What to do when bass are jumping and going after bugs 2024
flg2010 reply :
So last evening at around 6:30pm I got home from work and decided to do a few hours of fishing from shore on the Wallkill. I did my usual rotation which is:
- Roadrunner Jigs (multiple colors, white grub, yellow fur, black fur) swimmed slowly from 40 - 50 feet up stream, downstream, and across river cast.
- Various silver and gold spoons
- Various Crankbaits, stop and go retrieve casted to structure
- Spinnerbaits.
- Wacky rigged plastic worms
Nothing not even a bite. However large smallmouth were jumping after bugs in the same areas. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME
This was another frustrating experience especially since all of the above either worked to land the fish I have posted (and more) before or used to get a strike.
Any suggestions, I expect it will get only worse (as it did last year until fall).
I am seriously considering grabing some nightcrawlers and fishing for catfish.
RAMBLER reply :
Fly rod and small bluegill sized poppers. It's about the most fun you can have catching bass.
Oregon Native reply :
A Pop-R twitched a bit could make you happy happy.
RichF reply :
On 5/18/2017 at 8:25 PM, Oregon Native said:A Pop-R twitched a bit could make you happy happy.
I agree with this. Try any smaller topwater bait with a feathered back treble hook. I've been in situations before, in late may, where the only bait I could get the smallmouth to bite was a spook.
Tucson reply :
On 5/18/2017 at 8:24 PM, RAMBLER said:Fly rod and small bluegill sized poppers. It's about the most fun you can have catching bass.
Rambler, you hit the nail on the head. Bass + Flyrod = great fishing joy.
Kyhokie reply :
They were carp. ?
lo n slo reply :
tiny torpedo and count to three
blckshirt98 reply :
Try twitching one of these -
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Megabass_Grand_Siglett/descpage-MBGRS.html
evilcatfish reply :
On 5/19/2017 at 4:47 AM, blckshirt98 said:Try twitching one of these -
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Megabass_Grand_Siglett/descpage-MBGRS.html
This is a fun one too
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Duo_Realis_Shinmushi_Cicada_Bug/descpage-DUOSHI.html
WRB reply :
When bass are looking up and surface feeding don't fish under them. A wide variety of surface or wake baits will work from poppers, chuggers, buzzers, surface swimmers and floater divers waked.
G770 1/4 oz Hula Popper or Pop-R, SK mini 1/8 oz buzz bait would be good to start with.
Tom
A-Jay reply :
We have a rather intense Mayfly hatch here. (next full moon actually)
While this is going on THE ONLY way I can get bit is to break out the fly rod.
But, I'm here to tell ya - for Big Smallies - It's Totally worth it.
A-Jay
12poundbass reply :
On 5/19/2017 at 6:01 AM, A-Jay said:We have a rather intense Mayfly hatch here. (next full moon actually)
While this is going on THE ONLY way I can get bit is to break out the fly rod.
But, I'm here to tell ya - for Big Smallies - It's Totally worth it.
A-Jay
Ahhh the dreaded Mayfly hatch up north. That would always hit when we'd head north to walleye fish when I was a kid. Absolutly killed the fishing the entire trip.
A-Jay reply :
On 5/19/2017 at 6:05 AM, 12poundbass said:Ahhh the dreaded Madly hatch up north. That would always hit when we'd head north to walleye fish when I was a kid. Absolutly killed the fishing the entire trip.
I used to be in the crowd to - but if you want to really put a hurting on then - break out the buggy whip.
And I'm a hack fly casting - all you have to do is get it 20 feet or so away from the boat and let it sit - Slurp !
btw - I catch walleye during the hatch all the time.
Maybe this season I can get some of the action on video - usually happens at sunset so we'll see.
A-Jay
Darren. reply :
No fly fishing for me. Tried it moons ago, wasn't my cup o' tea.
I'd rather do Tenkara, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
That said, I caught a 3.6 pounder the other week as I was trolling
to a spot in my kayak. Just behind me to the left a big splash.
I cut the motor, turned to see the ripples and threw a Ned rig into
it. BANG, nice fight through tall grass and 3.6# later joy joy joy.
I did not see any shad runs, so I'm assuming it was either going
after a fish feeding up there, or bugs.
RoLo reply :
That sounds like a classic mayfly hatch to me.
Panfish poppers on a fly rod will take panfish and bass on successive casts, a Real Blast!
Alternatively, a clear 'bubble float' may be used with spinning gear, that is, if they're still available.
Roger
WRB reply :
Clear bubble floats that can be partially filled with water are still made for the trout crowd.
Tom
gimruis reply :
Aint quite warm enough here for the bug hatch but its definitely coming. First one is usually around Memorial Day and new hatches of midges, lake flies, may flies, etc emerge every few days it seems for a couple months. Some of them are of biblical proportions. There was one so massive last June that the National Weather Service actually picked it up on radar.
scaleface reply :
I'm going to have to remember the fly rod next time there is a cicada hatch . When bass are hitting cicadas I have a devil of a time trying to catch them .
Angry John reply :
On 5/19/2017 at 5:30 AM, evilcatfish said:This is a fun one too
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Duo_Realis_Shinmushi_Cicada_Bug/descpage-DUOSHI.html
This is what i was going to recommend. I love mine
Preytorien reply :
On 5/19/2017 at 5:30 AM, evilcatfish said:This is a fun one too
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Duo_Realis_Shinmushi_Cicada_Bug/descpage-DUOSHI.html
I agree, those are both really good baits. I bought a couple and they're not a lure you pull out every day, but for those specific conditions - similar to the OP's - these really shine.
thebillsman reply :
Megabass Siglett!
love that lure. I've got two with the fur finish and one that's darker colored. The beetle-x is great too but considerably larger. It will walk like a jitterbug but is more effective still. It's like fly fishing with a baitcaster.
craww reply :
Google nories bug by kinami baits. We have an intense bite here when dragonflies are flying close to the surface and bass are jumping out of the water all over to catch em, quite a site to behold.
A weightless nories bug in black is lights out in that situation. Theyre Yammamotos sons company and made out of the same dense, castable plastics with good subtle action from the appendages.
WRB reply :
If the OP is willing to spend $20 for lures fishing a river then cicada would be a good choice, but not that much better a small Hula Popper or small Jitterbug. Smallmouth bass are aggressive surface feeders unless the hatch is overwhelming like Mayflies can be.
Tom
flg2010 reply :
On 5/19/2017 at 6:05 AM, 12poundbass said:Ahhh the dreaded Mayfly hatch up north. That would always hit when we'd head north to walleye fish when I was a kid. Absolutly killed the fishing the entire trip.
I suspect the bigger bass are just going for the flys.. I might need to learn how to fly fish
Caught this small-mouth bass today in the Wallkill on a grub-like plastic worm tried all sorts of colors and green grey was working today? lol... sigh. around 12 - 13 inches.
Surface lures did not work, could be my poor skill at them.
flg2010 reply :
I caught this sunfish next.. its the biggest sunfish I have ever seen. This one destroyed the bait all that is left is the hook.
Both fish were released unharmed and I managed to catch a ton smaller smallmouth on that plastic. I need to learn to flyfish.. I could have caught the 3+ pound smallies jumping...if I only had a flyrod..
fishwizzard reply :
On 5/19/2017 at 6:36 AM, Darren. said:
I'd rather do Tenkara, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
I am sorta feeling the same thing. I fish the C&O canal as often as I can and there are some monster carp in there. I would love to catch one, but not enough to sit there with corn for a day. A tenkara rig would fit in the water bottle slot in my pack with room to spare.
greentrout reply :
Rebel makes a grasshopper & bumble bee lures. I have caught bass with them. I'm down South and have witnessed LMB in ponds & small lakes jump out of the water for Dragonflies. Years ago, 10 plus, remember seeing an ad for this product using a Dragon fly. I never bought it or used it.
Hover Lure >> http://www.hoverlure.com/
Leapin' Largemouths >> https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/leaping_largemouth.html
OCdockskipper reply :
I fish a different scenario than you, largemouth on a lake as opposed to smallmouth on a river. We don't get hatches out here like the rest of the country, but we do get a decent amount of dragonflies during the summer. When the largemouth are chasing them, I have found that a small (4") Senko, wacky rigged and skipped along the surface gets bit. The skip cast, even in open water, is the trick because it imitates the dragonfly skipping along the surface. The bites are either mid skip or as it just begins to sink. If you don't get hit hit within 10 seconds of it sinking, don't bother with a retrieve; just reel in & make another cast.
I don't know if it will translate to your situation, but it may not hurt to try.
Turkey sandwich reply :
Smallmouth on the fly rod are about as fun as it gets. The Susquehanna has massive mayfly and stonefly hatches throughout the summer into the fall. And I mean, massive to the point where they end up everywhere and it's almost hard to breathe without eating them. If the hatch is on, but not pea soup dense, matching the hatch and throwing similar white, March Brown, blue winged-olive, etc can be very effective for catching everything in the river. I've even seen channel catfish taken this way. As the hatch gets more dense, I tend to believe that the bass, walleye, etc are more likely to key in on the panfish and baitfish feeding up than the bugs themselves and small poppers on either a fly or spinning rod can be really effective. When the water just seems totally covered in spent spinners (dying mayflies after laying eggs) I like more commotion and a bigger profile and typically favor walking baits or even a torpedo. Through most of this, if you like throwing big flies, a Clouser minnow or Lefty's Deceiver worked just under the surface can be absolute money. Once you learn to fish the hatch, you'll learn to love them. Even if you're throwing dry flies, bass tend to be much, much less finicky than trout.
WRB reply :
May fly hatch is something we don't have. When my inlaws were in Ontario, Lake of the Woods, I have experienced May Fly hatch and they are incredible with miles of floating mats of bugs and fish feasting on them.
You can catch smallies on fly rods all summer and worth doing, they are very strong and high jumpers.
Tom
RoLo reply :
On 5/20/2017 at 2:40 PM, Turkey sandwich said:As the hatch gets more dense, I tend to believe that the bass, walleye, etc are more likely to key in on the panfish and baitfish feeding up than the bugs themselves.
You said a mouthful, right there!
That also answers the question why trophy bass are often taken under a mayfly hatch 
Roger
Turkey sandwich reply :
Thanks. It's a major feeding trend that used to frustrate the hell out of me. Also, in recent years, the more I've gotten into fly fishing, the more it's helped me understand the food chain, and it's benefited my use of traditional gear a bunch. In general, though, if you can catch smallies on the fly, do it. It's incredible fun.
RoLo reply :
On 5/21/2017 at 10:09 AM, Turkey sandwich said:Thanks. It's a major feeding trend that used to frustrate the hell out of me. Also, in recent years, the more I've gotten into fly fishing, the more it's helped me understand the food chain, and it's benefited my use of traditional gear a bunch. In general, though, if you can catch smallies on the fly, do it. It's incredible fun.
I knew when you mentioned "March Brown" that you were a fly fisherman (my go-to wet fly was a Light Cahill)
Anyone who's never been frustrated by an insect hatch, doesn't get on the water enough
Roger
WRB reply :
Living in SoCal one of the good things is we don't have bugs. NorCal around the delta they have lots of bugs. Up in the high altitude mountains they have mosquitos, hats a occasional cicada hatches.
Back east and the south they have bugs. North in Canada they have 10,000 or 100,000 lakes depending on the province and the have bugs, everything tends to bite. The May flies are unbelievable when a hatch is going on, something you have to witness to comprehend.
I used to back pack into trout wilderness and understand matching the hatch. May flies are a cloud of big inserts that cover miles, a major food source ot the fish in those areas.
when you see a few bass jumping to catch dragon flies, it's the Darner nymph that the majority of the bass are feeding on, not the airborne insects.
May flies the fish eat both nymphs and airborne insects, it's the nymphs the smaller bluegill and pearch are after.
Tom
Turkey sandwich reply :
On 5/21/2017 at 10:24 AM, RoLo said:
I knew when you mentioned "March Brown" that you were a fly fisherman (my go-to wet fly was a Light Cahill)
Anyone who's never been frustrated by an insect hatch, doesn't get on the water enough
Roger
I'm far from being good at it, but I'm learning. It's a lot to learn to really be good at (as if bass fishing is that much better, lol), but it's taught me a lot about the bigger underwater picture.
As for nymphs and larvae, bass will eat all of it. Hellgramites are the best example, but they'll eat any larvae that happens to be convenient.
Maico1 reply :
MegaBass Siglett in Mat Higurashi it has the glow wing , smallmouth love it and you will too.......
RoLo reply :
On 5/21/2017 at 3:10 PM, Turkey sandwich said:
I'm far from being good at it, but I'm learning. It's a lot to learn to really be good at (as if bass fishing is that much better, lol), but it's taught me a lot about the bigger underwater picture.
As for nymphs and larvae, bass will eat all of it. Hellgramites are the best example, but they'll eat any larvae that happens to be convenient.
When I was a youngster, it was 'catch-&-keep' (barring 'No-Kill' trout zones), and at that time
live bait stood toe-to-toe with artificial lures. We'd throw a pitch fork in the trunk to dig up worms,
and turned over rocks to grab live crayfish. Back then, live "hellgrammites" were the premiere
live bait for smallmouth bass, but today the BR custom dictionary sees that word as a misspelling 
'Times they are a changin'
Roger
UPSmallie reply :
On 5/19/2017 at 6:01 AM, A-Jay said:We have a rather intense Mayfly hatch here. (next full moon actually)
While this is going on THE ONLY way I can get bit is to break out the fly rod.
But, I'm here to tell ya - for Big Smallies - It's Totally worth it.
A-Jay
Yes, this! In mid to late July, the Atlantic Salmon up here hammer the Hex Mayfly hatch. You can see them jumping everywhere. They won't bite a thing unless it's a fly or a smelt streamer. One of these days I'm going to buy an Orvis 8-weight and give the whole fly fishing thing a go.
Turkey sandwich reply :
On 5/21/2017 at 10:43 PM, RoLo said:
When I was a youngster, it was 'catch-&-keep' (barring 'No-Kill' trout zones), and at that time
live bait stood toe-to-toe with artificial lures. We'd throw a pitch fork in the trunk to dig up worms,
and turned over rocks to grab live crayfish. Back then, live "hellgrammites" were the premiere
live bait for smallmouth bass, but today the BR custom dictionary sees that word as a misspelling
'Times they are a changin'
Roger
I have a net that I'm yet to use, but we used to do something very similar for helgramites and madtoms where we'd set a net downstream in current and flip or rake to dislodge critters. Incredible way (where legal) to collect live bait.
flg2010 reply :
I have an update.. caught a few 2 to 3 pound smallmouths on trout fake pink tiny worms... someone told me to try it and I did.. it worked. Very very strange.....
Apparently they are going for those and will eventually be back on jig fake grubs..
In the wallkill that is... lol
Thanks for all the advice.. I might be buying a fly fishing setup (for backup) and getting some lessons.
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