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Lateral view of a Female Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeridae) (Hex) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Hex Mayflies
Hexagenia limbata

The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.

27" brown trout, my largest ever. It was the sub-dominant fish in its pool. After this, I hooked the bigger one, but I couldn't land it.
Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Oct 17, 2008October 17th, 2008, 1:33 pm EDT
Many 8# - 10# fish and most were very bright. Best flies were #12 - #16 stoneflies in black and brown with 4X tippet. 3X works but you get more hookups with 4X.



Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Martinlf
Martinlf's profile picture
Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3047
Martinlf on Oct 21, 2008October 21st, 2008, 1:19 pm EDT
Nice fish, Matt! I hope to go up during Christmas break.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell
Troutnut
Troutnut's profile picture
Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2758
Troutnut on Oct 21, 2008October 21st, 2008, 3:13 pm EDT
Great fish!
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Oct 22, 2008October 22nd, 2008, 10:27 am EDT
Hello Louis,

If you are going up at Christmas break maybe we can go together. Remember though it is pointless to drive for six hours if the streams are low. Even when there are fish in the creeks they are very spooky when the creeks are low and clear. They see guys walking around all day and are jumpy. When they are low normally you can hook a few at dawn and then again at dusk.

Ideally you will be keeping an eye on the weather - you don't want just a shower because by the time you get there the creeks will be low again. You want a good all day, or two day steady rain, then check out the reports at fisherie.com - when it stops you should be driving up. As the creeks start to drop and turn a greenish color with little visibility is when you will get fish.

I used a 9' #7 and thought about using a 9' #6 as you aren't casting very much at all - a roll cast is pretty much all I did and I never used more than two BB's but the power and size of the fish made me happy I was using the #7. The stream beds are just full of shale - you will lose gobs of flies - if you aren't losing flies you probably aren't down in the zone.

If you look behind me at the top picture you can see light and dark water - the edge between the light and dark is a shelf and fish lay in the darker colored water and parallel to those shelves.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
CaseyP
CaseyP's profile picture
Arlington, VA/ Mercersburg, PA

Posts: 653
CaseyP on Jan 8, 2009January 8th, 2009, 6:06 am EST
JAD--wow, that was an awesome fish! thanks for yet another motivating post; gonna get me up there sometime before i get Called Above!
"You can observe a lot by watching." Yogi Berra
JAD
JAD's profile picture
Alexandria Pa

Posts: 362
JAD on Jan 8, 2009January 8th, 2009, 11:43 am EST
Thanks CaseyP
I should be able to post a pic, but as you see I'm not doing a very good job

JaD

They fasten red (crimson red) wool around a hook, and fix onto the wool two feathers which grow under a cock’s wattles, and which in colour are like wax.
Radcliffe's Fishing from the Earliest Times,
CaseyP
CaseyP's profile picture
Arlington, VA/ Mercersburg, PA

Posts: 653
CaseyP on Jan 8, 2009January 8th, 2009, 2:54 pm EST
i do feel your pain...photobucket is sooo frustrating!
"You can observe a lot by watching." Yogi Berra
JAD
JAD's profile picture
Alexandria Pa

Posts: 362
JAD on Jan 9, 2009January 9th, 2009, 2:00 am EST
Try this.

They fasten red (crimson red) wool around a hook, and fix onto the wool two feathers which grow under a cock’s wattles, and which in colour are like wax.
Radcliffe's Fishing from the Earliest Times,
JAD
JAD's profile picture
Alexandria Pa

Posts: 362
JAD on Jan 9, 2009January 9th, 2009, 2:12 am EST
I think I figured it out.









They fasten red (crimson red) wool around a hook, and fix onto the wool two feathers which grow under a cock’s wattles, and which in colour are like wax.
Radcliffe's Fishing from the Earliest Times,

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