Attn: Kwin!

[P.A.W.]

In the last 2 weeks the stripers have been puddling on the surface all over the main lake. I mean by the hundreds if not thousands. They have no fear of a slow trolling boat, but throw any kind of lure and they scatter instantly. When cleaning the few I have caught recently, I found their bellies full of some kind of larvae or midge. Clearly the onset of warm weather has set off a hatch and the stripers are keyed in on slurping up these critters rather than chasing bait.
So, can you tell us what these tiny critters are? Thanks!

[kwin]

In the last 2 weeks the stripers have been puddling on the surface all over the main lake. I mean by the hundreds if not thousands. They have no fear of a slow trolling boat, but throw any kind of lure and they scatter instantly. When cleaning the few I have caught recently, I found their bellies full of some kind of larvae or midge. Clearly the onset of warm weather has set off a hatch and the stripers are keyed in on slurping up these critters rather than chasing bait.
So, can you tell us what these tiny critters are? Thanks!

They do the same thing at Mathews. Without seeing them I can't be sure what they are eating. I do know it's not a good sign for the striper population if they've resorted to eating midges/larvae/veligers.

[P.A.W.]

Thanks for responding. The mystery continues. At least after a few years of seeing this behavior I now know better than to futiley chase them around the lake. This too shall pass and they'll be back on bait soon enough.