At 01:32 PM 06/25/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>Hi,
>
>A friend and I fished Merrill lake on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
>We started fishing at about 8 pm. There was a light wind which never
>really dropped until long after dark, and it was cool. At the time we
>started there was a good hatch of small mayflies going on, but few fish
>taking them. A sparse hatch of giant hexagenia started at about 9. I was
>unprepared for just how big these beasts are and consequently lacking in
>suitable flies. However we got fish on Adams and other small dries. They
>were small cutthroat, 10-14".
>
>The lake was mobbed with fishermen!. There were perhaps 30 float tubes and
>other boats out there. I am not a fan of that sort of combat fishing. In
>contrast, the following morning we had the entire lake to ourselves. We
>fished close to the steep parts of the bank and caught a lot of fish,
>including browns 18"+ fishing hopper/muddler patterns cast right into
>the shore and twitched back. A very pleasant morning until the rain really
>set in about 11.
>
>I may be able to make a trip back sometime soon. Just in case I do, can
>anyone recommend a good pattern for the giant hex, or a resource with good
>pictures (with scale information!) on the insect.
>
>N.
>
>Nick Lowry
Hi Nick
Thanks for the report.
Sounds like you had a good day on Merrill. Maybe its starting to come around.
It also sounds like you stayed over night. Is the campground open now or did
you just stay anyway?
Take a look at the following URL's for some Hex patterns. I have to admit that
I don't like the paradrake pattern for the dun. I use a fly that I get out
at The
Fly Fishing Shop at Welches, OR for the dun. Of course Burk's nymph and
Quigley's cripple are standard stuff and for my money work great.
I start fishing the nymph on the bottom about two hours before I think the
hatch
will start. As the hatch starts I fish the nymph on the rise from the
bottom. Then
switch to the cripple or dun as the hatch gets going full steam.
Nymph http://www.westfly.com/patterns/wet/burkshex.shtml
Cripple http://www.westfly.com/patterns/dry/quigleycripple.shtml
Dun http://www.westfly.com/patterns/dry/hexparadrake.shtml
Maybe I'll see you up there one of these evenings.
Jim Jones
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
