Hex Hatch
by John Genovesi
Fished the Hex Hatch with some friends on the Wood River. It was a hot humid night; perfect conditions for the big yellow mayflies. The cool water was a welcome feeling contrasting the hot air. I managed a couple of trout on dry flies in the daylight while waiting for the whip-poor-wills to announce the start of the hatch. While listening for rising trout there was a commotion under the overhanging brush on the far bank. The noise in the dark will raise the hair on your arms but if they feel you are threatening them, a surprisingly loud tail-slap will lift you and your wading boots off the sandy riverbed.
As these beautiful Hexagenia Limbata mayflies start chaotically rising in the dark you don’t know where to cast. It’s like Wack-a-Mole. I came tight to a few more and got them to hand and released back into the water, except for one! This one decided to swim through my legs which didn’t realize in the dark until I felt the leader around my legs and he ultimately broke off. All fun listening to the hoots and hollers and anxious to hear the stories over a beer.
The action doesn’t last long, maybe 30-45 minutes but well worth the effort.
Key Equipment:
Head lamp
Flashlight
Bug spray
7 ft. for 4wt glass rod
3x 7’ leader
Note: I pre-tie flies on about a foot of 3x tippet and put a loop on it so I can just put on a new fly with a loop-to-loop connection. This is easy to loop on in the dark and the trout aren’t leader shy.
