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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Nymphs of this species were fairly common in late-winter kick net samples from the upper Yakima River. Although I could not find a key to species of Zapada nymphs, a revision of the Nemouridae family by Baumann (1975) includes the following helpful sentence: "2 cervical gills on each side of midline, 1 arising inside and 1 outside of lateral cervical sclerites, usually single and elongate, sometimes constricted but with 3 or 4 branches arising beyond gill base in Zapada cinctipes." This specimen clearly has the branches and is within the range of that species.
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Oldredbarn has attached these 10 pictures. The message is below.
Oldredbarn on May 31, 2010May 31st, 2010, 9:09 am EDT
The camera's new to me just prior to this trip and I need to work out some of the "bugs"...Pun intended.
I'll just post these and if a discussion ensues we can go from there.
Enjoy!
Spence
I'll just post these and if a discussion ensues we can go from there.
Enjoy!
Spence
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Jmd123 on May 31, 2010May 31st, 2010, 9:11 am EDT
Hey man, where's the pics???? You must still have a few BUGS to work out there, Spence...
Jonathon
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Oldredbarn on May 31, 2010May 31st, 2010, 9:45 am EDT
Jon,
When you open this post it shows the written notes...Just toggle up on the right side there and the pic's are above the script.
Spence
P.S.
Are you up north? Enjoy yourself!
When you open this post it shows the written notes...Just toggle up on the right side there and the pic's are above the script.
Spence
P.S.
Are you up north? Enjoy yourself!
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
TNEAL on May 31, 2010May 31st, 2010, 10:21 am EDT
Best thing about the Hex starting on May 30: hopper season will start that much sooner. Assuming, of course, that there is still enough water to float a hopper....
Oldredbarn on May 31, 2010May 31st, 2010, 10:43 am EDT
Tim,
The "Big-Boy" was a little confusing to the folks in the shop...I think that once the "Entomology Boys" chime in here they will call it Litobrancha recurvata...We can still call it "The Early Hex" like everyone else up there.
I wish I could of shown you the pile of limbs etc just below their big mud bank...One would emerge and flop around too long and end up down it that wood pile and there would be a nice slurp. I believe there's a Brown in there that's so big he actually can no longer swim out of the hole he's found. He's in an absolutely impossible place to fish to and if you manged, by hook or crook, to float a fly in to him...well...kiss your leader good-bye, eh!?
This fly was something like 20mm long! Give or take.
It was so warm this past week that they had no problems hatching out. I actually picked up one still in the shuck and it hatched in the palm of my hand and flew off.
Spence
The "Big-Boy" was a little confusing to the folks in the shop...I think that once the "Entomology Boys" chime in here they will call it Litobrancha recurvata...We can still call it "The Early Hex" like everyone else up there.
I wish I could of shown you the pile of limbs etc just below their big mud bank...One would emerge and flop around too long and end up down it that wood pile and there would be a nice slurp. I believe there's a Brown in there that's so big he actually can no longer swim out of the hole he's found. He's in an absolutely impossible place to fish to and if you manged, by hook or crook, to float a fly in to him...well...kiss your leader good-bye, eh!?
This fly was something like 20mm long! Give or take.
It was so warm this past week that they had no problems hatching out. I actually picked up one still in the shuck and it hatched in the palm of my hand and flew off.
Spence
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Softhackle on May 31, 2010May 31st, 2010, 11:34 am EDT
Great photos, Spence. Those flies look they'd temp any fish to feed.
Mark
Mark
"I have the highest respect for the skilled wet-fly fisherman, as he has mastered an art of very great difficulty." Edward R. Hewitt
Flymphs, Soft-hackles and Spiders: http://www.troutnut.com/libstudio/FS&S/index.html
Flymphs, Soft-hackles and Spiders: http://www.troutnut.com/libstudio/FS&S/index.html
Jmd123 on May 31, 2010May 31st, 2010, 2:08 pm EDT
CRAP - I had better dig out those old Hex imitations I haven't used in years - GLAD you got those pics up, Spence!!!!!
I will be packing and taking my tying gear with me...and probably doing some tying tonight before I depart in the morning...
The Maple is probably a few weeks behind the AuSable, but better safe than sorry! I was wondering if they might just show up early this year. Too bad they're not in the Rifle - a fellow named Mike Bachelder who used to (still does?) run a fly shop just east of West Branch told me that lampricides put in the Rifle kill the Hex nymphs but I don't know...he was always bugging me (pun intended) to come over to my little lake where there WERE Hex hatches so he could transplant some nymphs. They might just not belong in there, but since the Light Cahill hatch that runs at the same time is so freaking dense in the Rifle, who cares?? I had my very first ten trout night on such a hatch there many years ago...
Jonathon
P.S. Spence, I'll be in the Tuttle Marsh vacinity - should I take my kayak out there so I can see some exotic birds to make you jealous??
I will be packing and taking my tying gear with me...and probably doing some tying tonight before I depart in the morning...
The Maple is probably a few weeks behind the AuSable, but better safe than sorry! I was wondering if they might just show up early this year. Too bad they're not in the Rifle - a fellow named Mike Bachelder who used to (still does?) run a fly shop just east of West Branch told me that lampricides put in the Rifle kill the Hex nymphs but I don't know...he was always bugging me (pun intended) to come over to my little lake where there WERE Hex hatches so he could transplant some nymphs. They might just not belong in there, but since the Light Cahill hatch that runs at the same time is so freaking dense in the Rifle, who cares?? I had my very first ten trout night on such a hatch there many years ago...
Jonathon
P.S. Spence, I'll be in the Tuttle Marsh vacinity - should I take my kayak out there so I can see some exotic birds to make you jealous??
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Wiflyfisher on May 31, 2010May 31st, 2010, 3:21 pm EDT
Great job taking those bug photos! Definitely looks like L. recurvata duns.
John S.
https://WiFlyFisher.com
https://WiFlyFisher.com
Oldredbarn on May 31, 2010May 31st, 2010, 3:38 pm EDT
Jon,
I really wish I had the time stamp on those photos. Those first few of the large fly were taken around 2:00pm! There is a mud bank under some tag alders and I always hike upstream to this spot. It's a good barometer for the burrowing bugs and I seldom run in to angler traffic there.
They were hatching steady but were up under everything and seldom out in the stream. The Au Sable is wonderful this way. Once the big bugs start showing up it's not a bad idea to toss their imitations, even when they are not present, up and over the "lumber", as Rusty used to say. Up in those places that are dark with wood laying under the water. You know that a big Brown is basically a very lazy fellow and will lay in those sheltered spots in shallow water and suck these big flies down every time one floats by.
The weather has been not ideal in my opinion. This spring up north has been too dry and too warm and things seem a little out-of-sinc. The Brown Drake thing is a late night deal and may be passed the prime already in some spots.
I drove home a little out-of-the-way to view the area near Roscommon where we just had a bad fire. Miles and miles of tourched ground right up to cabins in some spots. They need some rain! I was there a full week of no rain what-so-ever and high 80's through low 90's...As Tim Neal hinted the water is low.
I fished the South Branch my first day up and the water temp was just above 70 degrees and I made my mind up that it really wasn't good for the fish over there and didn't return. I ran in to one guy who agreed with me after he caught a nice Brown and when he reached down to release it he thought for a moment he was bass fishing the water was so warm!
I almost talked my friend who I floated with Saturday into skipping the float and head over to Higgins Lake and check out the cuties! Actually, he joked when he offered me a float down the Mainstream for a bikini watch or where we actually went to avoid the canoe traffic...It was tempting!
My folks have a canoe at their place over near Oscoda. You and I should plan a trip to Tuttle together.
Take Care!
Spence
I really wish I had the time stamp on those photos. Those first few of the large fly were taken around 2:00pm! There is a mud bank under some tag alders and I always hike upstream to this spot. It's a good barometer for the burrowing bugs and I seldom run in to angler traffic there.
They were hatching steady but were up under everything and seldom out in the stream. The Au Sable is wonderful this way. Once the big bugs start showing up it's not a bad idea to toss their imitations, even when they are not present, up and over the "lumber", as Rusty used to say. Up in those places that are dark with wood laying under the water. You know that a big Brown is basically a very lazy fellow and will lay in those sheltered spots in shallow water and suck these big flies down every time one floats by.
The weather has been not ideal in my opinion. This spring up north has been too dry and too warm and things seem a little out-of-sinc. The Brown Drake thing is a late night deal and may be passed the prime already in some spots.
I drove home a little out-of-the-way to view the area near Roscommon where we just had a bad fire. Miles and miles of tourched ground right up to cabins in some spots. They need some rain! I was there a full week of no rain what-so-ever and high 80's through low 90's...As Tim Neal hinted the water is low.
I fished the South Branch my first day up and the water temp was just above 70 degrees and I made my mind up that it really wasn't good for the fish over there and didn't return. I ran in to one guy who agreed with me after he caught a nice Brown and when he reached down to release it he thought for a moment he was bass fishing the water was so warm!
I almost talked my friend who I floated with Saturday into skipping the float and head over to Higgins Lake and check out the cuties! Actually, he joked when he offered me a float down the Mainstream for a bikini watch or where we actually went to avoid the canoe traffic...It was tempting!
My folks have a canoe at their place over near Oscoda. You and I should plan a trip to Tuttle together.
Take Care!
Spence
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Jmd123 on May 31, 2010May 31st, 2010, 5:14 pm EDT
I might just have to hit the Maple in mid-day as well as dusk then. I never do much out there in the daytime, as it is a small, rather intimate stream, with gin-clear waters and open sandy bottoms and fish hugging tight to overgrown banks and tag alders, logs, etc. In the evening and into dusk they come out a few feet from their hidee holes and start slurping dries - that's when I was planning on throwing White Wulffs, Royal Wulffs, etc. around to see who steps up and says HI THERE. It's worked for me many times before up there. BUT, I did dig out my old Hexes so I have a backup if necessary. Hmmmm, maybe they'll be popping out of Tawas Bay and I can get smallies and perch and God only knows what else - whitefish and wallies??? - throwing big dries out of my kayak. (Maybe I had better whip up some nymphs too, or some tan and grey Woolly Buggers...) Hey, I had Hex hatches over the sunfish beds on my little up north lake and THEY sure didn't turn them down!!! If they're some on the AuSable, there should be some on Tawas Bay. (I recently found a size 6 White Wulff I tied many years ago - along with a size 6 Royal Wulff and Grizzly King dry - so I have some big dudes besides my Hex for the lakes...)
YEE HAW!!!
Jonathon
P.S. You're on for a trip to Tuttle Marsh - with some, OK, a LOT of luck, I will finally get a JOB and move up there and then you'll be welcome to come up anytime.
YEE HAW!!!
Jonathon
P.S. You're on for a trip to Tuttle Marsh - with some, OK, a LOT of luck, I will finally get a JOB and move up there and then you'll be welcome to come up anytime.
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Oldredbarn on Feb 27, 2012February 27th, 2012, 10:06 am EST
Hey! I pulled this back up to show my pictures above of Litobrancha recurvata...This is for the thread from the guy from Quebec...I'm not so sure I'd go L recurvata here but who knows with the variation in these critters from different regions etc...There is a couple nice shots of the female dun above and though she's dark etc, not sure...
I offered these pics to Jason when I took them since he doesn't have any listed with the bug, but he never posted them...
You need to scroll up to the start of the post to see my pics.
Spence
I offered these pics to Jason when I took them since he doesn't have any listed with the bug, but he never posted them...
You need to scroll up to the start of the post to see my pics.
Spence
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
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