What the hex?

[greenghost]

Tons of these guys were sitting on the Smithfield Street bridge in Pittsburgh this morning. Hexagenia limbata is the largest mayfly in North Amercia and pretty much useless to fly anglers... as far as I know anyway. Has anybody on the board ever caught anything using a hex imitation or something that resembles?

 

[laszlo]

Hex yes, lots of fish

 

[acesedgley]

No, but there is a similar mayfly which I call a Hex that hatches on some of the lakes I fish starting around 8:30 pm that bring sunfish and bass up. I fish any popper I have then and catch fish consistently, especially yellow poppers.
Anybody know what that fly is?

 

[JerryC]

Most likely a Hex. I've always missed or just caught the tail end of the Hex hatch on the lake I go to in Northern Ontario. It doesn't occur till mid-July or later there. Talking to folks who have caught it, they've told me to fish small or medium poppers either yellow or with a yellow belly just before dark and later as long as you can hear the fish rising. I'm headed up to Vermont for a few days on Sunday. I'll have to check out the local lakes in the evening and see if any are hatching.

 

[ryguyfi]

There are other areas, specifically Michigan, that trout gorge on the hexes. I had one on my office window a few days ago. Have been meaning to head down to the river one of these years and throw a few flies to see if there's any action but never get around to doing it.

 

[Bruno]

Yes - there is great fishing in downtown. When I lived on the Northside I fished the rivers often. You will be surprised what you can catch if you give it a try.

 

[muskylund1]

Hexagenia Limbata are not useless to fly anglers. Where trout and Hex mayflies occur together, the trout love them. In the Upper Midwest (Wisconsin and Michigan for example), the Hex hatch is really the big hatch of the year on par with the Green Drake hatch in Central PA. Hex hatches can also be important on still waters. A lake I used to fish in Ontario had them. I had some great topwater fishing for Smallmouth during the Hex hatch, though I was not matching the hatch. I remember reading that trout in the Finger Lakes of NY will rise to hatches like the Brown Drake and the Hex.

 

[barbless]

They hatch like mad on some Maine lakes, both coldwater and warmwater. Between mid-June and mid-August. A nighttime hatch. I've only seen it happen on warmwater lakes with smallmouth bass and white perch, but they also hatch on trout lakes around Rangeley.

 

[acesedgley]

The fish were very active Monday evening on my local lake. I saw only a few of the Hex coming off, so I believe they are just getting started.
Great action for about an hour 8:30-9:30 with bass caught in real skinny water where I could not buy even a slap from a bluegill a few nights previous.

 

[greenghost]

muskylund1 wrote:
Hexagenia Limbata are not useless to fly anglers. Where trout and Hex mayflies occur together, the trout love them. In the Upper Midwest (Wisconsin and Michigan for example), the Hex hatch is really the big hatch of the year on par with the Green Drake hatch in Central PA. Hex hatches can also be important on still waters. A lake I used to fish in Ontario had them. I had some great topwater fishing for Smallmouth during the Hex hatch, though I was not matching the hatch. I remember reading that trout in the Finger Lakes of NY will rise to hatches like the Brown Drake and the Hex.

Good information, muskylund1. I'm ready for a trip out your way to fish the hex hatch! Here in PA their importance is most likely underrated for bass and ww fish. For trout however, I don't believe the waters where they hatch in significant numbers are all that numerous. Unless, of course, all the action occurs in the middle of the night. And they are simply not known to anglers.

 

[pcray1231]

Yes, I have fished hex hatches in PA for wild trout. NW PA. Locals call them green drakes, but they are hexes. Most decent quality tribs to the Allegheny have them.

The Allegheny itself has tons and smallmouth guys get to fish them, and up near Kinzua, trout guys too. Though i never personally was much of a fly fisherman back when i fished the river more.