New book addresses fly fishing the Hex hatch

By V. Paul Reynolds

A Hex, or if your Latin is good, a Hexagenia limbata, is a bomber-size Mayfly (sometimes called a Green Drake) that shows up on Maine trout ponds in mid-summer, usually early July. For a trout, they are a turkey dinner with all the fixin’s – a chance to get the most amount of food for the least amount of effort.

To a trout-loving fly fisherman, a Hex hatch is an adrenaline rush — a sight to behold. In fact, like a solar eclipse or an expanse of northern lights in the winter sky, a true Hex hatch on a trout pond counts as one of those special moments in nature.

So it is only fitting then that someone with a special love of trout angling, as well as a deep curiosity and infatuation with the this iconic Mayfly, finally rolled up his sleeves and wrote a book on the subject: “Fly Fishing the Hex Hatch” by Leighton Wass, North Country Press, $24.95.

Wass grew up in Southwest Harbor, Maine. He taught high school biology in Vermont for 33 years. He is 80 and has been fly fishing since long before he was shaving. He fishes all the northern New England states but has a special place in his fishing heart for Maine. He lives in Adamant, Vermont.

The Hex mayfly is the star of Wass’s book and he explains in patient detail and good humor all of the distinctions in a way that even I can understand. Insofar as I know, Wass is plowing new ground in a field populated with books about fly fishing tactics and insect identification.

This 310-page book, with its 250-plus photos and illustrations, is a must-read for experienced fly anglers and novices alike. Topics addressed include how to predict the timing of a Hex Hatch, how to be prepared for an evening of fishing, the author’s top five Hex flies, the Hex mayfly’s life cycle, and the confusion surrounding common names. In addition, the 160 Hex ponds and lakes named in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are the most ever listed, and an index allows readers to pinpoint pages where specific bodies of water are discussed.

Fly Fishing the Hex Hatch has voice, humor, heart and a breeziness that I found engaging. It’s a comprehensive, instructive book and a fun read for the novice angler or the stream-seasoned veteran. Wass knows his stuff. His book is a winner!

Wass has been an outdoor freelance writer since the 1970s, but this is his first book which shares all the hows, whens and wheres that he has learned about this revered mayfly hatch. It will become a fly angler’s reference for years to come.

Signed copies are available directly from the author. Send $24 plus $4 postage to Leighton Wass, 1255 Adamant Rd., Adamant, VT 05640.

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has authored three books. Online purchase information is available at www.sportingjournal.com, Outdoor Books.