Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 18

Thread: Where have you seen or heard there are Hexagenia mayflies.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
    Posts
    23,836

    Default Where have you seen or heard there are Hexagenia mayflies.

    Fall river has always been the most iconic location.

    We have them on Lake Natomas.


    Help me make a list.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Salinas, CA
    Posts
    193

    Default

    Lake Almanor
    Butt Valley Reservior
    Antelope Lake

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Rescue ,CA Cromberg, CA
    Posts
    1,857

    Default

    To name a few, Almanor is famous for the Hex hatch and not to far away Butt Valley Reservoir. Lake Davis has been getting some hatches as well, the Thermalito Afterbay too!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
    Posts
    23,836

    Default

    Lance Gray says this is the list so far:

    Fall River
    Lake Almanor
    Butt Valley
    Thermaleto Afterbay
    Davis Lake
    Siskiyou Lake
    Lake Natomas
    Antelope Lake


    I know they have them back in the northeast US.

    They get swarm that can be seen from space.

    They call then "Michigan Caddis"....?
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
    Posts
    23,836

    Default

    Lance's new list:

    Fall River

    Lake Almanor

    Butt Valley

    Thermalito Afterbay

    Davis Lake

    Siskiyou Lake

    Lake Natomas

    Antelope Lake

    Walker Lake

    Tule River

    Henderson’s Springs (private property)

    Lake Amador
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Location
    Santa Rosa, Calif
    Posts
    1,015

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Kiene semi-retired View Post
    Lance's new list:

    Fall River

    Lake Almanor

    Butt Valley

    Thermalito Afterbay

    Davis Lake

    Siskiyou Lake

    Lake Natomas

    Antelope Lake

    Walker Lake

    Tule River

    Henderson’s Springs (private property)

    Lake Amador
    Bill,

    You forgot about the Famous "Williamson River" in southern Oregon.

    Carl Blackledge

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
    Posts
    23,836

    Default

    Good one Carl......thanks.









    Besides lake Natomas I heard we get them hatching on the side backwaters ponds, sloughs on the lower American river.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Location
    Santa Rosa
    Posts
    108

    Default

    Hi Bill,
    When I was going to school in Michigan, they called them "Giant Michigan Mayflies". We fished some epic hatches on the Au Sable and Pierre Marquette for huge browns in late June then followed the bugs "up north" to the upper peninsula. The hatch started popping around 10pm and went all night and there were millions of them clinging to everything. We also fished hex hatches on stillwaters in Minnesota and Wisconsin and the bullheads, a kind of catfish, would vacuum spinners off the surface the next morning. After a few days of the hex, the fish were so gorged they wouldn't eat any more. Wild times

    I don't remember the Hex called a Michigan Caddis but I do remember a wet fly we used for Great Lakes steelhead called a Michigan Caddis tied on a big hook, like a #6 3XL, with brown palmered hackle over a slim fur body and swept-back mallard quill wings that looked like a monster old-school English or Catskills wet fly.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
    Posts
    23,836

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sonoman View Post
    Hi Bill,
    When I was going to school in Michigan, they called them "Giant Michigan Mayflies". We fished some epic hatches on the Au Sable and Pierre Marquette for huge browns in late June then followed the bugs "up north" to the upper peninsula. The hatch started popping around 10pm and went all night and there were millions of them clinging to everything. We also fished hex hatches on stillwaters in Minnesota and Wisconsin and the bullheads, a kind of catfish, would vacuum spinners off the surface the next morning. After a few days of the hex, the fish were so gorged they wouldn't eat any more. Wild times

    I don't remember the Hex called a Michigan Caddis but I do remember a wet fly we used for Great Lakes steelhead called a Michigan Caddis tied on a big hook, like a #6 3XL, with brown palmered hackle over a slim fur body and swept-back mallard quill wings that looked like a monster old-school English or Catskills wet fly.
    That is so cool.......I have heard and read so much about fishing the Great Lakes area......it is nice to get real feedback........thanks.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    California
    Posts
    57

    Default

    Bill;

    Retired California Fish and Game Biologist Kenneth Hashagen published a paper in California Fish and Game Quarterly many years ago that indicated the California distribution of Hexgenia limbata californica included most of the Sacramento and San Joaquin river system from the Delta upstream including many lower elevation reservoirs. Permanent slow moving or still water habitats with silt bottoms were the common factor.

    The first time I saw Hexgenia limbata californica was in 1969 when the mayflies were covering the wall of a gas station under a light near the lower Merced River. The largest number of adults I have seen at one time were at Ladd’s Marina in the Delta in the late-1980’s, and on the shady side of the DFW Feather River Fish Hatchery Annex raceway walls off Highway 99 near the Thermalito Afterbay in 2012. In both instances there were thousands of the adults.

    Dennis
    www.dennisplee.com
    Last edited by DPLee; 01-31-2021 at 03:58 PM.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •