Tying Jeff's Hatching Midge

Early season still holds some excellent small fly opportunities and so often if there isn't a hatch coming off or if there hasn't been any one insect that is apparent then I'll often fish a small fly like this in tandem with a larger fly like the above, giving the fish a choice between the two.  Early season we have tons of midges in the drift as well as small mayflies like Baetis and Pseudocloeon and this fly is a reasonable imitation of either. When treated with Dry Dust, Frog's Fanny, or Shimazaki Dry Shake it will float in the film as a "damp" pattern, a super midge emerger pattern when fish get tough.  Brown, Black, and Olive are great body colors to tie.

This design is similar to a lot of popular spring creek patterns.  They have been popularized by
spring creek and tailwater anglers of the west, and commercial fly suppliers like Montana Fly
Company (Adam Trina and Brant Oswald).  It is murderously effective because it mimics the
emerger stage of an emerging midge (also a great Baetis/Bwo) that is in the process of
crawling through the "escape hole" in top of nymph shuck where the wingpad is.  Try this pattern on
wild and stocked fish, tailwater and small streams alike.  You'll find it's  truly a great fly.

Materials
Hook:  Shrimp/Caddis or Emerger hook size 18-24)
                (using a #16 yields a #18 emerger, #18 yields a #20, and so on...)
Thread:  Unithread 8/0, color desired, for this pattern brown
Tail:     white CDC, short, sparse
Abdomen:   Tying thread, tied slender
Ribbing:  Copper wire, small
Wingcase:  CDC, white
Thorax:   Ice Dub, Black

What the Materials Look Like:   Hook       Thread       Tail       Abdomen     Ribbing     Wingcase    Thorax

Directions for Tying Jeff's Hatching Midge

   
Steps 1 - 3:   Start thread and lay a thread base, and tie in a white CDC Feather as shown at midshank
and wrap back on the feather going toward the hook bend.  Trim CDC short as shown.

   
Steps 4-6:  Tie in a short (2-3") piece of small, fine copper wire at the rear as shown.  Trim excess,
secure with thread.  Move the thread forward to ahead of the White CDC at the midshank, then
rib the body with the copper wire in evenly spaced turns.  Tie the wire off just ahead of the CDC.
Apply black ice dub to the thread as shown.

   
Steps 7-9:  Dub the thorax as shown, making it "round" but taking care not to crowd the hook eye.
Pull the white CDC over the top of the thorax as a wingcase, doing so "loosely" so the CDC "humps"
up or "bubbles" up- - instead of pulling it down tightly like you might do with other materials.  
Secure with several tight thread turns and trim excess.  Create a nice, neat thread head and cement.




                                                        
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                                                   Jeffrey Wilkins Fly Tying
                                                 3703 Windspray Court 
                                                             Summerfield, NC 27358
                                           (336) 644-7775   jeff@jeffreywilkinsflyfishing.com