Page 79 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2021

In Mississippi, hatches typically arise from late March through early November with the peak from late June to mid- September.
Some mayfly fishing lures are very convincing.
Hatches, technically just bugs changing from their aquatiuc form into winged adults.
Not to be confused with those amorous black love bugs that periodically smash into vehicle bumpers and windshields, mayflies spend most
of their lives underwater as nymphs called naiads. In their aquatic form, the insects look somewhat like elongated
or flattened crickets or maybe a cross between a cricket and a shrimp.
Hatches, technically just bugs changing from their aquatic forms
into winged adults, normally occur
in sluggish eddies or placid river backwaters. When they emerge from the water as winged insects, millions, perhaps billions of mayflies cling to tree branches, low bushes, reeds or whatever they can find to dry their new wings before taking flight to mate.
The insects change into adults
for one purpose – to mate and die. Mayflies belong to the insect order Ephemeroptera, which means, “lasting only a day.” Many of them don’t
even make it that long, but when they swarm, they can sometimes gather
in such numbers that they appear on radar.
On July 3, 2020, a gigantic swarm appeared on National Weather Service radar 50 miles away and blanketed
the town of Burlington, Iowa. In June 2015, a hatch along the Susquehanna River near Columbia, Pa., grew so thick that police had to close to bridge over the river because motorists couldn’t see. In 2014, a hatch on the upper Mississippi River near La Crosse, Wis., reached an altitude of 2,500 feet. On radar, it resembled a significant
rainstorm. Sometimes, northern communities use snowplows to push piles of dead insects off bridges so people can drive safely.
Also called willow flies or shad flies, some live or dead insects inevitably
fall into the water. When such copious amounts of free protein suddenly enter the food chain, it kicks off a major feeding frenzy that attracts every fish and other bug eater around. Any angler who happens upon a hatch at the right time could load a boat with bluegills and other fish quickly.
Bait selection doesn’t matter as much as placement. If the temptation lands close enough to a bug-laden bush, something will grab it. For the most fun, toss small floating poppers made of cork or foam with fly tackle. Some creations resemble crickets, grasshoppers or other creatures that bluegills love to eat.
Bass anglers can also benefit from a mayfly hatch. Some bass eat the insects, but larger bass gather to feed on the schooling bluegills. For bass, fish lures
in panfish colors near the hatch or drag plastics worms along the bottom.
In Mississippi, hatches typically
arise from late March through early November with the peak from late June to mid-September. Anglers never know exactly when or where a major hatch might erupt. A hatch could occur along any freshwater stream or lake in the Magnolia State, but generally happen in places with little current.
Any angler lucky enough to find a hatch in progress could enjoy incredibly fast action, turning an otherwise humdrum day into a fantastic memory.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
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