So I’m going in at the end of May. My main target will be Walters. I’ve always taken leeches in May and done ok. I’ve decided on going with minnows this year since this trip will involve way less travel and way more fishing time. A few years I’ve went in May I’ve ran into Mayfly hatches which made fishing tough. So I’ve been doing some reading. And the answers seems to be to match the hatch. Locating mud bottoms in shallow bays where mayflies are or will be hatching and you should find walleye feasting on an easy meal. From what I’ve read scaling down to a 1/16 or 1/8 oz jig with a small grub tail in either dark or light color should get you some bites. My questions to you walleye gurus is will minnows still be effective during a hatch? And if you have had success fishing during a hatch could you share some pointers on where to look, what to present. And what to expect as far as the bite goes. Any wisdom would be much appreciated .

I have had some good walleye fishing around hexagenia mayfly hatches. In my experience, matching the hatch wasn't really necessary. That being said, hex nymphs swim with an undulating pattern like a leach. They spend their lives hiding in mud, and then around dark on the night of the hatch they leave their burrows and sprint to the surface. This is when the fishing is at its peak, at the beginning of the hatch before you see anything on the surface.

As darkness falls and the nymphs start emerging the fishing seems to drop off rapidly. The next day is probably the worst... fish will gorge on the nymphs until they can't swallow. They won't eat again until they have a chance to digest.

Personally, I would bring the leaches because they work, they are easy, and if matching the hatch helps - they are a closer match.

Second, the hatches happen pretty randomly. I've collected data on this from the Mississippi River. Some times they hatch 5 nights in a row, sometimes they take a week or two off. Sometimes the hatches happen after dark, and sometimes they start early evening. When they emerge they leave an exoskeleton behind (the exuvie) this will float on the surface for at least a day and collect in calm areas. Especially if the fishing is slow, keep an eye out for these old skins and the sub-imago nymphs resting in bushes around the lake. In that case, I would probably take the morning off and plan to be ready before dark in case there is another hatch coming.

Your destination may determine what bait you use. Most of my trips have been in May or early June, with the focus being walleye, crappie, pike, and smallies. The only live bait we use during that time of year is rainbow chubs and they have not disappointed. Even during a mayfly hatch, rainbows have been very effective. Jig and a minnow IMO is the best combo that time of year.

Thanks, Tyler! Great information. I think I’ll still take a pound of leeches as well. It’s always good to have options. Knowing the patterns helps a lot. I hope I won’t have to deal with it. But if I do it’s good to know you can still catch fish if played right.

And it is good to know when to take a hike... Always a sad feeling to see a lake covered in spinner hex. You just know that every fish in the lake spent all night eating.

Be the Nymph? ("what did you call me")

We run into the Mayfly plague every year on St. Clair or Lake Erie and the amount of bio mass is staggering. Yup it can be tough.

I have never fished canoe country during a hatch. But what I would take is a stealth type smallish slip bobber and a drab olive green or black marabou jig in 1/8th oz size with super light line and no grub trailer, just a straight marabou. Heck I would probably fish that combo in May even if there were no hatch on........seems like a winner to me. Get my 8' steelhead rod out and plop that bobber way out there nice and quiet like..........Bloop ;-)