Back Lake Hex Hatch Update: 6/20

The hex hatch has started at Back Lake, and while the weather conditions weren’t what we usually look for during a typical evening on the lake, they were there, coming off in some numbers, and there were trout and bass there to greet them …

It was a little windy, with cloud cover rolling in and out tonight on Back Lake, but there were some hexagenias coming off, sporadically at times. The hatching activity certainly picked up as the night wore on, and the fish were throwing caution to the wind, eagerly snatching up our offerings.

The best patterns for our boat were the Hex Usual and the Foam Hex, though any large, light colored dun pattern probably would have worked just as well. The Woodduck Heron was also scoring some fish too. As for the fish, it was mostly rainbows taking our offerings, with a couple in the 15-16″ range, but a larger brown also found its way in to our net. All total, we probably landed 15 – 20 trout, and a bunch of bass too.

It’s happening and now’s the time to get in on it. The first week is always best (in my opinion) so get out your 2x and 3x leaders and the largest flies you have in your fly box. Of course, if you need something, we have plenty of hex patterns at our fly shop at Tall Timber.

It’s the most anticipated time of the fishing year on Back Lake – hit it before it’s over!

ADDENDUM:

Some apologies are in order, as this post was written hastily (at 11 PM last night), lacking the customary amount of information that you’ve come to expect.

To expand a bit on some observations we made last night, we did not see many “cruising” trout last night – trout that are actively searching for hexes on top. Instead, we were casting to areas where we may have seen a rise and having our flies attacked from underneath. Sometimes they were bass, but quite a few times they were trout that were taking our offerings.

If you’ve never fished the hex hatch before, slightly twitching the fly after it has been sitting for a few seconds works very well in enticing a strike. I had three flies stripped from my line and my fishing partner lost one of his treasured hex flies taken by a large fish – they strike hard for the hexagenias, as they don’t want to let that buffet get away.

In all honesty, I was using a 5x tippet in order to get a more stealthy presentation, but that may also have contributed to losing some flies. Henry had a 2x or 3x tippet on, which held up better to the vicious strikes of the fish. I will be better prepared for tonight’s activities …

The weather plays a big part in the hex hatch. Hot, humid days produce the best hatches, and while it will be sunny the next two days, it will not be especially warm. Saturday and Sunday have the potential for rain, but it is often hard to predict the weather in northern New England. More updates to come.