Hex on the Window
Thursday June 3, 2010
Finally, a damp cool down—just the weather we needed. The 90 degree, bright, dry weather was great for the Memorial Day lake enthusiast but has messed with the hatches. The extreme heat last week accelerated the drakes and pushed the fishing to the morning and evening hours. Brown Drakes blew up system wide on the AuSable last week and spread throughout the valley quickly. High water temperatures not only made daytime fishing tough, but got the iso’s started on all AuSable branches and the Manistee, and the heat kicked the mill pond temp’s high enough to have Hex all over the Grayling gas stations. We’ve had Hex on the shop windows each of the last four mornings.
Again, this cool down and the little bit of rain we received are very welcome. It’ll give us some more time to fish the last spit and sputter of the drakes on the AuSable and we should be able to get some great Iso fishing in before the Hex start rolling on the South and the lower parts of the AuSable. The forecast is for seasonable 70 degree type days with a slight chance of rain this weekend. Perfect. That could mean Iso’s dribbling in the afternoons and spinner falls at dusk of Sulphurs, Mach Browns, and Cahills, and don’t forget the Batfly. I’d fish the drake and Iso blind all day long. I’d also take a couple of Hex wherever I went . . . it’s been a strange, early year so throw your expectations out and keep your eyes open.
We should also talk about the Manistee. The Brown Drake hatch has been strange over there this year. We’ve seen brown drakes and iso’s in most every stretch but I haven’t seen or heard of the big, heavy day that would indicate peak activity. That means, to me, that we haven’t had a peak yet and the Brown Drakes on the Manistee have plenty more to work to do. The best activity at dusk has been a few Drake and Iso spinners and as many March Brown spinners as anything. Again, fish the drakes all day long—the fish have been looking.
This should be a great week of fishing so don’t miss it.
Andy
JC found a couple the last few nights.
Even with a white shirt on.
Good to see the shop guys fishing together . . . it reminds me of a while back when a group of us old friends set out to really learn the AuSable together.
Take care and good luck.
