Maybe it's the sub-zero temps outside that have me thinking about warm, still, late afternoons and evenings in June/July--the time of year when hex duns are fluttering about and landing on your neck, arms, hat brim, boat gunnels, wherever. When your fishing buddy turns to you and you both see each other covered in duns and laugh at the absurdness of it all. This is when whitefish and tullibee rise with reckless abandon in our northern lakes--leaving the depths, that normally conceal them, to gorge on the mega hatch. The "hex", North America's largest mayfly, starts emerging when the sun is setting on the horizon--a big orange ball sinking behind the pine studded islands. Once it goes down--and it's pitch black--all that's heard are loons, clacking insect wings past your ear, creatures of the night, and fish rises... lots of them. Aside from drawing whitefish and tullibee, the hatch tempts the thought of swimming a hex nymph pattern across the windy side of any shallow reef exposed to the muddy main lake basin for walleyes. An uncommon quarry on fly rod, this time of year can make it more common than ever to nab some 'eyes on fly. But, more practically, the hex hatch brings on the thought of our browns, brookies, and rainbows going absolutely nuts for hex patterns in June and July.
A proven abstract pattern for me is a slight modification to the Bear's Hex Nymph. And these are what I'm cranking out on the Renzetti this morning. I'll typically fish these on a full sinking line and slowly kick my float tube through the fish. The action can be fast.
You can tie the fly from the following:
- Hook: Tiemco TMC 200R, Size 8
- Thread: Sulphur
- Tail: Three gray ostrich herl tips
- Rib: Gray ostrich herl, over-wrapped with copper wire
- Abdomen: Sulphur dubbing
- Gills: Filoplume tied on top
- Wing Case: Brown turkey
- Hackle: Brown hen palmered (grouse soft hackle as alternate)
- Thorax: Tan dubbing
- Eyes: Black plastic
- Head: Form with thread (keep small and let the eyes do the talking)
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