth the gas in bad years.

As a side note, if you want to do some panfishing in a harbor or river or inland pond, a mayfly hooked through the wings does great for bluegill and bass too.

I feel the bite is better in the afternoon during peak may fly season.

I think the fish eat all night and then are ready to eat a gain by 4:00 PM. Just my opinion.

Happy Hooker bait shop they said the picture was took this morning?
Attachment 4185

When someone says “bug” it could mean a lot of different insects.

The most well known is the annual huge hatch of the large Hexagenia species of Mayfly. It has a lot of local names, locally “Canadian Soldiers” is popular. They typically hatch around mid June and are everywhere along the Lake shore, countless millions, so many they pile up under streetlights and cover almost everything within a quarter mile or more of the lake shore. This year the hatch seems late, as not much has been mentioned on this site yet until today. Links to two recent article below:

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/Blog...nt-to-tourists

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stor...re-cities.html

There are lots of other hatches of insects, as well as pestering flies, that are both noticeable and biting / really annoying that occur throughout the late spring, summer, and fall. Not going to mention them all here. Next time if you have a question about a “bug” try and give more details about it if you have it.

? – maybe all the undersize walleye are eating this year’s big mayfly hatch so we haven’t seen much of it yet. :confused: