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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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Wbranch has attached these 4 pictures to this report. The message is below.
A beautifully colored up buck with a big hook jaw.
My best buddy with a 26 1/2" fresh hen,

Report at a Glance

General RegionLake Erie tributaries
Specific LocationTwenty Mile Creek and Elk Creek
Dates FishedNovemeber 05 - 07
Time of Day7:00 - 5:00
Fish CaughtFresh Chrome and some colored up fish
Conditions & HatchesLower than desired and stained on Wednesday. Big drop in temperature on Friday gave the fish lockjaw.

Details and Discussion

Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Nov 8, 2014November 8th, 2014, 5:35 am EST
Made another trip up to the Lake Erie tributaries. Far fewer fish overall (chrome and older fish) than in many prior trips. We really had to work for the fish we caught but from talking to other guys I feel we were high rods on the creeks for the three days we fished. There were three of us and I'd venture to say we hooked at least 30 steelhead.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Oldredbarn
Oldredbarn's profile picture
Novi, MI

Posts: 2600
Oldredbarn on Nov 8, 2014November 8th, 2014, 12:38 pm EST
Nice Matt!

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
Wiflyfisher
Wiflyfisher's profile picture
Wisconsin

Posts: 622
Wiflyfisher on Nov 8, 2014November 8th, 2014, 1:08 pm EST
It looks like your work (or is it called play) really paid off. Very nice!
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Nov 8, 2014November 8th, 2014, 2:05 pm EST
It really was work! Getting up at 5:00 a.m. so we could get a shower (too exhausted at night), have breakfast and get to the river at first light, walk up to two miles, then high stick nymphs and swing little emerald shiner patterns all day. But as tiring as it is I do love it as much as dry fly fishing to big rising trout. The PA Erie fish are smaller than the NYS Cattaraugus Creek fish or the Lake Ontario steelhead. However if one is willing to walk a mile or more beyond the parking access you can find really isolated sections of the river with high cliffs, long emerald green pools, and swift water riffles with opportunities for the occasional 9# - 10# steelhead.

I'd guess my colored up buck is about 7#.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Entoman
Entoman's profile picture
Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604
Entoman on Nov 8, 2014November 8th, 2014, 6:38 pm EST
Tremendous, Matt. Swinging streamers, huh? Can you write about that a bit?
"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
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on Nov 9, 2014November 9th, 2014, 5:58 am EST
Okay Kurt, I'll do that soon. I have some projects here at home that might consume much of today.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
PaulRoberts
PaulRoberts's profile picture
Colorado

Posts: 1776
PaulRoberts on Nov 13, 2014November 13th, 2014, 1:42 pm EST
Wonderful Matt. I do miss it so. I too fished streamers of all sizes, as well as wets, nymphs and eggs. Can't wait to hear about the emerald shiners.

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