Fish Catching Travel
I was telling you the other day about Aaron calling me from the lake right at sunset and while we were on the phone he said he could hear fish schooling. He moved over to the area and after throwing a few bass baits and getting no bites he decided to shine his flashlight and what did he see? Catfish. Literally hundreds of them hitting the surface as it got dark.
Now nothing like that can go un-fished. So I loaded up the Carolina Skiff, picked up Jeffish, and off to Coleto to meet Aaron. I picked up some nightcrawlers on the way to the lake where we met Aaron. From there is was up lake to net a few shad and wait for the sun to start going down. We didn’t find any shad in the net, but we did pick up some small bream. At that point we were unsure what they were feeding on so we wanted to cover our bases. As the sun went down below the hill the popping started.
With a slight breeze we anchored in about 10 foot of water and the fishing began. We put out a moon glow light and got an immediate answer to what in the heck the catfish were doing there when the light was instantly covered in Mayflies. There is a major hatch happening right now. The water, and now the boat, was covered in them. It took about 10 minutes as the sun set for me to catch the first one. And before it was over we put 8 keepers in the boat.
Headed for the grease.
As they were feeding on top the strategy was to use a small cork, with only a foot of line out below the cork with a worm. At that point the hatch was in full swing, the Mayflies were everywhere on the surface, and the catfish were on the move. We could actually see them swimming along right under the surface as they would swim by the boat, mouth open, eating those bugs.
Nightcrawlers were definitely the bait of choice, and the one attempt at using small bream turned out to be a no go. We were just letting that cork drift along and it would go under, we missed a couple, but most of them ate it. For about 2 hours they were feeding up a storm but as it got a little later the hatch and the bite really slowed. Though we could still hear a few popping the surface, the big bite definitely slowed so we called it a night.
While I have seen Mayflies in lots of states over my life, I really don’t know a lot about them. After doing some research it was clear what was going on. There are over 2,500 types of Mayflies and their life-cycle are basically the same.
The eggs are laid in water, and over a period of a year they go through several changes until they hatch and swim to the surface. They molt a couple of times after emerging until finally their wings come out. From that point on the do not eat, they just mate with the female, then she flies over the same water dipping along the surface as she lays eggs, and then they die. Each variety has a life span of 30 minutes to 3 days. So that answers several questions about what in the heck those cats were feeding on. I have seen similar behavior exhibited in catfish when I was kid, and now I know why.
So while we were happy with what we put in the boat, we are stumped as to what a really good bait would be for catching those feeding fish. The Mayflies were just to small to put on the hook, and though the worms were the best bait, we are left to wonder what bait might just kill them. Also as we only fished up lake, I can not tell you if that was happening all over the lake, just up the river, or maybe up both arms. I can tell you one thing for sure if you go, if you are not hearing them, you are in the wrong place. Not only did we hear them it was crazy to see them swimming right below the surface with their mouth open gobbling up the Mayflies.
As far as how long this will last, who knows? Though I have no clue how long this hatch will last, I have a feeling that it is in conjunction with the full moon. so no guarantees, but it sure is on right now. But if you want to give it a try here is the plan. Head up lake, under the bridge, past the big turn to the left, and go a couple of hundred yards and you are there. (Note: It may be happening in other parts of the lake but that is where we were fishing.) Set up, either anchor if there is wind, or drift slowly with the trolling motor. If they are doing it you will hear them popping as it starts to get dark. Use a small bobber with the line about a foot below the cork with a nightcrawler on it. We were using a small croaker hook, but a small circle will also do the job. There may be a better bait, and if you know of one please let me know. We used a moon glow light, but with our full moon it was pretty easy to see the cork. Then just wait until it is gone and set the hook.
A couple words on running Coleto at night -Be Careful! The lake is falling rapidly, and the stumps are sticking out everywhere, so use a spotlight. Take it easy no matter how well you know the lake, one wrong move could be a disaster. It would sure be nice if they were doing it down lake near the dam, but the only way to tell is to pick a spot and wait until dark to see if you can hear them.
One of the true joys of spending lots of time on the water is being there to see things like this. The circle of life that makes this whole thing go is a wonder. The Mayflies short life span gives lots of fish a buffet of yummy delights, and they get it while they can, just like we did. It all works together and it is an amazing thing.
There you have the great catfishing extravaganza. I was headed to the lake this morning with Aaron but he was called out of town so I decided to write this morning and make an evening trip for bass. The fishing on the lake is really improving in spite of the rapidly falling water. It is still those isolated patches of grass, off the bank, surrounded by water. It gives those bass that sense of security on falling water. We need some rain, and if we do not get some soon, it could get ugly at the ramp.
After I check the weather Thursday’s destination will be decided. I sure would like another run at those redfish. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines.
