Walleye-Mayfly Connections

Moderate hatches may occur from year to year and from region to region. Some years, mayflies are thick in numbers, while at other times, the hatches are thin to medium. The best hatch from an angler's perspective is one large enough to trigger walleyes to key on mayflies for food, but not so large that walleyes become overfed.

The Walleye Wiggler, a combination of weight-forward spinner and leader with a nymph imitation, is a proven mayfly rig. Cast the rig on light spinning tackle (10-pound mono) and work it a few feet above the bottom. The Erie Dearie Weapon and Anglers Edge Instigator are other pretied rigs that work during the hatch. A plain hook weighted with a single lead shot set about half a foot above a baited hook also works.

During hatches, walleyes often can be seen disturbing the surface during twilight. The open-water surface disturbances and fish-rises often are assumed to be carp or suckers, but don't rule out walleyes.

At dawn or dusk, when walleyes are rising to take emerging nymphs or adults at the surface, slowly twitch a floating imitation minnow crankbait on the surface. Light jigs (1/16 to 1/8 ounce) in combination with dark plastic bodies -- black, brown, purple -- or hair jigs tipped with a piece of crawler, are good choices for casting toward pods of mayflies and fish-swirls. Keep your rod tip high and reel just fast enough to keep the jig a foot or so under the surface.

Adding walleyes to your list of fish landed on a flyrod has potential this season. Larger flies, like a black Wooly Bugger or Muddler Minnow are good during twilight periods. Mayfly larva flies also can be productive. The smaller patterns, however, aren't as visible. And we're not fishing finicky trout, here. Best go with a fly that can be picked out from the rest of the crowd. Cast toward emerging pods of nymphs, adults at the surface, and recent fish-rises.

On some waters, the mayfly hatch is so large that it becomes impossible for walleyes to take another bite. On other waters, pods of rising nymphs may attract and concentrate schools of walleyes keying on the emerging bugs for food. I get 'the itch' just thinking about it.