Midges, Midges, Everywhere!!
OH! how I wish these trout would take bigger fare!! Sadly, many Fly Fisherman shy away from fishing midges, because of the challenges they present, and - in so doing - miss out on some excellent opportunities. Yes, many of us would prefer to fish patterns that are easily seen, but there's no convincing the fish, when their keyed in on tiny minutia. Yes, Sometimes, you can get them to take something different, but generally, they want what they want. SOOOOO if you can't beat em, join em..
Yes, yes, I know, I can hear you from here. "I can't see the bloody things on the water", I can hardly thread the tippet thru the eye, and besides, I can't tie those things on such small hooks... (Well your right, but don't give up!!)
First, let's simplify the midge mystic. Midges (Diptera) come in a wide range of sizes and colors, however, for our watershed, we can narrow it down to a few basic sizes and colors. In the spring they tend to be a bit bigger, ranging in size from about 18 thru 22. I can hear you mumbling again, "Bigger, what does he mean bigger, that's pretty darn small...." Well it is bigger for our watershed when you consider in late fall the sizes drop to anywhere between 26 and 32-- THAT'S SMALL. Hold on, don't get overwhelmed, you can do this.
Let's start with basic colors. Black, Red, Olive, Gray, Cream/ Creamy yellow covers the basics. There are some other colors, but that covers most situations. That said, if you have thread in those colors, in either 8/0, or better yet in 12/0 you have the body material. Remember midges have VERY slender bodies, the only real bulk they have (and it's not much) is their head and thorax which makes up approx. 15-20% of their total length.
What sizes you query???? For spring time midging, I tie up approx. 8 of each size, 20 - 22 and 24 in Black, Olive and Gray. Some I tie with ONE wrap of grizzly Hackle / or Medium Dun. For others I don't use hackle, but rather, I tie in a small bunch of after shaft feather, or if you prefer, a small amount of CDC for a wing. The key here is to keep it sparse, with the wing short. As spring progresses (late April into May) Creamy yellow needs to be included in sizes 26/28. Although, even at this point there will be a fairly wide range of sizes buzzing around. So, how do I know what size to use you ask? Well, I have a trick that will help you to closely figure which size to use. Go chase bugs!!! Yep, that's right, try to grab one of those little buggers, no it's not impossible (it just takes a little practice, and patience). Now mind you, if you are standing in the middle of the stream, and you start flailing your arms wildly, in an attempt to catch one of these critters, from a distance you may look as though you need to be committed to an institution, but perseverance yields results. Besides, how intelligent do you think we look to non-fly fishers standing in the cold, or rain, in the middle of a river waving a long stick - enough said.!
OK! you don't want to look like Dr. Emmett Brown- (DOC) standing in the stream from " Back to The Future", there are other ways. Seine ,Seine, Seine. No that's not a song, but it will give you a good clue as to what the trout are eating. The problem, most times, is that when people use a seine, they don't give it enough time. Try to hold it in the foam line for approx. 3 minutes. The basic reason why most of us neglect doing this is; after holding your hands under water for approx. 3 minutes, in 52 degree water, you no longer care about bugs, fish, or the fact that your stocks have plummeted, but only about the severe pain that is ripping through your fingers and into your forearms. At this point, you may think I'm in-seine, and to a degree you are correct, but using one of these tools WILL help! After lifting our seine from the water, take a moment and stare at the mesh, it will begin to come alive. First you'll notice the larger edibles, ie: mayfly nymphs, caddis pupa, but look closely, likely you'll see midge worms and pupa writhing and wiggling. All that needs to be done is to approximate the size. On both the West Branch in Croton Falls and the East Branch from the Bathtub on down, the most common size in imitating the pupa seems to be 24/26. Just pick a color and GO FISH!
A word about size. As most of us appreciate in Fly Fishing, size is THE most critical factor in tempting the trout to eat our offering. It is absolutely vital when fishing midges!! So - you ask "How will I know if I chose the correct size that the trout are looking for.?
Well, go back to your High School days, remember when you would talk to that pretty girl in your chemistry class, and after about the third attempt at trying to make conversation with her, you noticed she was yawning, and looking around the room while you were talking to her!!
GET THE HINT; she wasn't interested. After approx. two dozen casts, with a good float, no drag and a small tippet size etc. etc., you can be fairly confident that the fish feel the same way as the girl in class did. TRY another size. This is (in my opinion) the single biggest reason why more flyfishers are not successful midge fisherman. The great majority HATE to change flies. They continue to pound the water with the same pattern for an hour, and then get disgusted and Quit. (I can hear some you cheering in the background, that's not nice) I can empathize with the fact that you don't have a strong desire to switch flies, especially if it's Mid December, air temp. 30 degrees, you've caught and released 4 fish each of which you have held in the flow to revive, and as you hold up your hands and gaze at your fingers, they are beginning to resemble Bella Lagosi's from the movie " The Dead Come Back to Life" Will you ever have feeling in them again??? IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL, it sometimes requires changing flies 12 -15 or even 18 times before you find the right combination of size & color. Whether or not they prefer it in the film, or with hackle etc. With experience, as you come to know the waters you fish, you will usually be able to narrow it down to 4 or 5 choices.
Naturally, tippet size also comes into play. This subject can be a very controversial one. The following is what works for me, you may have a completely different line of thinking on the subject!! I try; whenever possible, to get away with the biggest tippet size possible, many times I can sneak by with 7X. BUT and that's a big butt - depending on water level, water clarity and the time of year, it sometimes is necessary to go to 8X, or even 9X. IE: water level is very low, GIN clear, together with heavy fishing pressure, It's true that there are a few who; even at this time of year can still take trout on 7X , but I believe that this is more the exception than the rule. Presentation and tippet size seem to go hand in hand. With the correct tippet, presentation becomes a game of discernment. "HUH? you say". What I mean is this: not every trout is taking exactly the same thing. Some may be taking emergers, some cripples etc. You need to discern from their rise form what you think they may be interested in.
The manner of presentation will also be a key factor as to whether the trout decide to eat your morsel. For instance, sometimes in the colder months, Nov., Dec., on cold days , you can sometimes cast your fly several feet above a rising fish and slowly drag the fly into the feeding lane, then let it dead drift down. This is also a help in being able to get your eye fixed on your un-seeable fly. If done properly, the slow movement attracts the trout's attention, and if it passes all other criteria, including maybe having a small shuck to imitate the trapped or emerging bug- BANG! . The great majority of the time, however, especially during the dog days of summer, a drag free float will be necessary to entice them. That brings us to another key in being a successful fly fisherman - we must learn to control drag. Certainly, all of us appreciate the importance of a drag free float, so as we make our cast, we either do a reach cast, mend, or whatever it takes to prevent our fly from dragging across the surface. Unless of course, we're fishing wets or soft hackles. With Midges during the hot summer months, it isn't regular drag so much but Micro-Drag that labels our fly as a fraud. This is something all of us have to deal with on a constant basis, and in my estimation, it is partially the reason why it takes 8, 10 or 12 passes over the fishes nose in order to get him to take!!
That brings us to Patterns!!!! Ah! the secret you say! But is it???? Often times if the size is correct, and the presentation is good but the color is wrong, you may still catch a few fish, once again size and presentation is emphasized. However, the right pattern can be that last piece of the puzzle that makes it all come together. For patterns, we have already touched on some basics. Thread body and either a tiny wing, a wrap of hackle in the appropriate size, or for pupa, a tiny bit of dubbing for the Thorax. One note of interest, (not that it is any kind of secret) adding a little flash to the pattern does give you an edge when midging. Why? Several reasons: First, Henry and I have noticed in our aquarium setups that midges also seem to have a shimmering appearance coming up through the water column as they begin their emergence, a silvery look if you will. In making an educated guess, I would think it must be gases trapped under their pupal skin, which causes them to become buoyant. It has been known for many years, that this phenomenon is a definite trigger for trout with regard to many emerging caddis species.
Secondly: At certain times, especially in places like the " Bathtub" in a square meter of water in the foam line, it is likely that there are thousands upon thousands of midge pupa, midge worms, crippled adults and stuck in shuck adults, etc. With all that food availability, what's a trout to do? He sits in his one lane, and doesn't move much more than an inch or two to either side to get his meal. What does all this have to do with flash???
Picture yourself in a large room filled with woman (go easy now) all of which have some type of dark hair, in strolls a tall blonde woman. What generally happens - (besides the elbow you get from your wife) your attention is captured because of the difference. Trout are similar to men (in many ways) a little Krystal flash, or silver wire can (I believe) mimic to some degree the shimmering look of the shuck around the insect. As for patterns, Henry and I will do our very best over this winter, to get some real photos of some local patterns with tying instructions into the Pattern Archives.
So, what do you think?? Can you do it, of course you can!!. Midging can be great fun. Put in your time, pay your dues, and you'll have rich rewards. While I have been sitting here, diligently writing this article, Henry has been busy attempting to tie a Caddis emerger, unfortunately, he was using quills for the body, and as he was gently wetting the quill in his mouth - He swallowed the quill!!! So, I guess the next article will have to be about Caddis Emergers. Until then...... KEEP MIDGING !!