Rigging and fishing these popular and very effective trout baits.

Every serious trout angler is aware of the effectiveness and consistency of mudeye baits. They are arguably the most effective trout bait on Australian lakes no matter what the season, but especially over the warmer months of the year. Mudeyes are the nymphal stage of dragonflies.

Mudeyes are popular trout bait

LOCATING
Mudeyes can be found in dams, streams and impoundments; living amongst weed, on submerged timber and rocks. In the heavily weeded stillwaters it is the longer, slender species known as couta mudeye that is often most prevalent, while in streams and flowing water the is the squat, robust spider mudeye you will generally encounter living under rocks. Both species are equally as effective as the other, although it is the couta mudeye that is usually most prevalent.
COLLECTING
Many anglers buy their mudeye baits from tackle shops to save time collecting their own. Virtually every tackle store in ‘trout regions’ will sell these baits. Most mudeyes are collected by dragging weedy farm dams using long handled wire nets, the weed drag up will usually have good numbers of these nymphs where these insects frequent. Large numbers of adult dragonflies around a dam or weedy waterway will usually signal good numbers of nymphs are likely present.
When dragging farm dams for mudeyes and yabbies etc. please ask permission from the owner before doing so.
STORAGE AND HANDLING
Mudeyes can be kept alive for long periods in a cool Styrofoam esky with a good amount of weed and water from the collection point. So, long as the water is replaced occasionally, every five days or so, and the water is kept cool and the esky in the dark, mudeyes can be kept for several weeks in these containers.
Mudeyes are quite hardy, but they are very susceptible to anything that can spoil or poison the water they are stored in. They are also susceptible to sunscreens and insect repellents on angler’s hands, so handle with clean hands and fresh water to maintain them in good condition.
RIGGING
Mudeyes should be fished so that they appear as natural as possible in the water and as such this is achieved by using small bait holder or fly fishing hooks around size #14, #12 or #10.
While some anglers fishing lakes feed a mudeye onto a long shank narrow hook from vent up through the body and out the mouth or out near the insect’s head, this method is not preferred. It quickly kills the insect and detracts from its fishing effectiveness on most occasions in still water. This rigging method is often best when using mudeyes in rocky smaller streams where the current is rougher and repeated casting is involved. When fishing
these waters, rigging this way will usually ensure that the bait remains on the hook longer with repeated casts.
The most reliable and successful method to fish
mudeyes under float in lakes and larger, slower rivers is to lightly clip the hook through the insect’s wing case area to avoid critically damaging the insect. By carefully hooking it in this way you allow the mudeye to move about and remain lively whilst fishing.
In lakes and larger rivers mudeye are mostly fished below a float of some sort, this is usually a bubble float that can be filled with water to allow for some casting distance of these light baits. In these situations, the bait is fished at a predetermined depth (or allowed to drift slowly deeper) below the float and this depth is set using a stopper of some sort. When using this method from the bank it is important that anglers use line grease on the line above the float so that the line between rod and float doesn’t sink to the bottom and get caught or snagged up.

Prime smaller sized rainbow trout will often feed on mudeye baits.

If fishing mudeyes below a float directly beside a boat (as might be done at Dartmouth Dam amongst timber and other deeper lakes) then greasing the line isn’t necessary. In these situations, the mudeye can be allowed to sink down very deeply beside the boat (with the aid of the smallest split shot or swivel a metre above the bait) before clipping on a small piece of cork or fine quill float to hold the desired depth.
Trout will usually take a mudeye lightly before swimming off with it and it is often imperative to allow the trout to do so before setting the hook. Setting the rod at a low angle and allowing slack line or fishing with an open drag is the best method to achieve unhindered line flow when the trout picks up the bait. Laying a tarp of some sort on the ground under the reel area will also give some free line an area to sit without getting caught up in grass and twigs which can hinder free flowing of line when the fish moves off. Always allow the fish to swim off and swallow the mudeye before setting the hook.
Mudeyes can also be fished effectively in smaller or overgrown streams with the aid of one or two small split shots. Greasing the line to within a metre of the bait is all that is necessary to achieve success along with the aid of a greased yarn indicator (as used by fly fishers) if necessary. Casting up into a run or through an undercut or into a snag pile is a great way of fishing areas that fly and lure fishermen simply can’t reach. The angler just needs to be aware of and try and stay in contact with the bait as it floats through an area. The bait being picked up by a fish will usually be indicated by the line or yarn indicator dragging underwater, or stopping, or moving unnaturally in the stream flow. Simply lifting the rod slowly but deliberately against the direction of the line movement will be enough to hook a fish when using small chemically sharpened hooks. Small quill floats can also be employed on streams but these can be more of a hindrance at times on streams with lots of structure and in-stream debris.
The other method of fishing mudeyes (but not really baitfishing in my opinion) is by trolling a mudeye extremely slow behind a cowbell or flashing attractor setup. The setup entails impaling a mudeye through the mouth and out through the dead centre of its tail with a long shank, round bend fly hook of a size to match the bait. The attractor is attached to the line above the bait at a desired length away from the bait (usually at least a metre). This method is extremely effective in Lake Eucumbene, Dartmouth Dam and Lake Purrumbete to name just a few.