Help with mayfly hatch

There is a huge mayfly hatch going on at Watts Bar (started Wednesday). I've never experienced fishing one, so I need a little help. Growing up, I heard that you could throw "anything" around the trees and catch "everything". Let me tell you - it isn't true. I threw a tiny Pop-r - bluegill. 1/32 ounce Rooster Tail - bluegill. Small Beetle Spin - bluegill. And small ones at that. I thought I could come back after dark and do really well on top water, so I came back and fished from 1:00 a.m. until 3:00. I got one striper on a topwater - and he was out in the main channel! It was very frustrating. There were fish out in the main channel EVERYWHERE going insane and I threw the tackle box out there and caught squat (except the striper). What's going on? Any help? TIA.

The trick is to find an overhanging tree covered with mayflies. Take a large spinnerbait and cast it into the tree in an attempt to shake off the mayflies. Reel the spinnerbait back in and leave the spot for a half hour or so. Come back and stealthily approach the spot. You should see bluegill feeding like crazy! The bass should be out away from the spot a little bit sweeping in and out snatching up a bluegill every so often! Take a surface lure, preferably a bluegill color or something with a yellow belly, and cast it into position. Then LET IT SIT !!! I'm talking let it sit for as long as you can stand it! Then twitch it, and let it sit some more. When you think you've let it sit long enough, let it sit some more. Dean Rojas uses this technique with his SPRO Bronze eye frog. He's had some good fish off of this approach, but says that it's never consistant. A lot of times it's a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

I've done this before with a frog colored Zara Puppy with a lot of success. However, all the bass I've caught doing this were around the 13" - 15" size. It's a blast to do though!

Hope this helps :)

Regards,

Scott Brown - President
The L-Raisin' Anglers
The University of Louisville

Thanks. Here's the deal. There's not just a few overhanging trees with a few mayflies. These thing are on every tree, bush, in the air, it's unlike anything I've ever seen. You should have seen my pontoon boat the next morning. Unbelieveable. I was fishing WELL way from the bank, too. Even though they don't bite, it was too much of a pain to get within 20 feet of the bank. They were literally flying into my mouth and eyes. When I walked on the deck of the boat every step the bugs were popping when I stepped on them. Seriously. Out in the main channel there were very large fish (I think they were cats) busting the bugs (I think) everywhere. I'll try your trick this evening and let you know. Anybody else have any suggestions?

Shoot, the way you talk the fish may have been already full of Mayflies!!! Sounds like fun though!

Scott

Try dragging the bottom with a tube or worm in this situation, drag slowly to create more sound. If it is too snagful a bottom then slowly hop it. This is what I do.


Elijah Orr
Kentucky Lake Bass Club
Asst. TD
270-354-5285
[email][email protected][/email]

Thanks. I broke out a 6" blue Mann's w/paddle tail and caught three between 15" and 18" and missed a couple more in 2 hours. Ialso tried the yellow bellied floating lure trick but didn't get a strike.

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Congrats to you charlie, I'm glad you caught those bass because I am hoping to get some of those mayfly bass myself in a few weeks but my areas are not ready yet. My wife threw a yellow-belly pop-r today(all day) in a tourney and caught three with only one a keeper 15 1/2", and that was early. They are generally good for numbers but not for quality and mostly produce only one or two keeps for me and that's it, but that's why I had her fish it today, it is her favorite and I hoped to get that one keeper off it,we did as well as another a little bigger and took second place in the tx (just a small tourney). But I didn't see any mayflies around so that was an upset. It will only get better though.
Congrats again and I am very glad you shared your success.
Elijah Orr
Kentucky Lake Bass Club
Asst. TD
270-354-5285
[email][email protected][/email]