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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.

Dorsal view of a Skwala (Perlodidae) (Large Springfly) Stonefly Nymph from the Yakima River in Washington
This Skwala nymph still has a couple months left to go before hatching, but it's still a good representative of its species, which was extremely abundant in my sample for a stonefly of this size. It's obvious why the Yakima is known for its Skwala hatch.
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.
Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Docksman
Pennsylvania

Posts: 1
Docksman on May 17, 2018May 17th, 2018, 2:01 am EDT
Hellow all, new to the exciting world of catching trees behind me! I have a problem. I'm using a 5 wf line on an 8.5' 5/6 rod and when I start getting out to 20 feet, my line falls apart on the end, like hitting a wall. I took a diameter measurement of .023 at the end of the line and it slowly increases to .048 at the belly about 9 feet up the taper. When the cast falls apart it is the last 7 to 9 feet. I'm also using a 9 ft leader. QUESTION ? Can I cut the taper section off the end of the fly line?
Ed
Subway
Subway's profile picture
Nutter

Posts: 2
Subway on May 17, 2018May 17th, 2018, 4:24 am EDT
I hate trees, why don't we just kill them all :)
I hate fish
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on May 18, 2018May 18th, 2018, 7:03 am EDT
I hate trees, why don't we just kill them all :)


No, why don't you just move to a high altitude above the tree line and you won't have to worry about hating anymore.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Wbranch
Wbranch's profile picture
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2635
Wbranch on May 18, 2018May 18th, 2018, 7:06 am EDT
Can I cut the taper section off the end of the fly line?


Surely you can cut the taper off but it makes no sense. It will ruin the properties of the line and in effect the fly will land much harder on the water. Something else is going on. Find a friend who casts well and have him watch your casting a while to see what you are doing wrong.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
TimCat
TimCat's profile picture
Alanson, MI

Posts: 121
TimCat on May 19, 2018May 19th, 2018, 3:40 pm EDT
Not sure how far you've looked into it yet, but try to remember that the longer your line gets, the longer you need to wait for your casting motions. If you're pushing forward to early, you won't get the weight of your line from the back cast to effectively spring it forward via the flex of the rod, which often ends up in a pile of line on the forecast. Feel and watch for the rhythm. Check some YouTube videos, books, friends, etc. Lines are weighted certain ways for a reason. Don't cut the heavy WF part off. It makes it much easier actually if you time it right. Good luck and welcome

Also, if you're not snagging trees here and there, you're not a: paying attention to what's behind you, b: misjudging your line length, or c: not trying hard enough to fish prime holding area! Snagging trees n bushes is a part of the game... just try not to get too pissed off :)
"If I'm not going to catch anything, then I 'd rather not catch anything on flies" - Bob Lawless
Iasgair
Iasgair's profile picture
Colorado

Posts: 148
Iasgair on Jun 6, 2018June 6th, 2018, 6:07 am EDT
You have a 5/6 weight rod. I learned this the hard way, so I'll try to make it easy for you.
When you have a rod with two line weights, the lower weight (5) would be more for a DT line, Double Taper. The higher number (6) would be more suited for a WF line. This is found quite a bit with fiberglass and bamboo, but also with graphite as well.

I don't know what rod you own or action it is, but also not all 5wt WF lines work with all rods because some rods cast better with a more true to weight line like a Scott G2, a medium action rod likes a line like Airflo Elite which is developed for medium or traditional action rods.
A fast rod may want a line that's a half heavy to a full heavy, making it a 6wt line even though it say's 5wt on the box. A good line or two for fast rods is the Rio Gold or the Rio Grand, depending on how fast your rod is. Airflo Exceed is good too for fast rods being a tad heavier than the Elite. But the Airflo River & Stream is one line weight heavy, which doesn't work for the Scott Radian, but does well for the Sage One.

Of course all this is assuming your casting skill is decent, and your stroke is straight and not an arch.

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