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.
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This specimen appears to be of the same species as this one collected in the same spot two months earlier. The identification of both is tentative. This one suffered some physical damage before being photographed, too, so the colors aren't totally natural. I was mostly photographing it to test out some new camera setting idea, which worked really well for a couple of closeups.
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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 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
--Fred Chappell
Troutnut on Oct 21, 2008October 21st, 2008, 3:13 pm EDT
Great fish!
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
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.
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 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 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
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 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 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 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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