This is a simple dry fly pattern that will imitate midges all year, but has been particularly effective for me during the colder months.
- Hook: #18-20 dry fly
- Thread: Black
- Body: Black dry fly dubbing
- Wing: Fluff from the base of a hen feather
- Hackle: Black or Grizzly
Now, I almost didn’t feature this pattern on the channel as it’s just embarrassingly simple. How it came about… early one January, I was about to head out to the Savage River. Mid-afternoon, so I was planning to get a couple hours of fishing in before sunset. After a quick look at my dry fly box, I realized I didn’t have a lot of midges left over from several fishing days in December. So I took about a half an hour to tie some up.
Normally I would tie a pattern like this, with a simple dark body, either black or dun, then a bit of dark hackle (black or grizzly), and then something white for a wing. I would either use hackle tips or a white Para-post or nylon. Now I was at the farm and I didn’t have any of that, but I did have some chicken feathers. So I tried a small tuft from the base of a natural hen feather, tied that in as a down-swept wing, and voila, a decent looking and easy-to-tie midge pattern.
That night on the Savage, I think I got three fish and the final one was about a 15-in wild brown right before sunset. For a low floater that sits directly in the surface film, this fly was surprisingly easy to see. Definitely for me, and apparently for the fish that were still coming up for it at dusk.
And it’s worked well for me a few other times. Earlier this week I tried it on the headwaters of the Rapidan River in Virginia. I was mostly fishing caddis dry flies but I tied this on in in one of the slower runs and netted half a dozen native brook trout in less than an hour.
As simple as this thing is, it’s done great for me several times since and has quickly become one of my favorite small midge patterns.