Every year, willow fly hatches at Kentucky and Barkley lakes are brought on by the warm nights of June and July. Although the tiny insects go by a variety of names, such as mayflies and dayflies, to the fish populations of the twin lakes, they only mean one thing: food.
Willow flies are frequent on the area’s waters from May to October, but they swarm in June and July during the warm nights. A mayfly hatch, according to Kentucky Lake fishing guide Steve McCadams, “says summer for fishermen more than anything else.” Anglers of all ages enjoy the feeding frenzy as cast after cast results in strikes from ravenous bluegill and bass. These flies are commonly known as “willow flies” because of their attraction to overhanging willow trees along the lake’s shoreline. ”.
The distinctive features of willow flies include their long, slender bodies, triangular wings held in a straight line above their backs, and their appearance as dense swarms that cover shoreline structures.
The tiny insects spend up to two years of their early lives in the water before emerging to molt into fully developed adults with only one goal: to reproduce the species.
Willow flies swarm into trees and bridges along the shore, where they hang like dark curtains as they emerge from the water. Below the hatch, fish gather and wait for the insects to fall back into the water. As soon as they land, the insects are quickly snatched up by the fish.
Below a willow fly hatch, you can catch bream, crappie, bass, stripe, catfish, and nearly every other predatory fish in the lakes. Insect-eating small fish are consumed by larger fish, which are then caught by anglers. It is a classic food chain reaction.
Nothing compares to fishing with a fly rod and a popping bug or a dry fly for pure angling excitement. You can almost always catch a fish when you cast your bug or fly under a willow fly hatch.
Throwing a stick or rock at the insects hanging from the tree limbs will cause some of them to fall into the water, accelerating the action. They frequently cause the water to boil as fish devour them when they hit it.
Early in the morning is the best time to fish a willow fly hatch because the insects will start to dry out as the sun rises and fly away in a mating ritual that will kill them in a matter of hours.
When willow flies swarm in large numbers, they can accumulate on bridges and roads in large piles that are several inches deep, necessitating the use of snowplows and shovels by road crews to clear them away.
There wouldn’t be as much wildlife in and around our waters without willow flies. They are a crucial source of food for birds, amphibians, and other shoreline animals in addition to fish.
Take advantage of the excellent fishing action that willow flies offer right now.
Held said, “When a hatch takes place, it draws a lot of fish because insects give them so much protein.” Fish engage in a frenzy-like behavior when there are a lot of bugs in the water. It would be comparable to discarding fish pellets in a location where people feed fish daily in the same location. Fish will go for anything that hits the water. When fish are in that condition, they may attack a twig that is thrown into the water. ”.
Mayflies, also known as willow flies or shad flies, spend the majority of their lives underwater. The insects resemble elongated or flattened crickets as nymphs, also known as naiads when in their aquatic form, or perhaps a hybrid of a cricket and a shrimp. They form massive swarms when they emerge from the water as adults with wings.
We each frantically made a cast or two as we sped past the strike zone, hoping not to snag on anything. When the bug hit the honey hole, a large bluegill blasted it right away. The boat required bailing once more as we passed the honey hole. We hoped the engine would start after bailing the boat dry, or at least what passed for dry, in a device that resembled a noodle strainer. Fortunately, it never failed us. That afternoon, we repeatedly made this effort by running the outboard past the bushes full of bugs until we got bored trying to catch fish.
One hot summer afternoon, my fishing partner and I noticed significant activity beneath several low bushes overhanging the water along a cypress-lined stretch of shoreline. Insects completely covered every bush and tree limb. Beneath the limbs, the water boiled in a section about 10 yards long as if a million piranhas attacked a bleeding capybara. We immediately whipped out our fly rods.
On July 3, 2020, a gigantic swarm appeared on National Weather Service radar 50 miles away and blanketed the town of Burlington, Iowa. In 2014, a hatch on the upper Mississippi River near La Crosse, Wis., reached an altitude of 2,500 feet. On radar, it looked like a significant rainstorm. In June 2015, a hatch along the Susquehanna River near Columbia, Pa., grew so thick that police had to close a bridge over the river because motorists couldn’t see. Sometimes, northern communities use snowplows to push piles of insects off bridges so people can drive.
And if you time it just right. as the willow flies are actually hatching out. Fish of all kinds frequently enter a feeding frenzy. There is absolutely no way to anticipate when the hatches will open, and timing is everything. It’s kind of like winning the lottery when you’re there at the right time.
Willow flies can be distinguished from stoneflies and other insects by their three tails, which vary in length and are decorated with species for those who are interested. Adults have four see-through wings held aloft while resting. Both larvae and adults have three (or, less frequently, two) long filaments that protrude from their abdomen. The larvae, known as naiads, have rows of gills that resemble leaves running down the sides of their bodies (typically 7 pairs of gills). For the two to three years they spend in the water (varies with species), they eat small plants, animals, and debris. Mating occurs in a swarm. Although swarm formations vary from species to species, males typically congregate very close to the water. Within the swarm, the insects are always changing positions. Males attempt to mate with females who enter the swarm. While mating, some float to the ground while others keep flying. After a successful mating, the male will protect the female to prevent another male from mating with her. The female then flies to water to lay her eggs. While flying, she releases a few eggs each time as she dips into the water. Obviously the best opportunity to be swallowed by a feeding fish. The eggs sink to the bottom, beginning the cycle once more and producing fresh fish bait.
As I often do these days when I’m at a loss for words, I’ll begin browsing the internet. And while I did find some information, it seems like there aren’t many specifics about willow flies. The only information I could find that might partially address Bill’s inquiry was that willow fly larvae prefer still water. Maybe the big water is slower moving than the creeks. But that’s just a guess.
Other bass anglers claim to work the edges of hatches with larger lures like spinnerbaits or swimbaits, but I haven’t had the same success. They assert that by imitating the bream that swarm around a hatch, they can catch the biggest bass.
Bream attack popping bugs with enthusiasm unless they are overstuffed with flies. They’ll likely attempt to inhale the popper multiple times if they don’t succeed the first time. The sporting choice for battling a bream is a light fly rod, perhaps a 3-weight or even lighter, but one that delicate could be a source of heartbreak if a bruising smallmouth comes along.
The fish locked onto my popper as an easy meal because there weren’t many willow flies around that day. The catch was set against a short bluff that was covered in wilted rhododendron blooms, indicating that I was on one of the year’s first fresh hatches.
The largest smallmouth bass I’ve ever brought in on a fly rod is something I can recall in great detail. A big brown bass appeared under my popping bug as I was fishing near the mouth of Second Creek on the lower end of Wheeler Lake; due to the fish’s stealth, I briefly believed that a log had been slowly rising to the surface.
A 5-weight with floating line and a 6- or 8-lb. Mono leader is a good all-around option and will handle the majority of the larger bass; just don’t go too small.