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 resembled several others of around the same size and perhaps the same species, which were pretty common in my February sample from the upper Yakima. Unfortunately, I misplaced the specimen before I could get it under a microscope for a definitive ID.
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Martinlf on Oct 31, 2015October 31st, 2015, 2:38 pm EDT
Of late the fish haven't been cooperating for me as much as I'd like, but remembering the earlier season has provided some solace. One fish in particular has reminded me that one can have a very good day once in a while. So I'll share a story, and ask others what their most memorable fish was of 2015.
My most memorable fish wasn't my biggest one, though it was big for the stream and the fly. It was a gorgeous wild brown that took a size 26 trico. The long deep pool it came from hosts several trout its size and bigger, and they sip trikes unmolested most of the summer from what I can tell. I'd only caught one fish there previously, as the pool is hard to access and even tougher to fish. But one summer morning found me crawling on hands and knees into position to cast over the last few trico rises of the day. Other sections of the stream had proven relatively unproductive, so I had decided to give this pool a try. Spotting what I thought were a few sporadic sips as I approached, I tried to figure out a spot that would allow a cast. Trees were a problem, and these fish were spooky in the low gin clear water. But I found a gravel bar that might work and slowly, slowly made my way there, hoping not to put the fish down before the last spinner slid by. A fish in midstream had been up a time or two so my first two casts went over him. No dice, and his rises stopped. I thought I'd seen a dimple or two on the far bank and pushed a cast out a bit farther, probably at about the limit of what my 9' 3 weight LsI would do with me on the other end. The cast landed with enough slack for a good drift, and up came the fish. A very gentle lift, and immediately the weight of the fish told me it would be worth all the knee time. Miraculously, it didn't find a weed bed or snag in several runs, and was netted and released after a quick measurement. At eighteen and a half inches it was the biggest fish I've taken on a trico, and one I doubt will be bested anytime soon fishing that hatch. I've been back to the pool several times since, but have yet to get one of the fish to take again. But that's OK too.
My most memorable fish wasn't my biggest one, though it was big for the stream and the fly. It was a gorgeous wild brown that took a size 26 trico. The long deep pool it came from hosts several trout its size and bigger, and they sip trikes unmolested most of the summer from what I can tell. I'd only caught one fish there previously, as the pool is hard to access and even tougher to fish. But one summer morning found me crawling on hands and knees into position to cast over the last few trico rises of the day. Other sections of the stream had proven relatively unproductive, so I had decided to give this pool a try. Spotting what I thought were a few sporadic sips as I approached, I tried to figure out a spot that would allow a cast. Trees were a problem, and these fish were spooky in the low gin clear water. But I found a gravel bar that might work and slowly, slowly made my way there, hoping not to put the fish down before the last spinner slid by. A fish in midstream had been up a time or two so my first two casts went over him. No dice, and his rises stopped. I thought I'd seen a dimple or two on the far bank and pushed a cast out a bit farther, probably at about the limit of what my 9' 3 weight LsI would do with me on the other end. The cast landed with enough slack for a good drift, and up came the fish. A very gentle lift, and immediately the weight of the fish told me it would be worth all the knee time. Miraculously, it didn't find a weed bed or snag in several runs, and was netted and released after a quick measurement. At eighteen and a half inches it was the biggest fish I've taken on a trico, and one I doubt will be bested anytime soon fishing that hatch. I've been back to the pool several times since, but have yet to get one of the fish to take again. But that's OK too.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"
--Fred Chappell
--Fred Chappell
Wbranch on Oct 31, 2015October 31st, 2015, 3:55 pm EDT
That is a great fish on a #26 Trico Louis! 7X tippet I presume?
My most memorable fish of 2015 was the next one that rose to my fly.
My most memorable fish of 2015 was the next one that rose to my fly.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Martinlf on Oct 31, 2015October 31st, 2015, 7:09 pm EDT
Yes, Matt, 7X. It may well end up being the biggest trico caught fish of my lifetime. And I'm not sure how many more years I'll be crawling around on hands and knees to try to better it.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"
--Fred Chappell
--Fred Chappell
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