What can you tell me about midges?

[njsimonson 0]

I'm following the advice of F&S magazine and learning some midge patterns. I have started with simple small (18, 20) patterns like the Griffith's Gnat and the Brassie and am looking for other simple patterns to try. So if you have some cool midge patterns, I'd like to try them out!

 

Some questions I have are: How are these flies fished? When do you fish them? and HOW THE HECK DO YOU SEE THEM!?!

 

Thanks in advance!

[Guest]

midges are great flies for low, clear water. Midges include the pupa of small black flies and mosquitos. The great thing about midges is that they do not require heat to hatch; only light. They tend to hatch during the day, especially bright days, and hatch throughout the year. They are typically found in slow moving or still water, or on the slower moving egdes of pools, and riffle eddys. They should be fished slowly, in a dead drift through these areas. They can be a deadly weapon, especially in the winter, when all other aquatic life is mainly dormant. It is not at all uncommon for a trout to pass up a nymph pattern and hit a midge, especially if it has been cold for a while...typically the midges become a main staple food source for the winter and the fish will key on them, sometimes even after warmer weather has broken. sometimes a fish will simply sip it and go on its way, and sometimes, they will strike violently, as they will sometimes charge a pool that has abundant midge populations readily available.

 

 

Midge patterns are the tiniest of flies, but are also the simplest. My favorite midge pattern has a simple thread body ( various colors for various streams) and a finely dubbed or peacock head. The key to tying midge patterns is to remember not to crowd the hook eye...this makes it impossible to tie off without compressing the head material.

 

Hope this helped! tight lines!

[flymaster 0]

tying midges= blind men

fishing midges=also blind fishermen

i hate midge fishing. however my fav spot that is what is happening the holston river "black fly" hatch. not sure of the latin name as i have mentioned before. don't get into foriegn languages for fishing. no need to. but i know it is a little bitty friggin bug about a 24-30 i have been tying down to a 24 and if they want any smaller they will have to wish on i guess. the holston river trout seem to take the pupa more than the adults i guess they are easier to get. but not easier to fish. but lots easier to tie. a glass bead, black thread and black dubbing or peacock herl. and if you really wanna get fancy alittle piece of dun cdc for a hatching wing.

[BearsDenWoodshop 0]

It is very important that you are comfortable with what you are fishing with. Midge fishing during low water conditions works well but I honestly cant stand fishing the damn things. I have great eye sight and can never seem to thread the hooks. As far as midge fishing goes...sparse is better....small hooks wrapped with peackock work great...add a little brass tag and you have a winner.

 

Keith

 

Bears Den Woodshop

[Philly 0]

Fishing midges is necessity here in the Northeast. I try to keep my patterns as simple as possible. To make tying them easier, I tie them all on Shrimp/caddis pupae hooks. The logic behind this is that most of these hooks are 2XS, so a size 20 would have the shank length of a standard size 24 dry fly. Makes it easier to tie the fly on a hook you can see. That said most of my flies are tied on size 22 S/CP hooks. I'll tie them up to size 16 and down to 32. My favorite pattern is one called the Wissahickon Midge.

 

http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~mjorg/midge/caruso.htm

 

It imitates a black fly or gnat more than a midge, but has proved extremely effective when trout are sipping midges. Even working during a Trico hatch on the Upper Credit.

 

Another one is the Ridley Creek Fuzz Ball

Body and trailing shuck is a craft store material called Rattail. It's translucent and sparkles. The thread will show through it when wet. I'll vary thread color.

Rib is extremely fine wire, either red, green, copper or silver

Wing is a clump of stripped CDC barbules tied in the same way you'd tie in the elk or deer hair on an Elk Hair Caddis or a CDC and Elk.

 

Last a Quigley Cripple tied in size 20. Tail/Trailing shuck is Rattail, body is Pheasant Tail, thorax is CDC, Hackle is grizzly, and wing is snowshoe rabbit.

[Barfly 0]

I am also confused with what a midge is. Reading, it seems that any fly tied on a #20 hook or smaller is a midge.

 

Some of the patterns that are called midges look like chironomid patterns. except that chironomids are generally tied on hook sizes #10 - #18.

 

So is a midge a particular type of fly, or does it generally refer to the size of fly.

 

Thanks.

[lanvaettir 0]

In defense of poor maligned midges

 

I love midge patterns on certain waters (like the Green and the San Juan) because they produce and they are really easy to tie. I would probably try them on any other tailwater too but their use is limited.

 

I fish them by watching the trout not the fly. In clear water you can see the take. Some people use indicators but I have much better results without them on the San Juan. On the Green I fish a Zebra midge dropper off a Ginger woolly bugger or a big foam cicada.

 

If you search the WWW for San Juan patterns you should find some easy midge patterns. We tie mainly 26-28 here but you might be able to start with BIG 20-22's.

 

Good luck!

 

Try this link for a better explanation of the lowly midge:

 

http://www.westfly.com/ento/midges/midges.htm

[Guest]

a simple way to have midges readily available for the line is to tie a sectiuon of tippet to the hook before you dress the fly. When the fly is finished, use a little CA adhesive (superglue) to tie it off. The pre attached tippet can be easily attached to your leader with your favorite connection. Saves a lot of time and frustration on the water if you don't have a midge threader!