Well like the song says “let the good times roll”. Travelling Sedges hatching daily along with 3 other lesser Caddis Flies and the fish are very large, powerful and numerous. What more could you ask for?
I would suggest if you are going to fish Hector that you handle the fish with care; Use rods of significant weight 5′s or 6′s would be best, if you must use a 4 or 3 weight then make sure it is a sturdy spined rod capable of handling big strong fish efficiently. Fish in the size class that you will be catching should not be overplayed, as well the time spent reviving the fish is critical to its survival. Releasing these fish prematurely following your photo session once caught is quite literally a death sentence, we saw this on more than one occasion this week. Please also use extreme care when handling your fish for photos.
Heads up; Most fish hooked by anglers at the lake this week were not landed due to breaking off. Again these are very large powerful fish and you must be prepared to deal with that, be prepared to let your fish run, if you are too restrictive after the hook up, you are pretty much guaranteed to break off.
The photo below is a beginner enjoying his first fish ever on a fly rod, it was also the largest trout he had ever caught. By the way, as far as Hector Lake Rainbows go the fish in the photo is quite small compared to what we have enjoyed seeing this past week.
Well lets enjoy this tremendous resource and not kill it. Seems there is a tendency to prattle on about the lack of fish at Hector and winter kill…blah…blah..blah.
Travelling Sedges making for smoking hot fishing at Hector
