Stillwater emergers

[grayscud]

Super confused about method for targeting fish doing splashy rises. I went to a lake that has a hex hatch, but never saw a fish actually take a bug on the surface, but tons of splashy rises all around. I put on a Intermediate sinking line and a nymph and tried every retrieve I could think of, but super new to lake fishing, so don't know my ass from elbows.

I tried just using a nymph and slip indicator, too. Only got one take randomly moving spots with the canoe.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

At a well known hex lake in Washington, the fish would make a huge splash on the bugs, but not eat them. This would stun the bugs then the fish would come back and eat them. When I first started here, I would yank on the splash and come up empty.....wait a few seconds (if you could.....) big swirl....then lift!

 

[Buzzy]

@grayscud, you say "never saw a fish actually take a bug", are you sure the fish were in fact taking hex emergers or duns? Were there adults on the water? Are you sure the splashy rises were to hex emergers? Or duns? I have zero experience with hexagenia hatches (my bad) but have had mixed results with other emerging insects/mayflies. A couple lakes I've fished over the years, there's often a mayfly emergence in mid afternoon; a callibaetis cripple imitation is often golden.

Good luck in your quest!

 

[grayscud]

@grayscud, you say "never saw a fish actually take a bug", are you sure the fish were in fact taking hex emergers or duns? Were there adults on the water? Are you sure the splashy rises were to hex emergers? Or duns? I have zero experience with hexagenia hatches (my bad) but have had mixed results with other emerging insects/mayflies. A couple lakes I've fished over the years, there's often a mayfly emergence in mid afternoon; a callibaetis cripple imitation is often golden.

Good luck in your quest!

No, I am not sure of that at all. No adults on the water. I saw one hex adult in the air, but never saw another emerging bug. there were splashes all around me. Couldn't figure out what they were after for the life of me. No shucks in the water that I could find. Could have been something else.

 

[Buzzy]

Welcome to the mysteries of fly fishing stillwaters!

For what it is worth, the riseforms in the mayfly emergence I mentioned earlier weren't usually splasy, more often a slurp followed by a mini-vortex. But then, sometimes there were splashy rises as well. Good luck.

 

[RichS]

My experience is that if it is not late evening or after dark then Hex are not hatching. In the morning they may be on trees alongside the water or motoring around stuck in the shuck. A big #6-8 Goddard caddid is usually effective in this situation. I have fished a bunch of hex hatches and have never seen a fancy emerger more effective than something you can twitch and skate. Then again this was all in MN, WI (trout) and AL (warm water fish) so YMMV.

What you are describing sounds like caddis to me.

 

[Tom Butler]

Welcome to the mysteries of fly fishing stillwaters!

Yes to that!
In the reservoir I fish regularly I will see different types of surface activity. I have seen damsel, dragon, big and little midge shucks and adults, and some mayflies, snails, as well as other foods. I usually have no clue what they are taking. Sometimes it's in the open but often near other surface flotsam. And I'm not having much luck other than the occasional fish fishing a floating or intermediate line. If you figure this part out let me know.
What does work is just thinking "I know where fish are by showing themselves", then fish that area with the type 6 and the flies I've been posting, buggers, leeches and now damsel nymphs. Like in streams, I just don't do much near the surface, and I always figure trout do most of their feeding from regularly available subsurface foods anyways.

 

[Tim L]

@grayscud, you say "never saw a fish actually take a bug", are you sure the fish were in fact taking hex emergers or duns? Were there adults on the water? Are you sure the splashy rises were to hex emergers? Or duns? I have zero experience with hexagenia hatches (my bad) but have had mixed results with other emerging insects/mayflies. A couple lakes I've fished over the years, there's often a mayfly emergence in mid afternoon; a callibaetis cripple imitation is often golden.

Good luck in your quest!

Second that - Pablo's

 

[tkww]

As others have said, hex hatches are usually in low light (or no light). I have seen them hatch in brighter light, but only the occasional bug, not a full-on hatch. (And any bird in the area--swallows, blackbirds, etc.--certainly noticed these occasional stragglers too!) So I'm inclined to agree that they weren't hexes.

Caddis does sound like a good guess. But also, when in doubt, put on a Griffith's Gnat.

 

[grayscud]

so I'll add a callibaetis cripple to the box. What would the stillwater caddis emerger pattern be?

 

[Old Man]

I either read or heard the Pheasant Tail nymphs work pretty good as an emergers.

 

[Brian Miller]

Klinkhammers have worked for me as an emerger.

 

[Old406Kid]

For emergers, I carry the Klinkhammer styled Brook's Sprout in a few different colors and sizes.

 

[Buzzy]

so I'll add a callibaetis cripple to the box. What would the stillwater caddis emerger pattern be?

Thread drift - I enjoyed Ralph Cutter's book "Fish Food", he apparently filmed this segment on caddis: . In his book he talks about how quickly caddis emergence happens but suggests there are those caddis whose emergence is stalled - cripples. Cutter suggests the E/C Cripple to imitate caddis cripples.

 

[dirty dog]

Mid and late summer, into fall I like to use a soft hackle in olive, with peacock body.
I use a floating line and let the fly sink very slow, keeping a close eye on my line for any movement.
Change up the retrieve from fast to jerky.

 

[grayscud]

headed back up today, we'll see if I can make any progress. Thanks for the suggestions

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

For emergers, I carry the Klinkhammer styled Brook's Sprout in a few different colors and sizes.
View attachment 23264

One of the most underrated flies IMO. If you're going after fish that are keying on emergers, this one is definitely worth trying.

PS @Evan B can we get 'emerger' to get updated in the auto spell check vocab. This is a damn fly fishing site after all!!

 

[PhilR]

I like fishing the hex hatch, and I've had a bunch of the bat equivalent of "splashy refusals". I am scared to death one of these days a bat is going to commit. Time to throw some heavy gloves in my lake kit.