# Cats and Mayfly's on the Choctaw



## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

After fishing bream at 7 Runs yesterday morning I ran brush hooks with a buddy last night out of Cowford on the Choctawhatchee. The bite was very poor...only 1 butter cat about 6 or 7 pound and 1 small channel. About 9pm we ran into a Mayfly hatch. They were under my glasses, in my ears and mouth, down my shirt and in the shiner bait box. I bet the bream had a field day this morning when they woke up and saw thousands of Mayflies on the water. The hatch could have happened before dark...I don't know, but they were in the air and on the water at 9pm. 
Made a few photos just before dark. Beautiful on the river last night. Millions of stars out there and warm enough for T shirt and shorts.


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## Jeffbro999#2 (Feb 17, 2014)

Nice report FishWalton. Thanks for the heads up on the hatch. Our best days bass fishing at the lake last year were days when the lake was covered with those things getting the bream moving around.


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## Emerald Ghost (Mar 11, 2008)

Lay a white bed sheet in the boat and a set a light board on top at dark 30. Drift with the breeze and you'll have bream bait for weeks. They'll keep live 4-5 days on a cardboard flat in a refrigerator. 
Mud cats and bream candy.


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

I took a customer striper fishing one night several years ago, and we had very little if any strikes by about 9:00 PM. I heard something in the distance above the hum of the trolling motor and decided to check it out. The closer we got, we could tell it was fish popping on the surface. Big (2" bodies) mayflies were hatching, and the stripers were amongst them. We managed 9 big ones before the bite quit (saving the trip). I don't know if the stripers were eating the mayflies or the bream that were attracted to them. They were well up on a 3' deep flat - a place I never would have dragged my shad, which explained why we weren't catching in my "usual places".


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## dhunter (Apr 2, 2013)

Great Pics and good report as usual FW........ nj


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

catfish are spawning


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## firespan1 (Sep 7, 2011)

*Mullet?*

How is the mullet bite now fishwalton?


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## firespan1 (Sep 7, 2011)

*Sorry.*

Sorry about the confusion, I was asking fishwalton about the mullet fishing lately,anyone else please chime in also.


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## Sailor50 (Nov 8, 2007)

Good report, thanks


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

firespan1......talked to an avid mullet guy on Friday at Black Creek and his report was not good. It's still very much hit and miss. I went once last week and fished 3 hours...not a bite


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

Nice report. I saw 3 willowfly last night. No big hatch yet on lake Dannelly


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

I just learned this weekend that a mayfly lives most of its life as a nymph in the water. They live under rocks and debris and rise to the surface and hatch as a mayfly. After hatching they only live for roughly 24 hrs in the common fly form...makes better sense now why the bream love them so much.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Fished out of Black Creek Lodge today and the Mayfly's were still plastered to the building by the ramp,but not as many as last Friday. A local said they have been around the area for the past couple of weeks. They must be hatching every day or two somewhere around the area. 

Bite today was poor. Only 9 keeper bream but 5 were the big ones.


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## firespan1 (Sep 7, 2011)

*thanks for report*

Thanks fishwalton, I went yesterday,(5-18). Caught one for a full days effort!!


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## Donald811 (May 17, 2011)

fishwalton said:


> Fished out of Black Creek Lodge today and the Mayfly's were still plastered to the building by the ramp,but not as many as last Friday. A local said they have been around the area for the past couple of weeks. They must be hatching every day or two somewhere around the area.
> 
> Bite today was poor. Only 9 keeper bream but 5 were the big ones.


Hey J.B., has the water cleared up any?


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Donald811 said:


> Hey J.B., has the water cleared up any?


Donald.....river cleared up pretty good in Cowford area and down below but not entirely. With latest rain and rise it will be a little muddy and trash. Fished 7Runs/Dead River this morning and the river is up about 2 feet from Wednesday of last week and a little muddy and trash. Scum back in areas where wind does not blow around. We fished slough off the old river and got 15 bream...no bragging size but good eating size.

It's still decent enough to fish back in the lakes.

Last Friday the bass were doing pretty good down below the 
Sisters.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

fishwalton said:


> Donald.....river cleared up pretty good in Cowford area and down below but not entirely. With latest rain and rise it will be a little muddy and trash. Fished 7Runs/Dead River this morning and the river is up about 2 feet from Wednesday of last week and a little muddy and trash. Scum back in areas where wind does not blow around. We fished slough off the old river and got 15 bream...no bragging size but good eating size.
> 
> It's still decent enough to fish back in the lakes.
> 
> ...


Any catfish reports?


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

CatHunter said:


> Any catfish reports?


Have three reports over past week or so of a few cats up to about 10 pounds from the Choctawchatchee. Met up with a guy this morning that had a couple of 4-5 pounders from brush hooks.

Those who fish for the big cats don't post on PFF, but hearsay is they are being caught and the shock poachers are still active in the upper river. That's the word I get anyway.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

fishwalton said:


> Have three reports over past week or so of a few cats up to about 10 pounds from the Choctawchatchee. Met up with a guy this morning that had a couple of 4-5 pounders from brush hooks.
> 
> Those who fish for the big cats don't post on PFF, but hearsay is they are being caught and the shock poachers are still active in the upper river. That's the word I get anyway.


Hungry or not hungry wont stop a shocker from catching a boat load.


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