Unlike many trout-food insects, which are available to trout only during very specific times of year, midges hatch year-round on most waters. You know those times when you can see fish rising but you can’t find anything on the water? It’s probably midges or midge pupae that are on the menu. That means it’s time to tie on the 7X and a minuscule fly that you can barely see. There are lots of great midge patterns out there—from Serendipity to the Zebra Midge to the Griffith’s Gnat—but fly tiers are always coming up with new patterns that behave or look more like the naturals are are simply easy to tie.
Here’s an ingenious yet simple midge pattern, from Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions, that uses knotted Amnesia monofilament to create a realistic, colorful, and durable body. When you’re dealing with a size 22 hook, figuring out how to work on such a small scale can be a dilemma, but Flagler solves this by creating a body you can build away from the hook and that has a short nub that makes attaching it to the tiny shank a snap. As with all Tightline videos, you’ll learn a trick or two, as well, such as how to lubricate the mono with soap.
Forget-Me-Knot Midge
Abdomen and head: 14-inch piece of Amnesia, knotted and melted.
Hook: Standard emerger hook (e.g. Dai-Riki #125), sizes 18-22.
Thread: Black, 8/0 or 70 denier.
Thorax: Black Superfine dubbing.
Tools: Bar of soap, 2 pairs needle-nose pliers, and a lighter.
Interesting. How do you fish this?