Hi Willard fishing folks. My question is when do those big clouds of annoying gnats happen over the water at Willard? I know the skeeters are there from May to September; but are those gnat clouds just a big problem for one month in the spring? I hear they are all males looking for females to fly through the cloud. Are they worse in the mornings or evenings? Are they worse on the south end than the north end? thx
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[#0000FF]Those are midges...not gnats.
Unlike mosquitoes, midges have no biting mouth parts. They are both male and female.
They hatch when water and air temps suit them. It is usually late morning...but not always. Sometimes they begin very early in the day.
Midge larvae are a big part of the invertebrate food supply for fish in Willard. All species will live off them if no larger food is available. And the young of most species need them to grow large enough to feed on shad or other fish species.
The larvae live in the mud in various parts of the lake and may be almost anywhere on the lake. But they are most prevalent where there are muddy shallows...like the NE corner of the lake or off other shallow beaches when water levels are lower.
Get a head net to wear when the swarms are worst and you will avoid getting them in your eyes, ears and mouth. Good protein but not very tasty.
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Thx. Do they form large clouds all summer or are they most annoying during one particular time of the year; say mid-May to mid-June?
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[#0000FF]Some days and some times are definitely worse than others. Not sure what the temperature and/or barometric triggers are but the bugs all seem to get the message about the same time and form big swarms. They sometimes get so thick they look like clouds of smoke hanging above high points...like bushes or the top of the dikes, etc. That can include anglers...especially if in a boat anchored near one of the dikes.
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Seems like they start getting worse about the time the crappies spawn...mid May or so...when water temps are 60-65 degrees. I know that is a time when I always keep my headnet in my pocket for fast deployment. As the summer progresses the swarms seem to decrease a bit but there can be times when they are bothersome up until early fall, when water temps drop back down below their comfort zone.
May is also when the shad are spawning, but the young are not yet large enough to interest the predators. So when the hordes of midge larvae start coming out of the mud to hatch out the larger fish will just swim through clouds of them with their mouths open. Most of the crappies you catch at this time will be full of midge larvae. And I have also caught both cats and wipers with midges in their innards. Not so much with walleyes. But then, I don't catch as many walleyes anymore as I do the other species. Paid political announcement.
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If you have a white vehicle, just leave a window open a crack. You'll be able to examine several thousand of them at your leisure.
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I grew up near Willard and fished it all night quite often even in buggy season. One good trick at night is to wear dark clothes, set up two propane lanterns about 35 feet away from you on either side. Leave the glass OFF the mantels. They act just like bug zappers. You just have to get the distance right so you can see your gear but not be so lit that bugs come to you and not the light, thus the dark clothes also. If the wind is blowing enough to blow your mantels out or their glare is bothering you you can use aluminum foil to block the wind / light. Only do this in rocky areas away from grass etc. Yeah, there's a story there [
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[#0000FF]As a matter of fact, I do have a white vehicle. And not only have I had the pleasure of having a couple of thousand additional passengers on the ride home but they also cover the entire shady side of the car as well. Now you have a two tone car.
What's as bad...or worse...is having a couple of pesky mosquitoes sneak in along with the camouflage (midges) and then having them launch strafing attacks on the way home.
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Thanks for the details Pat. I did not know about the underwater activities with these guys.
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Wow. Guess what? I have a white truck. I guess I am in trouble.
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At least the ones at Willard don't bite. Or at least they've never bitten me.
I went to Antelope Island a couple years ago to camp. When I got to the check in booth, she warned me that the bugs were out, and they won't give a refund if I decide not to stay. I said bugs don't bother me, and went down the road.
Started setting up camp, and I got a few pinches on the back of my neck. At first I thought just a couple mosquitos, but it was every other couple of seconds! I might as well have been getting a tattoo! Holy Hell I could not get my fire started fast enough to sit in the smoke (silly me didn't have bug spray, cuz as I said, they usually don't bother me)
I will never camp on that island ever again! I'll stick to Willard, where they're just annoying, not painful!
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I wouldn't mind hearing that story. PM me sometime.
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I think they may have been deer flies. They swarm and bite like no other. Blue Lake by the western border was riddled with them.
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Antelope island also has no-see-ums that are very small and will bite too. Mosquito nets don't help cause they are so small they fit thru the holes. From about may until it gets cold antelope island is horrible for bugs, and spiders.
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I don't think it was that... aren't they bigger than house flies? I got bit by a HUGE fly once. Yeah, THAT hurt!
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Yup, they were basically invisible, but packed quite the sting!
It was late April. A warm streak, otherwise I wouldn't have stayed out at night
I'm a wimp at cold weather.
I went to watch the Lyrids meteor shower...and of course it got cloudy right at midnight! That made me more mad than the bugs!
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