This summer has certainly been taking a long time to happen and the recent Mayfly hatch is yet another reminder that everything is behind schedule. I was working on a cabin on Mayhew Lake this week and I could not figure out why the trout were clipping across the surface until I started seeing signs of Mayflies. I know the hatch happens very late up here, but I cannot remember it ever happening on the last week of July.
This has been a strange year for weather and I guess I should not be surprised about the delayed hatch. Trout fishermen get excited for this yearly event, but the walleye fishermen witness some of the worst fishing days of the summer. Both of these fish feast on Mayflies, but the walleyes typically feed on the larvae while the trout take advantage of the actual flies on the surface.
Early mornings and evenings seem to trigger the hatch and fish will be popping the surface to get their fix. You can take advantage of this bite by simply drifting along your favorite trout lake with any type of dry fly. If you cannot cast a fly or simply prefer not to, you can tie one on below a bobber without any weight. You use the bobber as a weight to get some distance into your cast while still presenting the bait in a very natural manner. Buck’s Hardware sells some nice flies that I believe are tied locally.
Last year during the hatch, I witnessed some crappies hitting the surface. We caught a few and their stomachs were jam packed with Mayflies. I am not an expert on the hatches, but I was told that they were actually Stoneflies and look just like a Mayfly but larger. It was a very fun evening and when I returned the very next evening to give it another shot they had disappeared. The second evening I tried it was windy and the surface bite simply was not happening. Timing is everything and it is “hit or miss” when it comes to fishing.
I am happy that Smokey Bear still says, “low fire danger” at the Seagull Guard Station, but I am getting a little frustrated with the recent showers. From a working standpoint, it is very difficult to decide whether or not to make a day of it. Even though we have received a lot of rainy days, we are not really accumulating much water. Saganaga is getting lower each day and it could get very dry, very quickly. We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.
Cory Christianson, a 2000 graduate of the University of Iowa, has worked as a fishing guide at Seagull Creek Fishing Camp for eight years and worked for Almost There Charters in Key West for nine years. If you have any fishing reports or stories to share, send an e-mail to christiansoncory@ hotmail.com or call 218 388- 0315.
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