i'm talking about the insect life that is so alive right now, all fish have to do is breath and they're gorging on food , from mouth to ******* (not to say they wont take a larger bait)
there's an underwater world with an abundance of life in the early spring that produces a lot of the insects/food,, beetles , dragonfly's , mosquitoes of course ! and many more bugs ,
we catch many lakers in May that are caught on lures- deadbait , but like any good fisherman we cut them open and this is what we see more times than none and a few have had small rocks in there stomachs too , telling me there down there moving bottom to stir up the larva and feast , the (PIC) does tell it all ,,,think small/bug like a blk 2" twistertail under a float or casting and letting it settle down with a very slow retrieve 1/8 or 1/16 can work// black jig head with a tiny piece of worm under a slip bobber is deadly this time of year, and you may catch your biggest fish ;) sometimes small is better ;)

Good stuff Shock. Of course that's the case but I never really thought about it much. I bet a small drab green feather type jig would be better than a curly tail in that situation. And of course if the lakers are doing that then they are all doing it. Excellent info.......it has been filed accordingly!

Those are burrowing hexagenia mayfly larva. When their burrow is disturbed they swim up (to avoid being burred alive). They swim with a vertical undulation (like a leech or a woolly bugger). They need organic rich mud to burrow and as their food source, which is usually found in the deeper parts of a lake.

Let me know if you have any other questions about their biology... I've researched them quite a bit.

Last week I saw a hand full of mid-sized may flies starting to hatch already, but no Hex's. Despite most fish seeming to still be deep, I saw a few fish rise the the surface - made me mad I did not bring my fly rod.

Hi Tyler W,

Hexagenia hatches are common in the first week of june or is it too late? I'm talking about the north part of Quetico (Pickerel).
What is the total body lenght and width of these nymphs? What is the predominant body coloration?

Thanks,

Tyler W: "Those are burrowing hexagenia mayfly larva. When their burrow is disturbed they swim up (to avoid being burred alive). They swim with a vertical undulation (like a leech or a woolly bugger). They need organic rich mud to burrow and as their food source, which is usually found in the deeper parts of a lake.


Let me know if you have any other questions about their biology... I've researched them quite a bit. "

Body coloration is the same as the photo above, but larger eyes and dark wing pads as they approach maturity. Body length of mature nymphs is from 23mm to 36mm (27mm to 30mm being more common).

I would expect the hatches to be later in the summer that far north. I have studied them extensively on the Mississippi River. The hatches start after the water temp reaches 68F. Usually Mid June in Saint Paul.

That far north the nymphs probably have a two year life cycle (3-4 at the northern end of their range), so large nymphs are available year round.

If you find an actual hatch you'll probably get 20 minutes of good fishing until your bait is swamped in emerging nymphs. During the first 20 minutes there is no need to match the hatch, the fish go crazy and will hit anything floating on the surface.

Thanks Tyler W. Great information for all fly tyers on this messageboard.

Tyler W: "Body coloration is the same as the photo above, but larger eyes and dark wing pads as they approach maturity. Body length of mature nymphs is from 23mm to 36mm (27mm to 30mm being more common).


I would expect the hatches to be later in the summer that far north. I have studied them extensively on the Mississippi River. The hatches start after the water temp reaches 68F. Usually Mid June in Saint Paul.


That far north the nymphs probably have a two year life cycle (3-4 at the northern end of their range), so large nymphs are available year round.


If you find an actual hatch you'll probably get 20 minutes of good fishing until your bait is swamped in emerging nymphs. During the first 20 minutes there is no need to match the hatch, the fish go crazy and will hit anything floating on the surface. "

Glad I can help. I personally collected and measured over 7,000 mayfly nymphs from the Mississippi. I've gotten to know them pretty well.

They are very fast swimmers compared to most benthic inverts. When a sample was full of nymphs I would know right away. They dart around, then dive head first into the sediment and start burrowing. None of the other inverts in my samples behaved that way.

I don't believe they leave their burrow unless a a fish causes it to collapse. Lake trout are either following suckers across the lake bottom, or feeding nose down distributing the burrows themselves.

If you are looking to find the nymphs, it is simply a matter of finding the correct sediment. It should be very soft, with little if any coarse material. A mix of silt and sand may hold some, but fewer than an all silt/ organic sediment.

Also, I should note the lengths above (~30mm) are for body length (rostrum to tip of abdomen). They do not include the tail filaments.

This is a great thread

Hi guys. This is a great thread, indeed. I'm a fly fisherman making a last min trip up to the BWCA on thursday this week. Any advise at far as where I might be able to catch a few fish in a fly friendly way? I've done extensive fishing out west (just moved back from WY). Thinking perhaps I can catch a few Lakers or even eyes still shallow up there at this time, this year? any specific advise thou? How about some of those rivers in the BWCA? I should have most of the gear, but perhaps not quite the right nymphs for midwestern bugs. I've got four days and three nights to mess around before summer classes start. Any advise would be helpful. Thanks!

Ryan

That's fascinating, Tyler W. Thanks for the info.

Ryan, which EP?