Volume XVIII Issue 225

Friday, June 12th, 2026

During the peak of the hatch each evening, fish, birds, and bats erupt into a feeding frenzy. Anglers travel from all over to experience and fish this event, many of them focused on the big trout and bass that key in on the Hex.

But the Hex hatch isn’t just for fly anglers. In this week’s article, I’ll take a closer look at the Hex hatch and share strategies for fishing it.

What It Is

Hexagenia limbata (often simply called “Hex”) is a large burrowing mayfly that hatches on Lake Almanor, Butt Valley Reservoir, the Fall River, and many other lakes and rivers across North America. These insects thrive in slow sections of rivers and in lakes with soft, silty, or muddy bottoms. As nymphs, they burrow into the substrate and remain there for 1–3 years before hatching.

When water temperatures climb past about 60 degrees, the nymphs begin leaving their burrows and become active along the bottom. Emergence typically occurs from dusk into the evening, with the strongest activity usually when water temperatures range from about 63 to 68 degrees. In our area, the hatch generally begins in early June and continues into early July, though the peak varies with temperature and location. For example, Butt Valley Reservoir (or Butt Lake, as locals call it) warms more quickly than Lake Almanor, so the Hex hatch there usually peaks a bit earlier.

As the Hex emerge, they shed their shuck (the nymphal exoskeleton) and transition into the dun stage. The duns are bright yellow to tan and ride the surface for a short time before taking flight. While they’re on the water, they are prime targets for fish, birds, and bats. Once airborne, the duns head to nearby trees or shoreline vegetation, where they molt again into the “spinner” phase. Males and females mate in midair, and the females then drop their eggs onto the water, where they sink to the bottom and develop into new nymphs. The adult spinners soon die, often falling back onto the surface and providing one last burst of food for hungry fish.

Fly Fishing the Hex Hatch

These mayflies provide an important food source for both wildlife and fish. This is one of the few times of year when you can consistently target larger fish on these waters, especially with a dry fly. Anglers use a wide range of techniques to chase these big fish; below are a couple of the most effective.

Nymphing

Although the surface action at dusk is spectacular, it’s important to remember that fish feed on far more nymphs than duns (dry flies) and eat them throughout the day. To fish nymphs effectively, you need to get close to the bottom, often in 18–25 feet of water.

Two common ways to reach that depth are:

A sinking line fished very slowly to keep the flies just off the bottom.

A sliding indicator (bobber) rig that suspends the flies at the desired depth.

The sinking line approach works best from a float tube, personal pontoon, or other small craft that lets you kick along slowly. The sliding bobber setup tends to work well from a boat or from those same small craft.

For the sliding bobber rig, I like to run a 25 foot section of 15 lb test monofilament off my fly line. I place two bobber stops on the mono with a sliding bobber between them. On the terminal end of the mono, I tie on a micro swivel, then add a 3–5 foot section of 8 lb test fluorocarbon. I tie my first nymph pattern to this—usually some type of balanced nymph or leech pattern—then add a 3–5 foot section of 6 lb test fluorocarbon down to the bottom fly, typically a beaded Hex nymph. If the line doesn’t slide easily through the bobber, I’ll add a split shot to help it along. Adjust the bobber stops so your bottom fly rides just off the bottom.

Dry Flies

Dry flies haven’t been as consistently effective over the past few years, likely due to higher water conditions, but they can still produce fish. I usually switch from nymphing to dries as soon as I see fish starting to surface, which is often just before the peak of the evening hatch. This timing lets you target fish before your fly has to compete with thousands of naturals.

I prefer to fish dries from a boat with a trolling motor, casting toward actively rising fish. Once the fly lands, I give it a short strip or twitch every few seconds to impart a bit of life.

Flies and Rods

There are a variety of Hex nymph, emerger, and dry fly patterns available. I recommend seeking out a local fly shop that sells Hex patterns; you’ll often get a current fishing report and some friendly, up to date advice along with your flies.

As far as rods go, I use 6 weight rods for both nymphing and dry fly fishing during the Hex hatch. It is not uncommon to hook a smallmouth in the 4–5-lb range or a brown trout over 8 lb. You need a rod with enough backbone to fight these fish and a reel with a solid drag system to match.

Catch and Release

There are a few important considerations if you plan to release fish and want to maximize their chances of survival. When nymphing deep, you’re bringing fish up from cooler, more oxygenated water into warmer surface layers. It’s important to land and release them as quickly as possible and to keep them in the water as much as you can.

I recommend using a 6 or 7 weight rod with enough power to shorten the fight and reduce stress on the fish. When releasing a fish, hold it upright and underwater until it’s able to swim away on its own.

Depth is another factor. I avoid nymphing deeper than about 25 feet, because fish brought up from greater depths are much less likely to survive the pressure change and temperature difference.

Traditional Fishing Techniques

You don’t need a fly rod to enjoy the Hex hatch. With a traditional spinning rod, you can use a sliding bobber nymphing setup very similar to the one described above. Another effective option is a drop shot rig, with a weight at the bottom and one or two nymphs tied on short tags off the main line. Fishing just off the bottom with natural baits such as mealworms or crickets can also be very productive.

If you plan to release your catch, I encourage you to pinch down the barbs on your hooks. Barbless or de barbed hooks make for quicker, cleaner releases and are easier on the fish.

A Season Worth Seeing

The magic time of year known as the Hex hatch is upon us. Get out and experience this natural wonder for yourself. Whether you’re out there fishing or simply watching from shore, it’s an extraordinary event to witness and one of the true highlights of our fishing year.

Uptown Gets New Flowers Thanks to Business 
Owners, Volunteers and the City of Susanville

Historic uptown Susanville’s Pancera Plaza looks a little prettier today, thanks to a collaborative effort by the City of Susanville’s Public Works department, local volunteers, and family-owned businesses.

Jill and Randy Robbins own the building at 800 Main Street next to the Gay Street plaza, a vibrant space used heavily for outdoor community events throughout the summer. The building houses Jill Robbins’ legal office in one half and Randy Robbins’ Thousand Windows Gallery in the other.

Wanting to refresh the uptown atmosphere, the couple picked out new hanging flower baskets to replace the aging ones that decorate the plaza each year, with Mrs. Robbins personally selecting and purchasing the blooms to get the project moving.

On Monday, once the flowers were secured, a dedicated group of community members and city staff gathered to plant and hang them. The volunteer crew brought together Miss Lassen County Kaylee Micone and Ambassadress Delilah Heard, alongside Susanville Mayor Mendy Schuster. The entire effort was coordinated by uptown merchant David Teeter, owner of Margie’s Book Nook, who worked closely to bridge the logistics between the Robbins family, city leadership, and Alex McElrath and Marci Rojas from the City’s Public Works Department.

City Administrator Dan Newton confirmed that the City is reimbursing the Robbins family for the full cost of the flowers, and he extended a warm thank you to the couple for donating their valuable time to help plant and place them.

The project highlights the incredible impact that small, grassroots initiatives can have on a community’s pride and appearance. Teeter noted that this is exactly how public-private partnerships are supposed to work, calling it a small, quick and efficient effort that started on Friday and wrapped up completely by Monday.

The Robbins family was equally thrilled to participate in the uptown face-lift. Randy Robbins shared that they love being right on the plaza, and because Jill is a huge fan of flowers, they jumped on the opportunity the moment Teeter called rallying support. He added that the project wouldn’t have happened without Teeter’s coordination with the city, noting that it really doesn’t take much to beautify the town and encouraging everyone to try it.

Mayor Schuster echoed those sentiments, praising the distinct community spirit that drove the project to a successful completion. She expressed her gratitude to Jill and Randy Robbins for securing the lovely flowers, as well as to everyone who helped plant, hang, and care for them, stating that it is truly people like this who make the Susanville community special.

Next time you are in historic uptown, be sure to take a stroll by the Gay Street plaza to enjoy the beautiful new blooms!

We talked about good hand washing skills once they saw how many “germs” were left on their hands.

At the end of the rotations, everyone participated in an escape room activity. The members had to figure out the lock combo based on knowledge they learned throughout the day.

Once they figured out the combination, they were able to unlock the box full of prizes. At the end of the event, they played Chicken Poop Bingo.

Lassen County 4H’ers at last year’s Fair Promo Day

For the community service activity, each member brought an item for a dog or cat including food, toys, and grooming supplies to donate to the Lassen Animal Shelter.

Our annual Horticulture Day was a success. During this event, 4-H members were able to learn a lot about horticulture – “the science, art, and technology of cultivating high-value intensive crops including fruits, vegetables, plants, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, and mushrooms.”

The members participated in fun hands-on activities including plant and tool identification, making seed bombs, the importance of earthworms, and a soil station. A volunteer from Rustic Ranch talked about micro grains.

At the end of the event, members took home an assortment of garden goodies and crafts. Horticulture Day was held on Sunday, April 26th and was hosted by Thompson Peak 4-H club.

The Lassen County 4-H program had a big presence at the Children’s fair to share that 4-H is about more than animals. The bicycle project and SABA partnered to provide three bicycles to young people that dropped by our booth.

The LEGO project met and worked on projects. Standish 4-Hers were busy crocheting and exhibited crochet projects and promoted their club by giving away crocheted bookmarks and pig swag bags. The Leadership project made a fun board with green cups that held prizes for booth visitors.

On May 16th Milford 4-H Club hosted Large Animal Skills Day at the fairgrounds. They had several stations each one demonstrating skills for a different large animal.

For example, Sam Medvin and Paiton Hallmark demonstrated how to properly wrap a lamb’s legs using socks and vet wrap as well as using fleece wraps. Other stations included pig ear notching, making soap from goats’ milk, horse body parts, and beef haircare and showmanship tips. Thank you Milford 4-H for putting on this great event!

Lastly, we would like to take a minute to recognize and congratulate some of our 4-H members.

Molly Dickson was chosen to be a 2026-2027 State Ambassador. This position is the highest 4-H service opportunity in our program. She will serve on a team to plan major 4-H events, develop educational platforms, and participate in the leadership conference. Congratulations Molly.

Bailey Adams and Ethan Braille competed in the Regional 4-H Presentation Day held in Fort Jones on March 28th. Bailey placed 1st in Job Interview and received a gold seal for her presentation on “Communication Through Sign”. Ethan received a blue seal on his presentation “Shoot for Hoops”. Congratulations Bailey and Ethan!

Lassen County was invited to participate in Modoc’s Shooting Sports Top Shot competition that was held on April 19th in Modoc County and our rifle members did well. In the senior division, Molly Dickson earned 1st place and Alyson Crosby earned 2nd. For the junior division, Sawyer Crosby earned 2nd and Kileeann Shanks earned 3rd.

This was the first time our members were able to participate in this event. They represented Lassen County well and came home with amazing awards.

The 4-H State Field Day was held on May 23rd. This event featured 4-H seniors, presentations, and fun contests! There were tons of members from all across the entire state of California! These members participated in tons of different fun and engaging activities!

Congratulations to Bailey Adams. She earned a gold seal for both her presentation and job interview. Also, congratulations to Kacee Howe and Bailey Adams for their participation in a healthy living state project. They will be presenting their project at the State Leadership Conference this summer for the Food Academy.

South County 4-H members Layton and Liam Allen had a successful day at the Washoe County 4-H Small Animal and Static Exhibit. Layton and his dog, Finley, received blue ribbons in agility, showmanship, obedience, rally and tricks. They were named Overall Best Showman and Grand Champion dog.

Liam earned 1st place in Intermediate Showmanship, Best of Breed with his New Zealand Rabbit and Best of Show with his Mini Rex rabbit.

Congratulations to Molly Dickson, Megan von Helf, and Abbie Hemphill for receiving the Lassen County 4-H Council Scholarship! They each received $1,000 for their hard work and dedication they have for 4-H.

Congratulations to Molly Dickson and Abbie Hemphill for receiving the $5,000 Milano Scholarship! They were two out of five recipients selected from all the applicants from Modoc, Siskiyou, and Lassen counties.

Promotion Day is upcoming on July 7th at 9:30 at Memorial Park. It is mandatory for all kids; 4th grade and older who will be showing market animals at the Lassen County Fair. Make sure to show up in your whites (white pants and a white shirt) and a tie or a scarf.

We will be going around the community promoting the Lassen County Fair and the auction.

The Lassen County Fair will be held from July 13th to the 19th. The Lassen County 4-H will be represented through our animals that will be shown, our high spirits, and our 4-H Barbeque.

Make sure to have your fair entry forms turned in by June 15th. You must have these turned in to be able to show at the fair, as well as enter projects into the fair!

Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted on more exciting news in the future!

Over the past year, the local need for food assistance has risen significantly. Compounding this challenge, the organization recently faced cuts to its SNAP funding, making community-driven fundraising an absolute necessity.

Because the HOPE Food Pantry is operated 100% by volunteers, residents can rest assured that all proceeds go directly toward purchasing food for neighbors in need.

The community can show its support through three major upcoming events, starting this weekend with the Stand Up For Lassen Food Drive. Volunteers will be stationed at the Susanville Safeway this Sunday, June 14th, from 10:00a.m. to 6:00p.m. to collect donations.

The momentum continues the following weekend on Saturday, June 20th, with a huge 2nd Hand Sale and Bake Sale. Held in the basement of the United Methodist Church at 20 S. Lassen Street from 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m., the sale will feature a massive variety of items including furniture, housewares, sporting goods, toys, linens, and lamps alongside plenty of delicious baked goods.

Looking ahead into July, the Susanville Ace Hardware will be partnering with the organization for the entire month. Customers can support the cause simply by rounding up their bill at the register during the Community Round-up Event.

For those currently experiencing food insecurity, regular distribution takes place every Friday afternoon from 2:30p.m. to 6:00 behind the church on Cottage Street. Anyone looking for more information about volunteering, donating or these upcoming events can contact Ann Carlson of the HOPE Food Pantry management team at 1.406.531.4433.

“When I circulated a survey to constituents earlier this year, the number one issue people were concerned about was affordability, with insurance as a close second,” said Assemblywoman Hadwick.

“These issues go hand in hand. California is a very expensive place to live, and people can’t afford the rising cost of insurance. For seniors and others living on fixed incomes, these increases can be especially crushing. This event will be an opportunity for some experts to share their insights they have on the industry.”

To provide a comprehensive view of the current landscape and potential legislative paths forward, Assemblywoman Hadwick has invited key leaders representing three prominent institutions in California’s insurance framework. The featured guest speakers will include representatives from:

• The California Department of Insurance
• The CA FAIR Plan
• The Personal Insurance Federation

Each speaker will have 20 minutes to provide a specialized presentation and answer questions submitted directly by district residents.

Constituents who would like to participate are highly encouraged to sign up ahead of time. Attendees who register in advance will receive the official Zoom broadcast link and will have a valuable opportunity to submit their questions regarding home, auto, and property coverage several weeks prior to the event.

Constituents can formally register, reserve their access link, and pre-submit questions online via the official portal: Click Here to RSVP.

Whether you are a dancing enthusiast or just looking for a fun night out with friends, it promises to be an unforgettable evening.

Admission to the benefit is $20 per ticket. Presale tickets are available right now at Margie’s Book Nook as well as Milwood Florist & Nursery. If you aren’t able to pick them up ahead of time, tickets will also be available for purchase at the door on the night of the event.

Every ticket purchased directly supports the critical work of the Lassen Humane Society. So far this year, the humane society’s feral program has successfully facilitated over 15 Trap-Neuter-Return procedures, helping to humanely manage and care for local community cat populations.

Proceeds from the “Dance Your Paws Off” concert will directly fund these ongoing efforts, with a primary fundraising goal to bring back additional community spay and neuter funding to help local pet owners and reduce animal overpopulation in Lassen County.

Come out, enjoy some fantastic live music, and help make a difference for our furry friends.

Peter Alosi, upper left, 45-year-old lumber mill worker, is reported by police to have confessed in the Susanville jail that he killed five Susanville residents as the climax of a bitter feud begun 40 years ago in Sicily over the affections of a girl. He admitted hacking his victims to death with a knife. Extra precautions have been taken to prevent his removal from jail by a mob. Among the victims were Mrs. Lena Amistani, lower left; and right, Joe Fazio with his two children, Giovanni and Sara. Mrs. Fazio was the fifth person slain.

Lassen Slayer of Five is to Have Hearing

June 12, 1934

Knife Wielder’s Preliminary Trial Is Set For Tomorrow

Peter Alosi, Susanville millworker accused of the murder of five persons by hacking them to death last Sunday night, will face his preliminary hearing in the court of Justice of the Peace N. V. Wemple to-morrow morning.

Alosi was formally arraigned yesterday on five separate counts of first degree murder preferred by District Attorney Grover C. Julian.

Killer Is Confident.

The mass killer expressed confidence in his acquittal. He said he has written letters to his friends asking funds for his defense.

In his purported confession, Alosi admitted the slaying of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Facio, their son, John, and their daughter, Sarah, and Mrs. Lena Amistani, a neighbor.

A close guard is being kept on Alosi, principally to prevent him from committing suicide in his cell. The possibility of an attempt to lynch him has been dissipated.

Forrest “Butch” Sakamoto – May 13, 2026

Shane Michael Holland – May 22, 2026

Marvin Lynn Benner – May 14, 2026

Elchard DeLoyd Frazier – May 16, 2026

Yolanda Soto Smith – April 20, 2026

Frank Scott Ulch – May 19, 2026

Every single dollar that our readers contribute goes towards making SusanvilleStuff a stronger voice in the community with better, more comprehensive content. If you appreciate what we do, please consider contributing.

Click here to find out how you can contribute to SusanvilleStuff