mayfly larva?

[cstyle]

I've never seen anyone fish w/mayflies before. I went to Cabelas and they had a tub full of mayfly larva (called it wigglers) and a guy told be that he catches all kinds of panfish using them. I would like to know if anyone on this board uses them and if so, how do you hook them (they seem awfully thin) and how do you keep them alive for an extended amount of time. Some in the tub were swimming while others were not. Is this a good or a bad thing.

[Moose1am]

First I don't think that they have to be alive. Mayfly adults die soon after mating (males) and the females die after laying eggs over the water. So the fish are use to finding lots of dead mayfies laying on the water or sinking to the bottom slowly. In June when you see the adults flying around the lamps or other lights you know that the mayfly hatch is on. There are many different species or subspecies of mayflies that hatch over the summer at different times.


Wonder where theset things come from? Well go into any stream that leads into a lake and start turning over rocks. The small creatures that hide under the rocks in streams across the Eastern Part of the USA are mayfly or cadisfly nymphs.

Trout fishermen know them well and many a fly are tied to imitate the adult mayflie and many more to imitate the nymph form of the mayfly.

Stick baits (cadisfly larve) are used thoughout the Smokey Mountains by the locals and tourist alike. Cadisfly nymphs or larvae will gather small sticks and sand particles and glue it around themselves ton disguise themselves. But the fish are clued into this and eat them anyway. LOL. They make excellent bait where it's legal.

Might try tying the Mayfly Nymphs onto the hook with some light weight sewing thread. Or just hook several of them onto a very thin wire aberdene gold hook and see if the crappie like them that way.

If you really want a challenge then go buy some flyrods and fly fish for these panfish. Now that is a lot of fun and the action can be fast an furious.

A few years ago I hooked a 1.5lb White Crappie on my #6 graphite 9ft long flyrod and it was a lot of fun hauling that fish in.

I am sure that the fish can smell the mayflies on the hook especially if they are pretty fresh when you put them on the hook. The juices will disolve in the water and the fish can smell that from a ways away. Just make sure to not have an chemical on your hands that can scare off the fish. Thinks like gasoline can put the fish off. Also some people have certain chemicals in their sweat that can turn the fish off. Kids and women seem to have less of this chemical in their skin or sweat. Some men have more of the chemcial than other men. I read that it's a genetic thing. I got this information from an article written in Outdoor Life back in the 1980's. The article was about Dr Juice.

I've never seen anyone fish w/mayflies before. I went to Cabelas and they had a tub full of mayfly larva (called it wigglers) and a guy told be that he catches all kinds of panfish using them. I would like to know if anyone on this board uses them and if so, how do you hook them (they seem awfully thin) and how do you keep them alive for an extended amount of time. Some in the tub were swimming while others were not. Is this a good or a bad thing.

[fiddlefarter]

That must be why I catch more fish than my father does...he stinks and I have a lovely aroma to hungry slabs.

[DmDuck]

I got one better ... my Dad never caught a fish in his life until we bought him surgical gloves to wear when handling anything bait related . Now he sometimes enjoys the pleasures of retirment and fishing with us boys !

[KARL]

I've never seen anyone fish w/mayflies before. I went to Cabelas and they had a tub full of mayfly larva (called it wigglers) and a guy told be that he catches all kinds of panfish using them. I would like to know if anyone on this board uses them and if so, how do you hook them (they seem awfully thin) and how do you keep them alive for an extended amount of time. Some in the tub were swimming while others were not. Is this a good or a bad thing.

..some people use a type of glue to attach delicate bait to hook..try superglue but keep it off your fingers..lol..talk about being "stuck" on something.. :D

[cstyle]

Thank you for all of the information. It's nice to know a little something from time to time. Moose, I've always wanted to learn how to fly fish, so I might have to give it a try. Hopefully, I don't hook (or hit) anyone in the face while I'm learning. LOL on the stinking people trick...and people wonder why the don't catch fish.

[Moose1am]

Well just take some soap out on the lake with you guys and wash your hands ever so often. That get the human scents off the baits faster than anything. It should improve the catchs of all us dirty old men. )


I resemeble that remark too.

Thank you for all of the information. It's nice to know a little something from time to time. Moose, I've always wanted to learn how to fly fish, so I might have to give it a try. Hopefully, I don't hook (or hit) anyone in the face while I'm learning. LOL on the stinking people trick...and people wonder why the don't catch fish.