Created by Bill Fitzimmons and found in Dave Hughes' "Nymphs for Streams and Stillwaters," the Disco Midge is a chironomid pupa similar to the Zebra Midge but actually a bit easier to tie.
- Hook: #18-22 3x Long, Curved Shank
- Thread: Black
- Body: Krystal Flash, any color
- Head: Peacock Herl
Now, I've got a pretty cool pattern for you today, folks. I just got back from a week in the Smoky Mountains so stick around in the next week or so and I should have some footage of that trip. But tomorrow, I'm heading up to Big Hunting Creek, which is a pretty cool tailwater here in central Maryland. It's in the Catoctin Mountain National Park, just outside of Camp David. Fun fact- it was Presidents Eisenhower and Carter's local fishing water when they were at the presidential retreat.
The stretch I'm going to be fishing is called the Canyon. It's pretty high gradient, with some big boulders and fast riffles and chutes. So a lot of pocket water, but there are a few decent pools throughout. Of course I'll probably be fishing with dry flies, but I wanted a small lightweight nymph that I could hang as a dropper if I needed to. So I broke out Dave's Hughes’ “Nymphs for Streams and Stillwaters.” I found a cool pattern in here by Bill Fitzsimmons called the Disco Midge. Now, I'd heard of this pattern, but had never tied or fished it. It's similar to a zebra midge, and with only two materials just as easy to tie. It's got some crystal flash, any kind of crystal flash you have for the body. Then just a bit of peacock herl for the head. It’s literally about a one minute tie and even a new tier can knock out a row of these in just a few minutes.