Andrew Ragas knows that one of the most overlooked and underutilized summer fishing patterns of the year is the magical mayfly hatch.

Every year, our northern lakes swarm with mayflies. The hatch is considered a detriment to summertime bass fishermen who fail to produce good results. While the lake’s entire food chain becomes temporarily imbalanced from this natural forage abundance, the prevalence of mayflies rising from the lake’s surface leads to one of the briefest, but most engaging, smallmouth bass fishing patterns of the summer fishing season.

Previously, my summertime bass fishing strategy was to completely avoid being on lakes that were hatching mayflies. During the hatch, most gamefish will feed heavily on emerging larvae and adult mayflies to the point of overeating and be disengaged towards everything else. But an eye-opening experience on a guide trip a few seasons ago changed my perspective on how to deal with this phenomenon. The presence of mayflies rising from the water’s surface, and sight of smallmouths feeding sub-surface, can lead to the best fishing of summer. The catching and easy fishing that ensues has become a summertime scenario I look forward to annually.

Cycle and hatch

The lifecycle of a mayfly is complex, they will be in larval and nymph stage for the majority of their lives. There are many types of mayflies that make up different populations, so there can also be different populations of the same mayfly living within the same water.

During hatch, mayflies swarm above water’s surface, flying every which way. They have approximately 24 hours to mate and drop eggs back into the water before they die. The eggs will settle to the bottom and incubate for a few days to a few months, depending on water temperature and a multitude of other conditions.

Once the new larvae hatch, nymphs will live near the lake bottom, under rocks or within decaying vegetation and detritus. This nymph stage lasts for several months to almost a full year.

Before the nymph molts and becomes an adult fly, it swims to the surface where it rests and emerges from the shell, flying out of the water. These fly shells are collected by the wind and then accumulate by the thousands and millions, fouling the water’s surface. This is when fish feeding frenzies begin, as schools of smallmouths feed on the nymphs as they reach the surface and struggle to fly away.

The hatch usually takes place in the northern regions of Wisconsin any time from mid-June through mid-July. Not every lake experiences mayfly hatches at the same time. The timing of the event, in combination with size and success of mayfly hatches usually depends on climate and overwintering and survival conditions of larvae. Hatches are more drastic and large-scale during summers following warmer winters and springs. Meanwhile, hatches are more minimal, spread out, and not as severe following colder, brutal winters and late ice-outs, as we experienced in 2018.

After summer officially settles in and water temperatures reach 70 to 72 degrees, the larvae awaken to complete their reproductive mission in life. Calm, humid and windless days catalyze the event.

Bass behavior

The hatch coincides with the conclusion of the post-spawn phase, when smallmouths are recovering from spawn, aggressively feeding and rebuilding their energy stocks for the remainder of the open-water season.

Heavy swarms of mayflies are indicative of a healthy water body and surrounding watershed. Some of the best smallmouth lakes to experience good fishing during the mayfly hatch are clear bodies of water with deep structure, and clean bottom that is mostly comprised of sand and some variation of harder bottom. Clear water with clean bottom drastically improves the visual fishing experience and makes it easy for surface-feeding smallmouths to find your baits.

Smallies in the shallows

 When smallmouths are in their feeding frenzy, most catchable and aggressive fish will be in the upper water column near surface. Some smallmouth wolfpacks can be feeding heavily along shallower flats with a predominant sand and rock bottom in 5- to 15-foot depths. Meanwhile, other smallmouth wolfpacks—such as the lake’s suspending population—can be feeding over the lake’s main basin where they roam freely and unpressured in open water throughout much of the year.

A smallmouth wolfpack’s location depends on where the nymphs are emerging from, as they usually swim straight upward to the surface when they do. Nymph habitat varies on each lake, so it’s necessary to rely on visual cues as to where feeding frenzies are taking place and where you should fish during the hatch. Once visually confirmed, these areas will remain consistent mayfly locations and high-producing smallmouth locations for years to come.

Hairy fishing tactics

During the hatch, some of the best smallmouth fishing of summer can be had by utilizing tactics and strategies that correspond to food chain shifts.

The best representation of a mayfly is the simple and deadly hair jig.

The hair jig is nothing new to fishing, but it remains an unknown to today’s generation of smallmouths. The ultra-light weight and extremely slow fall of the hair jig enables it to hang in a smallmouth’s strike zone in the upper water column. Let the hair do all the work and slow glide for you.

Many of the best-quality hair jigs are handcrafted by avid fly fishermen, anglers and independent manufacturers. The best hair jigs I’ve used to date are hand tied by Gregg Kizewski, formerly of Super-K Jigs. Most commonly fished for this technique are his 3/32-, 1/16- and 1/8-ounce sizes, available in blacks, brown/olives, and purple/chartreuse colors. The Super-K hair jigs are overdressed with pulsating marabou, benefitting the slow glide and hangtime. If the jig doesn’t meet personal preferences, snip and remove excess hair to downsize the jig, and increase the fall rate.

Wind, depth, line weight, and how fast you plan to work hair jigs should all be considered when choosing the correct hair jig that will present best. With medium-light to medium extra-fast-action spinning tackle and rod lengths of 6.5- to 8 feet, I fish the lightest and longest Quantum PT rod and reel setup that I can get away with, on light 10-pound Cortland Masterbraid, tied to a 5-foot section of 6- and 8-pound Cortland Line or Seaguar fluorocarbon leader.

Presentation pointers

To attain a slower fall, consider increasing the braided main-line size to 15-pound test. The slow fall of these baits enables you to fish the bait horizontally through the water column at a very slow pace. Cast out as far as you can reach, let the jig glide down to the desired depth, point the rod tip down, and start reeling. Let the hair pulsate and do all the work. Lift and drop your rod throughout the retrieve with a rip-jigging method to trigger strikes and help maintain depth.

It’s easier than you think

Ultimately what lures or baits are chosen and how they are fished is not nearly as important as being in the right place at the right time and making sure presentations stay in the upper water column and can hang in the smallmouth’s strike zones the longest. Don’t let a midsummer mayfly hatch ruin an outing or even an entire week’s worth of fishing. The most successful smallmouth fishermen are those who are willing to adapt to any given set of circumstances and take advantage of a seasonal peak feeding period.

If you want to learn more about adapting to various fishing conditions, read the June issue of MidWest Outdoors, available the first full week of June at the newsstand or by subscribing on our website