Tying the # 30- 32 Tiemco Blood Midge

[Streamside 0]

I love fishing big trout on ultralight tackle. There is nothing like hooking an 18 or 19 " brown on a 2 wt cane rod using 8 or 9x tippet & a # 20 fly. For me the thrill is unbelievable. My heart is in my throat, from the time I hook a trout, till the time I actually have em in my net. Tiemco takes the thrill one step further with their 518 series of midge hooks.

The Tiemco 518's series are some of the tiniest fly hooks made.

 

Ok kiddies Don't try this at home! .......That is unless you have a ton of patience, a bottle of Visine and a good set of Bi- focals.

 

PREPARATION

 

Step # 1 Bring in an extra light.

Step # 2 Clean glasses thoroughly.

Step # 3 Get a fridge magnet to hold your hooks.

Step # 4 Clip and file your finger nails smooth.

Step # 5 Remove all hang nails.

Step # 6 Apply a liberal amount of hand lotion and rub in thoroughly.

Step # 7 Get out your magnifying glass.

Step # 8 Take double dose of valium.

 

MATERIALS

 

Tying the Tiemco # 30 & # 32 Blood Midge

 

Materials - Tiemco TMC 518" 30 & # 32 Midge

 

Thread - # 08 Uni Hot Flo.. Orange

 

Ribbing - very fine wire from the windings of electric slot car motor.

 

Bead - Mill Hills. Needlework, Micro bead, Clear

 

Collar - Fine hurl from base of peacock sword feather

 

 

TYING THE # 32 BLOOD MIDGE

 

1. After fumbling for five or six minutes trying to get that little bead on the tiny little hook with your big fat fingers, tighten the hook in your vise.

 

 

2. Now get down on your hands and knees with your magnifying glass and pick up all the hooks and beads you dropped while attempting step 1.

 

3. Wet your tying thread slightly by licking your fingers and running them along the thread. This will help to secure the thread tight to the hook with only a couple wraps. I actually use a small wet sponge because I don't like licking my fingers while I am fly tying. Now starting in the center of the hook, make 3 overlapping wraps to secure the thread to the hook and cut off the tag. I like to use a surgical scalpel with a hooked blade much better than a pair of fine tip scissors.

 

 

4. After only 3 wraps, so you don't bulk up the hook, tie in your wire ribbing, and wrap your thread nice and tight without overlapping, all the way back to 1/2 way around the curve of the hook. Now untwist your thread so it lies very flat on the hook, and wrap your thread forward again to where you started and secure with a single 1/2 hitch and hang your bobbin on the bobbin hanger.

 

 

 

 

 

5. In a clockwise direction, wrap the ribbing forward nice and even 7 times up to where you tied off your thread and secure with 2 wraps. Do not 1/2 hitch it or you will bulk up the hook too much.

 

 

6. Take a fine hurl from the base of a peacock sword feather and secure it near the tip with two more wraps and let your bobbin hang.

 

 

 

5. With the weight of the bobbin hanging, pull the hurl through the wraps until you come to the very tip, then pull the bobbin tight and make 3 more wraps to secure it, 2 in front of the hurl, and 1 behind the hurl and once again let your bobbin hang.

Now wrap the hurl 3 wraps forward to the bead, then three wraps back again ending off where your thread is hanging and secure with 2 wraps.

 

7. Whip finish off behind the hurl with 3 whips and trim your tag. Now let out a big sigh Wheeeeew ....your done. Now check out the beautiful little fly you just created with a magnifying glass.

 

 

 

Good luck.

 

" Hey where are you going? Your not done!" That was just practice. That was only a size # 30 hook. For the size # 32 hook with no bead, just a peacock hurl colar, all you need to do is follow the same instructions, but exercise a lot more patience and take a couple more valium. You'll be fine. Nothin to it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok now your done! Now you may be excused from the fly table!

[Guest]

I've been tying those for over a year now, except I tye them in #28 & 24. Great fly I catch a lot of fish on them! Great job on the tying sequence & photos!

[Streamside 0]

Yes, I know it is an amazing trout fly. Browns just love it. I tie it in sizes ranging from 14 to 32 . On average, I catch around 40 - 50 fish every season on it. I seem to have the best luck with size 18 & 20. Not this past seaon, but the year before, I hooked a 30"er in the Grand river on a # 18. I had him on for about 20 minutes. When he hit it he just exploded from the water,then made a blistering run to his safe zone at the far end of the pool before leaping 3" into the air. I had him right up to my net three times. Just at the last second when I was about to net him....... " Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!" he threw the hook.

 

 

You can read about it here Troutzilla

[mcfly 0]

 

 

[B.C.TroutHunter 0]

Nice step-by-step photos and flies!

[vices 0]

LOL thats great, thanks for posting that streamside, very well done step by step..

[Streamside 0]

QUOTE (Sawcat @ Oct 18 2004, 07:33 AM)

I've been tying those for over a year now, except I tye them in #28 & 24. Great fly I catch a lot of fish on them!   Great job on the tying sequence & photos!

Hey Sawcat, here's a piece of trout candy I came up with a few years ago. This one is absolutely deadly! Nick I know you have also been waiting a dogs age for this one. It's my version of a San Juan. A traditional San Juan is tied at both ends with a hump in the middle, but the problem is that it rolls over in the water and looks very unnatural to a trout. Mine is only tied at the front so it has a much more realistic action like a real worm. Try it out, you'll love it. The biggest brown I'm holding in my other post was caught on this fly in a size # 18 red. I also tie it in beige, tan, med brown, green, orange & black

 

Recipe

 

Tiemco Nymph hook size # 14-20

Red #08 thread

Hot Orange Micro Uni Wire ribbing.

Red Glass Micro needlework bead

2 Pc crystal flash

1 1/2"- 2" strip of red leather.

 

 

 

[Graham 0]

Hi Streamside, AWESSOME blood midges!!! The smallest I've ever seen. Some folks don't think sizable trout eat flies that small, I eat raisins, kind of the same thing.

Thanks for sharing. Graham

 

[steelheadohio 0]

hey where is that Grand River you were talking about that you hooked that nice brown? (what state)

 

 

[3wt 0]

QUOTE (steelheadohio @ Oct 23 2004, 09:20 PM)

hey where is that Grand River you were talking about that you hooked that nice brown? (what state)

It's in Ontario Canada!! Nice tie Streamside. I'd never be able to tie one that small in a month of Sunday's. I don't know if you were on the Hipwader site way back when it started by I had actually caught Troutzilla (And coined the name) and I had the pic posted on the site for a couple of months. I sold that pic to a marketing company in the mid west for a fine fee.

[GlobalFisher 0]

I am gonna go tie some of those, just need to get some smaller hooks. I will test it out on some size 16 or 18. Great step by step information and photos!

[Mato Kuwapi 0]

I tied a couple of those #32 blood midges last spring just to see if I could do it. (tied the first one at an outdoor show as a crowd watched) They turned out not too shabby, if I do say so myself. That being said....I've never fished one becuase I can't get the tippet through the eye. (NO , I did not overcrowd the eye). The only way I would be able to do it is to tie it to the tippet under a magnifying glass at home under a light. then hope I could find the tippet untangled and tie that onto the leader at the river. WAY Too much hastle. So the little flies stay in a bottle in my tying box and I use them for shock value!

 

I tie a lot of flies in the #18 - #22 range and have had good success fishing them.

I have yet to fish anything smaller than a #22

 

I became interested in tying small flies after watching David Prothro tie a few #32 midges and #28 Mosquitos, a couple of years ago at the Winter Hatches . The really amazing part is that he does it with one hand. (due to a stroke the left him paralized on one side).

If you ever get a chance to watch him...make sure you do.

[Ghartung1 0]

I’m looking for the #32 hooks and coming up empty. Anyone interested in selling me a few?

Thanks,

[email protected]

[screener 0]

I had troutzilla on this previous season until he decided to go on a 100ft run and spooled me.Mato its good to see that you are still active.I remember fishing with Dave Pethro in Southampton and on a Geogian Bay trib that escapes me right now as its been at least 40 years ago.

[flytire 0]

Mato was last active on this thread in 2004