the hex shop | fly fishing outfitters

Well, it was the earliest Hex Hatch I have ever seen!!! We had fishable numbers of bugs before Memorial Day which is pretty silly considering that since I have been fishing the Hex Hatch, over 15 years, I have never seen fishable numbers inside the 4th of June on the PM!! Hopper fishing is fully JOY right now, really from now till the middle later part of September and is a very popular way to just spend a relaxing, sun tanning day of fishing without all the intensity of fishing after dark. Streamer fishing is in and out with the couple of colored water events, but Mouse fishing fills the void nicely and produces better for those NOT afraid of the dark. Nymphing just works no matter what, even when all else fails, but having the right combo is key to unlocking some of those tight-lipped lunkers that snack during the day! Without question, this is my favorite time of year, (late Summer); and it being a very nice warm one, I am taking a few weeks off this summer to enjoy this great state of fly-fishing for trout, both here and other unnamed rivers in Northern MI, this after returning from a 5 day run with World Cast Outfitters in Jackson Hole where I got to fish a few streams, including the Henry's Fork and South Fork!! What a great summer it is turning out to be folks, though I might be bias for my love of Browns, I still think summer is the best season of them all!!

There is nothing more relaxing than running a Hopper/Dropper rig midday while picking this target or that, only to be pleasantly surprised every so often when a trout comes for that well placed or "Bank-Pulled" presentation; this and you get to wet wade with shorts and sandals in ankle deep runs and even watch a few bikinis go by! Forecast calls for a very Terrestrial friendly dry out after this hotter, muggier version of early July we are living down; this after a pretty dry spring and early summer. From the beginner to the advanced, Hopper fishing caters to any and all fishermen or women, both big and small, young and old; allowing any who wish to not only learn the sport, but to improve on it as well with an abundance of casting practice! Presentations require less precision and more noise as most incoming bank morsels tend to crash or plop onto the water surface than say the grace of a mayfly that almost appears to have taken a class on landing as performed like they do. Twitches trump Drag Free and larger daytime feeders can be triggered as most Hoppers weigh five times that of your average mayfly; but don’t forget… THE BANK IS WHERE THE MONEY IS AT!! Applications chosen and manipulated each day during the midday can be endless and creativity pays big versus the standard issue Madam X or Adams middle of the road stuff. Live big and fish with an attitude, Terrestrials are terrible swimmers and should be fish accordingly; drag free is limited to only intermissions between the twitches, and Drag for some reason does pay from time to time... Go Figure!!

The 2010 Hex Hatch will likely go down as a very long one this year starting as early as it did, but by no means will it be considered a heavy hatch as most nights the bugs were there enough to start them feeding, but not enough to keep them out really late too many nights!! We had a few great nights of post spinner sipping, but nothing like in years past. This year was also be the first year I noticed the same fish become very SAVVY with all the NEW Hex Pressure we now fish with. Many of these New fisherman would like to think they are on to something new, taboo, or even their own... Well, not so much fellows! There have been fishermen down low fishing the Hex for well over 50 years; respectfully is they way I pass them, as I see certain areas of the stream just overrun with the swelling of the PM HEX ARMY!! They should know, just as I pay homage to the 50 year veteran, there were many of us doing for a long time what you now feel is cutting edge!!! Be humble and polite to those who you NOW share the water with! Other areas of the river are doing well still with the Big Mayfly but in local spots and not widespread like the lower river engagements. Did hear that the Muskegon had a good Hex hatch mid-river, and up till a week or so ago it was still fishing good; I expect great things from the Muskegon Hex Hatch in years to come with the bubbler in place now… Coming soon to a river near you….hehe With the success of this year's Hatch, I am now booking ahead to next years emergence... be sure and get ahead to lock in a quality date!!

Nymphing just gets it done, I mean anywhere and everywhere it just works when all else fails. Even when I was Out West for one of my three major trout engagements of the summer, it was nymphing that got it done while we waited for clouds and PMDs to hatch on the Henrys Fork, or even when we were watching the sky for Goldens on the South Fork. If in doubt… NYMPH THEM! A nonaggressive fish will take a nymph even when it is not actually feeding, because it is more like snacking when they don’t have to chase down their food so much as just scoop it up as it goes by!! Whether you fish them under a Hopper, or just “Nymph-Out” with an Indi… your getting it done likely better than no other midday, clear water technique as most fish, especially quality fish, don’t feed here in MI very heavy when the sun is high; that is unless it is covered with clouds and there is a little color in the water… then you could pull some streamers and do well too!! Don’t just throw the standard issue stuff to start, instead, fall back on it! First try and identify what the fish are eating by noticing either a particular aquatic insect that is hatching or by lifting a few rocks and assessing what is the most prolific wet bug present; then open that sweet box of varied mayfly, stonefly, caddis and maybe even midge variations and make the most educated guess you can, then suit one up and let her fly!! Try and remember, even though you can’t see your nymph like a dry fly, it should be fished with the same stillness…. Drag Free doesn’t mean Steelhead Spey or even Soft Hackle swing; it means the bug doesn’t move outside of its rag doll relationship with the river current!! IF YOU NYMPH THEM>>>> THEY WILL COME!!!

Mouse fishing is still my favorite, and I almost get depressed when I see rain fall as I know it is almost like someone sticking a fork in my next night’s possibilities. If it was anything like the last big shot of rain we got, it can shut it down for several nights! As far as I am concerned, once we round April into May, we begin a countdown of nights that we can mouse; and not just here, but other surrounding streams that hold fish that would chase mammals for that easy protein. Waking up in a mild panic a couple times a month, while dreaming of a certain corner or log jam and then hearing that ever so sweet, but loud “GULP” that sounds as if someone has just pulled a drinking glass below the water surface with authority!!! OOOOHHHHHH!!!, that Shit just gets me going!!!! It is like that sense of falling off the cliff and waking up grasping for something, BUT BETTER… Because you are waiting and wanting the happening!! Like no other type of trout fishing I have ever experienced, every cast is like buying a lottery ticket… Most of the time you play those same numbers just waiting, almost willing it to pay off, but never really expecting to win, just like each cast in the water. Sometimes you scratch off a couple twenty or fifty dollar winners, those equivalent to a couple “Teener” trout, only to scratch off that one extra match or see your numbers on the evening news…. BOOM… THERE HE IS!!!!!!!!!! The fish that would test an 8wt with Goat Rope,,,, THE ONE!! You had better get it right too, because you never know how many casts it might take to win the lottery again!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET SOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rainbows jump and pull hard, the Brookies leave you wanting to paint and picture those perfect colors, but no other trout grabs me quite like a Brown. They are Elite in most respects and require more thought and single mindedness than say just fishing for Bows or Brooks, specifically the bigger resident browns. No other time of year are these browns as vulnerable as they are in the Summer while sipping Hexs or sacking Hairballs in the Black. Most trophy hunters agree that while you can catch dinks and dandies midday, if you want a donkey, you need to fish after curfew!! Summer allows us to engage these trout in their most aggressive state which is after hours predatory hunting with warm, clear water allowing for “Shark-Like” attacks from below your “Prey” fly pattern. Almost being starved from the inability to chase down or sneak up on prey with the clear and revealing water of midday, they turn to the night to give them their ambush conditions, and then drop their guard to most anything that moves!!! Does this sound like FUN???? Book a trip this summer and find out if you think it’s your chance at a Trophy Brown with a mammal pattern!!

Summer time is a gift and shouldn’t be taken for granted or procrastinated… it should be experience both day and night with a fly rod, and those that should and don't will regret not if they wait till fall without!! Make sure you visit your local fly shop or guide service and let them point you in the proper direction since those of us that do as much as we do, love to take and teach those who don’t, but will!! Colton Bay in Ann Arbor is a great place in the Detroit Metro Area, Northern Angler in Traverse, now run by friend and guide, Brian Pitzer. If your coming up from Chicago, check out Kevin at the Hex Shop in Grand Rapids as I am sure most of us on the West Side already know, he has plenty of tying materials and gear to get you going!! There are very few that have fallen out of love with this sport, and most people I know that still fish after learning the basics do so more intently than ever, taking more enjoyment each time they go as they understand and don’t more and more when visiting those perfect places we find, and don't find trout!! All we can do is keep going out and learning a little more each time we go; there are no savants in fly fishing,,, typically you are only as good as you want to be and only excel when you fish some more, but luck and trial still puts you and the fish the same proximity!! Fish More.... Text Less!!!

Good Luck & Good Fishing Out There… Tommy

P.s. Remember to shut your lamp off when the boat with no lights on goes by; it takes 42 minutes to completely restore your night vision after being shined with a good head lamp… USE THE FORCE LUKE!!!

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Tommy