The Mayflies Have definitely Slowed us Up a Bit...

[MarkB]

My wife and I continue to venture out on a fairly regular basis. We've only missed one day since the last post. The water continues to warm and has been holding pretty steady in the low 70's. We have been continuing our bobber onslaught and we have definitely noticed a pattern of fewer bites and smaller average fish. We have still been catching a good percentage of 20"+ walleyes. I figure the fishing is going good when we can average 20-25% slot fish on an outing. The 15"-17"+ size walleyes that were making up a good percentage of our catch the past couple of weeks have definitely tapered off. We are beginning to revert to a 50% dink average Lots of smallish bass, 12"-14", have been showing up on the rocks with the walleyes. They're fun to catch but kind of a pain when targeting big walleyes. We've been eating more fish of late and the last meal or two involved walleyes that were absolutely stuffed with mayflies We are still finding the walleye in the rocks adjacent to deeper water. 18'-24' has been productive depths for us.

We are going to change our method on our next outing. It's time for us to get back to the bottom bouncers. I've got a flat of crawlers that are just screaming to get into the game We will most likely stick with leeches also and add a floater to the terminal tackle in back of the hook and bead. I would think that most reefs with close by deep water will be holding walleyes. We'll keep posting to let you know what we find.

Good Fishing,

MarkB

[RoosterMan]

MarkB. I always enjoy your insight. Spot on.  We too definitely found fish adjacent to rocks. Drive around, graph em, fish em. The fish I cleaned were too full of bugs. The bug hatch in our bay was crazy over this last weekend. For the third weekend in a row though my biggest fish of the weekend, all came in less than 8 fow.  This last weekend I had 3 fish at the 25" mark and 2 others at 21".  It will good to see the bugs go away. Looking forward to my next trip to the lake for a long week of relaxing for the fourth. Good luck everyone. 

[MarkB]

I wandered down to the dock last evening and watched the sunset. Fliers were rising up everywhere I looked. I didn't get out today, but I'll bet there were some sizeable slicks in places this afternoon. The sound of the bugs at dark resembled a distant airplane! AND, the dragonflies are definitely starting to slack off on their job of eliminating mosquitoes. Last evening was the first time this year that mosquitoes were actually bothersome!

[PSU]

Any mayfly reports from the Smarts Bay / Frazer Bay area? Has it occurred yet?

 

 

[Jetski]

Lots of Mayflys in Frazier bay.  Still catching walleyes in rocking areas.  8 - 15 feet, especially in early morning and late evening on slip bobbers and leeches.  Hard to get eaters.  Seems like they are dinks or slot walleyes.  You catch 5 bass for every walleye too.

[MarkB]

"We are going to change our method on our next outing. It's time for us to get back to the bottom bouncers. I've got a flat of crawlers that are just screaming to get into the game We will most likely stick with leeches also and add a floater to the terminal tackle in back of the hook and bead. I would think that most reefs with close by deep water will be holding walleyes. We'll keep posting to let you know what we find."

We sat out the mini hurricane winds of yesterday and opted for a follow-up post this morning. Water temps at my dock this morning were 63.9! That's a fairly radical drop from the low 70's of a few days ago. Mayfly slicks were all along the south shoreline of Daisy Bay. My wife and I left the dock a little after 8:00 and headed east towards Big Bay. I saw no evidence of mayflies in Big Bay and the bigger water temps were a couple degrees higher at the start. We had a light breeze from the west and all in all, weather wise, it was a beautiful summer day.

I checked a couple reefs around mid-lake and saw a small congregation of boats on some deep water humps. I found a few fish here and there but nothing really exciting. Eventually, we found what we were looking for: fairly good numbers of fish lying off the main reef in 28'-30' of water. My wife started with a leech and I baited with a half crawler. She switched over in pretty short order and we enjoyed ~3 hours of spectacular fishing! Mayflies weren't affecting the appetites of these fish and the hits came fast and hard. Even I had no trouble catching these guys. We could have kept a limit of the high end eaters (16"- 17'+) but I brought home 4-14.5" walleyes and a 12" jumbo for lunch. The slot fish were down there with them and, every now and then, one would beat the others to the bait. It was a great morning and I hope to have many more before summer is over.

The pictures are from this morning. I usually always take pictures of slot fish, if I remember to replace the camera in the boat. My wife is a bit more reluctant to pose than I am. It allows me to grab the spotlight every now and again

Good Fishing,

MarkB

 

 

 

 

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[MarkB]

After yesterday, I was anxious to try a different reef, so, we went back out this morning. When I left the house this morning, mayflies were hanging on to everything they could get their little feet on. Our house, outbuildings, boathouse, and lift canopy had mayflies attached! Basically, it was a replay from yesterday EXCEPT, early on, the walleyes were right in the rocks. The argument didn't start until ~ the 6th snag and it ended with her last fish, a 22.5"er! The high end eaters were in short supply this morning but our favorite sized eater (14.5") was hitting fast and furious. Snag, snag, snag, fish, snag, fish, fish, snag, snag, etc.is kind of how things went. I may be getting to old to fish "in the rocks" because my patience just doesn't seem to be what it used to be

Actually, the main purpose of this post is to ask if anyone else is catching more and more walleyes with musky gashes in them. It seems that, any more, if we catch any quantity at all, there is going to be evidence of musky predation. I guess it could be northern, but, last fall, my Dad caught a musky(HUGE) on consecutive days on a reef in Daisy Bay. I'm sure it was the same fish. I think she was camped there feeding on walleyes! The only reason I beat this old drum is because I've heard the argument regarding preferred forage fish, struggling hooked fish, etc. and I'm beginning to think these muskies are eating everything they can catch and when walleyes pile up on a reef, well, they are the main course not tulibees

The first picture is my best walleye of the morning. The second is of a very lucky 16.5" walleye BEFORE he ate my nitecrawler.

Good Fishing,

MarkB 

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Mark,

Many of our walleyes have old slash marks on them. July seems to be the month that we catch walleyes with the most fresh slashes and also when we have our walleyes hit the most when we are fighting them.

Muskies definitely eat plenty of walleyes!

I fully agree with your findings!

Nice pictures!!

We got lots of nice walleyes plus 7 slot fish in the shallower mud today. They were feeding on May flies heavily with a couple of moulting rusties thrown in! Very fat fish now!

Cliff

 

Edited June 24, 2015 by Cliff Wagenbach

[MarkB]

Cliff

Did you change boats? White Lund? That you on the humps early this AM?

Mark B

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Mark,

I changed boats but it is a green Lund/150 Honda.

I was not on the Humps.

Cliff

[Casey Sunsdahl]

We had an unbelievable last couple days,  30 plus fish over 20 inches!! 26 the biggest yesterday and a 27 today.. I saw you today for the first time I think Mark, looked like you were heading in, I waved at you with the net.. I hope tomorrow is half as good, I'll be thrilled! Tite lines

Casey

 

 

[MarkB]

Very nice pictures Casey! Unreal fishing for the heart of the mayfly hatch, huh? I didn't see you wave the net Casey. I keep forgettin your running a different colored boat now. We headed in around 12:30 or so. I always knew it would be just a matter of time before you got your groove back after missing last year Keep on poundin em....

Good Fishing,

MarkB

 

[redlabguy]

Thanks for the reports, guys. I've been gone for a week and this helps to catch up. It seems like you three post 90% of the reports, but maybe we mere mortals don't have as much to report. Good work, men. It's appreciated!

Dick

[MarkB]

The walleyes this morning started off great and really fell off around 9:00. I went prospecting for different fish. Big mistake! I eventually returned to our starting point and found reluctant fish difficult to hook. It was my turn to be the bug this morning. Early on we found walleyes scattered from 25'-28'. They were off the rocks in the mud. Both leeches and crawlers worked this morning. Water temps have risen back up into the low 70's. There was a fairly substantial Daisy Bay mayfly boom since yesterday. I saw the biggest slicks I've seen so far this year. Big Bay had evidence of mayflies also. Full swing might best describe the hatch at this point, though it really doesn't seem to be affecting the bite these past few days. The picture is my best walleye of the morning.

Good Fishing,

MarkB

 

[redlabguy]

Nice fish, Mark. We found fish today in the same circumstances- in mud, not rocks and mostly 25-30feet, although our best, a 17", was at 14. We did not find groups of fish. Just one here, one there and enough for a good dinner.

Dick

[james_walleye]

Hey Mark it was a pleasure chatting with you on the lake today. My son got a few more 14" fish after you left. Hopefully that pod is there and more willing to bite tomorrow morning!

[MN BassFisher]

Thanks for these reports guys! I am headed up on Friday-Monday and will be staying on Big Bay. I was wondering if the Mayflies had come and gone yet but it sounds like they are still hatching.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Yes, still hatching! But I think that the end is near for them!

Cliff

[james_walleye]

Fishing has been a struggle for me. Everyday I think I finally have it figured out.....then the next day proves me wrong. My best bite has been slip bobbers in 10-12' in the afternoon/evening  but the size isn't great. If we catch 10 we might keep 2-3. Still I end up every morning going out and running and gunning trying to find the jackpot and it isn't happening. It's a few here.....few there. For me the few I'm getting to bite here and there are 26-29 feet off the rocks on the mud. Lindy and crawler has been the best. One wouldn't think it would be that hard to go out and get 4 keepers in a morning.....

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Fishing has been a struggle for me. Everyday I think I finally have it figured out.....then the next day proves me wrong. My best bite has been slip bobbers in 10-12' in the afternoon/evening  but the size isn't great. If we catch 10 we might keep 2-3. Still I end up every morning going out and running and gunning trying to find the jackpot and it isn't happening. It's a few here.....few there. For me the few I'm getting to bite here and there are 26-29 feet off the rocks on the mud. Lindy and crawler has been the best. One wouldn't think it would be that hard to go out and get 4 keepers in a morning.....

​I agree! It has been a very difficult month for me also.

As stated , the fish are there one day and gone the next!

Cliff

[MarkB]

I found a bunch of biters on Sunday afternoon and caught 17 of them in a little over an hour. Nothing big, but lots of 14"-15" eater sized keepers. I went back yesterday afternoon, and they were gone! I mean I didn't mark a single fish where they had been blanketed 48 hours before! I had 6 good solid hits that thumped it, held on, then dropped it and never returned. Those hits came from right in the rocks. All of the fish my wife and I have eaten this past week have been gorged with mayflies. I took a boat ride around Pine Island yesterday and the entire north side all the way around to St. Mary's island was top to bottom mayflies. At St. Mary's, it was like a wall of mayflies then nothing! You could actually have top to bottom mayflies on one side of the island and a clear water column on the other(west side). I think the slow fishing in Big Bay has a ways to go yet, so, when you get a hit, you better not miss!

Good Fishing

MarkB

[james_walleye]

Persistence paid off for me this morning. I pulled into a spot to check the rocks out and out in the mud was a carpet of fish. Took about a half hour to get my 4 fish....all around 15". And bonus fish of 20-21-23-24". Lindys caught the eaters but 3-4 big fish came on a spinner and crawler. Fish were In that 28-29' range

[MN BassFisher]

Way to stick with it James!

[MarkB]

Good to hear you found some Jamie. My wife and I stayed right in the nasty snaggy rocks this morning and eventually boated a few nice eaters to 16" and a few slots: 19", 22", and a 25". Mixed bag with the bait. My wife used leeches and I used crawlers and we both caught fish. A silver spinner during the mayfly hatch has proven it's worth in the past. It requires a touch more speed and, sometimes, that's the trigger. Here's a couple from this morning. The fish my wife is holding shows that muskies eat all sizes of walleyes, ,unless, of course, it was mistaken for a tulibee

[james_walleye]

This morning was back to tough for me. Marked fish absolutely everywhere. They would not go for anything. 1 keeper and a 21" was all I could muster. A lot of fish on the screen all the way from 20' on the rocks to 30' on the mud.

[airnuts]

I have also found a lot of fish in 30 FOW next to mid lake humps yesterday but cannot muster a bite on slip bobbers with leaches. Will see what unfolds today. Might have to try some lindy rigs today but I am a novice at this type of presentation!

Edited July 3, 2015 by airnuts
Spelling

[airnuts]

What a difference a day makes. Late start due to rain and back on a rocky reef in 20 FOW slip bobbers and leeches. 3 slot fish in an hour, 22, 25 and my largest ever a 27! Go figure!

[MarkB]

Nice fish! Right behind you and around the tip of that island there's another smaller island that has a very good reef also. Not quite as deep as the one you're on, but it tops at 15'. Lots of fish in the spring and, usually, late July/early August. It's a game to figure out where pics are taken. You're two pics together cinched it for me Keep up the good work!

Good Fishing,

MarkB

[redlabguy]

I think we may have been on the same reef tonight. Happy day in our family! My youngest daughter, who I have to beg to fish boated a 29" tonight. Biggest ever in my boat! Leech, bobber, 20' on rocks (standard formula!).

RLG

[MarkB]

Beautiful fish Dick! An encore for that one is going to be tough duty! Those kind eat the ones that eat the mayflies!

Good Fishing,

MarkB