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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.
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Crepuscular
Crepuscular's profile picture
Boiling Springs, PA

Posts: 920
Crepuscular on Mar 21, 2013March 21st, 2013, 4:47 am EDT
Since there were some questions about what the underside of those Hendrickson nymphs look like here are some more photos (better too) of some other nymphs I collected. I forgot to add pink in the colors mentioned in the previous thread.

Entoman
Entoman's profile picture
Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604
Entoman on Mar 21, 2013March 21st, 2013, 11:40 am EDT
Yeah. tannish olivish brownish.

Since there were some questions about what the underside of those Hendrickson nymphs...I forgot to add pink in the colors mentioned in the previous thread.

I'm also seeing some cream, amber, yellow, brick red, Dk. chocolate, black, and burnt orange. Jeez, any earth tones (both dark & pastel) missing in these guys? :)
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
Entoman
Entoman's profile picture
Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604
Entoman on Mar 21, 2013March 21st, 2013, 12:13 pm EDT
Seems like a dubbing blend of nat, fox squirrel (back & belly) with a pinch of olive for a base would be perfect. For the lighter ones add a little amber/pink/orange blend of rabbit. And for the darker ones add a black, choc. brown/brick red one. Then add a few with a cream band in the middle... Wow, and that's just for one hatch! The good thing about such variability is I don't see how the fish could possibly become selective to color.

We're not so lucky out here. Our major ephemerellid hatches (from Green Drake to PMD) are much more uniform for a given hatch and location, hence a greater propensity for color preference expressed by the fishies. I can pretty much cover them with 4 Hare's Ear type patterns in the following colors: natural, brownish olive, olivaceous black, and cinnamon. When fishing clean granite substrate freestones in the High Sierras, I'll carry a fifth in nat. gray squirrel that has worked very well for me.
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
Crepuscular
Crepuscular's profile picture
Boiling Springs, PA

Posts: 920
Crepuscular on Mar 21, 2013March 21st, 2013, 1:49 pm EDT
I like them kinda buggy

Lastchance
Portage, PA

Posts: 437
Lastchance on Mar 21, 2013March 21st, 2013, 4:58 pm EDT
Gees, it's going to be hell trying to mix a dubbing for a Hendrickson nymph. In which phase do the fish see them the longest? How do you mix a dubbing to match all of those nymph phases?
Bruce
Jmd123
Jmd123's profile picture
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2474
Jmd123 on Mar 21, 2013March 21st, 2013, 5:24 pm EDT
AAAAAH HAAAA, as I suspected, more complicated than simple counter-shading (dark on top, light on bottom, as in most fish species). There's quite a lot of variation there too! Now the important question: which of these colors is it important for the FISH to see to convince them to EAT these things we tie to imitate them? Seems like Crepuscular's nymph illustrated above captures some of those highlights...

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Oldredbarn
Oldredbarn's profile picture
Novi, MI

Posts: 2600
Oldredbarn on Mar 21, 2013March 21st, 2013, 8:25 pm EDT
I forgot to add pink in the colors mentioned in the previous thread.



Anyone have any urine stained fox fur? ;)

Nice fly there Eric!

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
Crepuscular
Crepuscular's profile picture
Boiling Springs, PA

Posts: 920
Crepuscular on Mar 22, 2013March 22nd, 2013, 2:33 am EDT
Anyone have any urine stained fox fur? ;)


I do. But it's hard to them to stand still while you do it, especially since it has to be belly fur... Maybe someone was paying attention when they designed the original Catskill pattern.

Crepuscular
Crepuscular's profile picture
Boiling Springs, PA

Posts: 920
Crepuscular on Mar 22, 2013March 22nd, 2013, 4:41 am EDT
Gees, it's going to be hell trying to mix a dubbing for a Hendrickson nymph. In which phase do the fish see them the longest? How do you mix a dubbing to match all of those nymph phases?
Bruce


Don't worry about getting too precise Bruce, since there is so much variation, Like Kurt pointed out I doubt that the fish will focus on a single color variation. Tie up some light, medium and dark Hare's Ear nymphs with a lighter section in the abdomen and you'll be good to go. I suspect that most will be pretty dark when they are most available to the fish.
Feathers5
Posts: 287
Feathers5 on Mar 22, 2013March 22nd, 2013, 5:15 am EDT
Anyone have any urine stained fox fur? ;)


I do. But it's hard to them to stand still while you do it, especially since it has to be belly fur... Maybe someone was paying attention when they designed the original Catskill pattern.



Will urine stained cotton work?
Crepuscular
Crepuscular's profile picture
Boiling Springs, PA

Posts: 920
Crepuscular on Mar 22, 2013March 22nd, 2013, 10:24 am EDT
Will urine stained cotton work?


Hahahahahahahahahaha!

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