Hexagenia mayflies are candy to trout! They are our largest mayfly! The hexagenia duns will start to emerge at dark and this time of the year that can mean getting to bed at 1 am or even later! The brown trout in Central Alberta do not miss the opportunity to greedily gulp these big mayflies down until they are stuffed. I have also seen hexagenia at some of our lakes. Walleye love to eat the larva and duns. The spinners can fall during the day or in the evening. Again trout will gulp them down. I even saw a pike roll up on the surface and chomp down a hexagenia! That was cool to watch!
I have had a lot of fun chasing this hatch. Some days the duns covers the river and you will find it hard to catch a fish! Other days, the hatch is light and you have the chance to tangle with a dandy brown trout! I usually do not even put my waders on until 10 pm. Some days I do not even make a cast, other days the action is amazing!
Can you catch trout during the day when the hexes are popping? Yes! I have used a spinner hexagenia and at times a dun. Often I will have better success by using a downstream cast.
Visualize being in darkness by a river hearing several big brown trout making a "popping" sound as they eat hexagenia. Often you cannot see exactly where they are. You cast and set the hook when you hear the brown eat. Every once in a while you tighten up to a trout! You stumble back to your car or camp in the pitch black, sometimes frustrated and other times with a gigantic smile of satisfaction!
Be sure to have a good head lamp and plenty of mosquito repellant!
I love chasing this hatch! It is a great challenge and the rewards are amazing!
Do you see the "Glow in the Dark" flashabou in the post of the parachute?
Landing a 26 inch buck is a real thrill! A true trophy!
A hexagenia spinner on the side of the trailer.
Carnage after the hatch!
A dun changing to a spinner!
The sentinal keeping an eye on the action!
The parachute post glows in the dark! Great idea Rick!
It took me two evenings to hook this brown. She finally ate my "imposter!"
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