Hex Cripple

Great Lakes hex emerger

TroutFilm

A big trailing-shuck emerger for the Hex hatch — Hexagenia limbata, the giant burrowing mayfly whose dusk emergence on the Great Lakes and the upper Midwest brings the largest trout of the year to the surface. Tied to ride low and stuck in the film, like a struggling, half-emerged giant.

Fish this when

Late June into July, at dusk and after dark on Hex water in the Great Lakes region and upper Midwest. Fish the cripple in the film during the emergence; big fish take it confidently in the low light.

Why it works

Hex are huge and emerge clumsily at dusk, leaving many stuck in the film — a vast, vulnerable meal. A low-riding cripple is easier for a big trout to target than a fluttering adult, and matches the half-emerged naturals.

Naturals it imitates

emerging Hexagenia limbata (giant mayfly)

Typical zone & fishable range

usually

Surface

Film

Subsurface

Deep

Setup sensitivity: medium

Hook range#8–10

Quick facts

Tying difficulty

Intermediate

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