Here's the midge family. A basic set of patterns that will
imitate the small flies that are active - and upon which trout feed - during
winter months. See fly tying tips for some of the tying instructions. Most of
the rest is pretty self explanatory as midge patterns typically do not have very
many materials.
Have fun tying and fishing these small flies!
These are midge larvae. See the emergers and adults, below. From left to
right:
Thread midge larva: this fly is tied with one material: thread. I use grey
thread and leave the tag end hanging off of the
back when I start the thread.
With a permanent black marker, I color the tag, wrap the grey thread
forward and rib it with the black. Tie off black, then color the remaining
thread black, too, and whip finish with that to create the black head. Easy, and
it works. Option: add a turn or two of peacock and a grizzly or black soft
hackle.
The middle fly is a disco midge. The body is a few strands of krystal flash - in
this case red (you may want to use pearl, olive, black or pink) - and the thorax
is a few wraps of peacock. Use a light colored thread like grey or white so the
thread does not change the color of the flash. Option: use dubbing of choice
for thorax; add a soft hackle collar.
The next pattern is a flashback larva pattern. This adds a tail of grizzly
hackle fibers, a body of grey thread - other colors would certainly work fine -
a mylar flash wing case and squirrel dubbed thorax. The head is made of the same
thread as is used for the body.
The
last pattern is a soft hackle midge. For this pattern use a stripped peacock
quill with fine gold wire rib - silver would also be fine - a few wraps of
peacock, then two or three wraps of grizzly soft hackle. Options: use another
color of hackle, dubbing material or thread for the body or dubbing for the
thorax. See the soft hackle tie in detail shown. Note: the hackle is tied in behind the
head. When the hackle is wrapped, tie it off with thread, using the thread to
push the hackle out of the eye of the hook. See finished fly.
Here are a few midge emergers and adult patterns. Give 'em a try.
From the left, once again, are:
Stuck-in-the-shuck midge emerger. This is a great all around fly. As shown, it
has grizzly hackle wrapped through the peacock. Try tying a few without the
hackle and let them sink just beneath the surface of the water when fishing -
they'll catch trout that are particular when other flies won't!
Tie on a light wire midge hook. I use grey thread, but black, olive or another
color of your choice will work. The shuck is brown antron. Tie it in with the
wing - which in this case is also antron, just white - to avoid thread build up.
Remember this: the midges we are imitating here are small and thin. Too much
thread is too thick. Wrap the thread forward to the 3/4 point of the hook shank
and tie in
hackle and peacock. Wrap the peacock and palmer the hackle through it, then pull
the white antron forward and tie down. Leave room for the head - you have to tie
the fly on when you fish it. Before you clip the white antron, fluff it up so it
separates from the body of the fly - this imitates the wing being stuck in the
shuck. I usually trim the hackle flat on the bottom.
This is the ever popular Griffith's Gnat. I don't know where they came from, but
I've been tying and fishing them for years - they work! This is another pretty
basic pattern: pick the right size of hackle, trim a bit off of each side of the
shaft near the base of the feather and tie it in at the back of the hook. Tie in
about 3 strands of peacock by their tips, wrap them forward, tie off and palmer
the hackle through the peacock. The fly imitates a cluster of midges; you can
tie them from very small - 28's - up to 14's or so.
A few years back, someone decided that the Griffith's Gnat wasn't easy enough to
see by itself, so they added a little wing on top. This one is tied with white
antron, but CDC works well, too. If you still have trouble seeing the fly, try
using something either orange or chartreuse. If you can't see that, try fishing
with a Stimulator - what the heck. Tie the fly just as above, but leave a little
more room for the head of the fly. When you are going to tie in the wing, beware
again of the bulk. Rather than
tying in the full amount of material you'd like for the wing, tie in 1/2, then
pull the rest back over itself and tie down. This creates durability without too
much bulk.
At the end of a midge hatch there are likely to be a few dead adults on the
water. The trout will sip very slowly on the surface as the bugs are dead,
floating along with the whims of the current. It must be like desert for the
fish. For this fly, I use black thread to tie the body, then select two grizzly
hen neck feathers and tie them in at the 3/4 point of the hook shank. Wrap
peacock to the back of the eye and whip finish. Done! It's worth having a few of
these in your box for days when the fish are feeding on the surface and you just
need to hook one more trout.
back when I start the thread.
With a permanent black marker, I color the tag, wrap the grey thread
forward and rib it with the black. Tie off black, then color the remaining
thread black, too, and whip finish with that to create the black head. Easy, and
it
works. Option: add a turn or two of peacock and a grizzly or black soft
hackle.
The middle fly is a disco midge. The body is a few strands of krystal flash - in
this case red (you may want to use pearl, olive, black or pink) - and the thorax
is a few wraps of peacock. Use a light colored thread like grey or white so the
thread does not change the color of the flash. Option: use dubbing of choice
for thorax; add a soft hackle collar.
grizzly
hackle fibers, a body of grey thread - other colors would certainly work fine -
a mylar flash wing case and squirrel dubbed thorax. The head is made of the same
thread as is used for the body.
The
last pattern is a soft hackle midge. For this pattern use a stripped peacock
quill with fine gold wire rib - silver would also be fine - a few wraps of
peacock, then two or three wraps of grizzly soft hackle. Options: use another
color of hackle, dubbing material or thread for the body or
dubbing for the
thorax. See the soft hackle tie in detail shown. Note: the hackle is tied in behind the
head. When the hackle is wrapped, tie it off with thread, using the thread to
push the hackle out of the eye of the hook. See finished fly.
Stuck-in-the-shuck midge emerger. This is a great all around fly. As shown, it
has grizzly hackle wrapped through the peacock. Try tying a few without the
hackle and let them sink just beneath the surface of the water when fishing -
they'll catch trout that are particular when other flies won't!
Tie on a light wire midge hook. I use grey thread, but black, olive or another
color of your choice will work. The shuck is brown antron. Tie it in with the
wing - which in this case is also antron, just white - to avoid thread build up.
Remember this: the midges we are imitating here are small and thin. Too much
thread is too thick. Wrap the thread forward to the 3/4 point of the hook shank
and tie in
hackle and peacock. Wrap the peacock and palmer the hackle through it, then pull
the white antron forward and tie down. Leave room for the head - you have to tie
the fly on when you fish it. Before you clip the white antron, fluff it up so it
separates from the body of the fly - this imitates the wing being stuck in the
shuck. I usually trim the hackle flat on the bottom.
This is the ever popular Griffith's Gnat. I don't know where they came from, but
I've been tying and fishing them for years - they work! This is another pretty
basic pattern: pick the right size of hackle, trim a bit off of each side of the
shaft near the base of the feather and tie it in at the back of the hook. Tie in
about 3 strands of peacock by their tips, wrap them forward, tie off and palmer
the hackle through the peacock. The fly imitates a cluster of midges; you can
tie them from very small - 28's - up to 14's or so.
A few years back, someone decided that the Griffith's
Gnat wasn't easy enough to
see by itself, so they added a little wing on top. This one is tied with white
antron, but CDC works well, too. If you still have trouble seeing the fly, try
using something either orange or chartreuse. If you can't see that, try fishing
with a Stimulator - what the heck. Tie the fly just as above, but leave a little
more room for the head of the fly. When you are going to tie in the wing, beware
again of the bulk. Rather than
tying in the full amount of material you'd like for the wing, tie in 1/2, then
pull the rest back over itself and tie down. This creates durability without too
much bulk.
At the end of a midge hatch there are likely to be a few dead adults on the
water. The trout will sip very slowly on the surface as the bugs are dead,
floating along with the whims of the current. It must be like desert for the
fish. For this fly, I use black thread to tie the body, then select two grizzly
hen neck feathers and tie them in at the 3/4 point of the hook shank. Wrap
peacock to the back of the eye and whip finish. Done! It's worth having a few of
these in your box for days when the fish are feeding on the surface and you just
need to hook one more trout. 