The Dreaded May Flies

[gonfishn]

Don't Know about you folks in other states but in Minnesota this is the month when these critters cover entire lakes. They only live for a few days and their only purpose in life is to let the fins put on the feed bag.<br /><br />Fishn of course pretty much shuts down when fishn for pan fish..I wonder why they call them May Flies when they come on in June?<br /><br />Of course I am headn North this week and will enjoy their company for a few days..Doesn't effect the bigger game fish and that is good..

 

[LazyJ]

Re: The Dreaded May Flies

I've always wondered if what we call buffalo knats are may flies. We get them in late April.

 

[gaugeguy]

Re: The Dreaded May Flies

Match the hatch

 

[20/20]

Re: The Dreaded May Flies

What we call knats in upstate NY are nasty little critters way different then may flies. Knats come out for a few weeks in the spring and they can drive a person nutz{they bite the crap out of anything that moves, they get in eyes mouth ears}. Last I knew may flies don't bite they just cover everything.

 

[gonfishn]

Re: The Dreaded May Flies

Thats them 20/20..They never take the first bite of food..They do the hey nanny nanny, lay their eggs and provide a feast for all the pan fish then die..All within a couple of days..

 

[TELMANMN]

Re: The Dreaded May Flies

I think they are like a Caddis fly or of the same family. All I know if you are around a hatch it is a mess for a short time. Check this link.<br /> http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/bugs/mayfly/mayfly.phtml

 

[heyttown]

Re: The Dreaded May Flies

We get them so bad around Toledo and surrounding towns that they actually encourage places to turn off all outside lights making some towns looking like ghost towns.....If they happen to leave street lights on for instance within a few hours you will have a layer of may flies over 1"thick that acts like a sheet of ice if you try and turn or brake while on them.........<br /><br />Its a good sign for Lake Erie meaning the lake is cleaner then ever as they need clean well oxygenated water to hatch...... Places like Port Clinton and Sandusky literally scopp them up with front end loaders there are so many.

 

[20/20]

Re: The Dreaded May Flies

question for those of you that have tons of these critters can you use them for bait? When I lived down south they would cover things like Heyttown said. I didn't fish much at that time so I never tried using them for bait. Just curious if any one scoops them up for bait and if so how good do they work?

 

[gaugeguy]

Re: The Dreaded May Flies

I don't use them for bait, but when they are hatching I'll grab a few and try to pick a dry fly that closely resembles one. Nothing like a late afternoon wading out in a mountain stream, a mayfly hatch occuring and doing battle with brookies and rainbows.

 

[jtexas]

Re: The Dreaded May Flies

We get Mayflies in March and June bugs in April--go figure!

 

[PAkev]

Re: The Dreaded May Flies

I've been fishing on the Susquehanna River during our white mayfly hatch and have seen fish swim on the surface with their mouth open to collect a quick meal. <br /><br />Our local fire department is sometimes called out to hose the bridge over the river off after peak hatches.

 

[BUBBLES II]

Re: The Dreaded May Flies

This is when you should be flyfishing. I agree with guageguy. There's nothing like sightfishing on topwater.

 

[muskyone]

Re: The Dreaded May Flies

hey jeff mayfly hatch is over here so you might miss it