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FISHING MIDGE FLIES
AKA CHIRONOMIDS
Midges (chironomids) are some of the most
abundant food for trout particularly in still waters. What a midge fly lacks in size
it more than make up for in numbers. After ice out in the spring, but before
the mayflies and caddis become active, midges are the main food source for
trout.
The most recognized chironomid is the
mosquito. We are familiar with the rapid growth and quick gestation period of this
pesky critter. A generation can be measured in days or weeks. This is typical
of this entire family of bugs. Their small size and incredible numbers assure
that the trout feed many times per day on these hor d'oeuvres rather than seeking one
sitting of meat and potatoes.
Chironomids live on the bottom and migrate
to the surface to hatch. A very common way to fish the imitation on still waters is
to suspend a pupa beneath an indicator and let the wind chop provide the action. If
you have the depth "dialed in" you can be quite successful.
Trout tend to be specific to the depth at
which they feed, if your presentation is not in this zone you will not get bit. A
better searching system is to fish the pupa "rising to the surface". This
can be done with a floating line and long ( 10¹-16¹) leader. An intermediate
sinking line is a better choice if available. Be sure fly floatant is off of the leader to
ensure sinking. Wet clay rubbed on leader will help it break through the surface
film. Fluorocarbon leaders and
tippet material are heavier than water and sink rapidly. Bead heads are not
needed to sink the fly to the length of the leader on still waters.
Once your system is totally wet lay out
your leader and fly on the water close to you and count how long it takes for the fly to
sink to the desired depth ( one thousand one...one thousand two...etc.). Place rod
tip in the water and retrieve the fly to determine how many of what kind of pulls bring
the fly to the surface.
Real pupa move from the bottom to the top
and that is how you want to fish the imitation. I recommend that you look at
mosquito larva in a bucket of water sometime to get an idea of what some of these
bugs do under water. I have yet to see the fly that can mimic the wiggling action of
the real thing but we can get closer by using a non tightening knot to attach the pupa
pattern. Use a Duncan Loop or a Uni-knot.
When retrieving, your fly and leader will
rise through the water at an angle --not straight up. When you pause the
fly which has been following the track of the leader at an angle, will hinge down to a
vertical position. This provides a life-like movement to your pupa. A standard
(tight to the hook eye) knot will not allow this movement. This hinging from vertical to
angled and back, combined with rising through the various potential feeding zones is a
much more effective and fun way to fish than the standard indicator method.
In windy conditions a floating line will be
blown across the surface and prevent the pause that is the key. That is why an
intermediate sinking line is so valuable. It is the slowest of the full sinking
lines and it remains near the surface but below the wind drift. This combined with
your rod tip at or below the
surface puts you in control of the movement of your fly.
One other point: this presumes you are
standing in one spot or anchored in place. If you are in a wind driven float tube
you will lose the "pause."
CHRONOMID COLORS REDUX:
The red or Blood
Midge lives in the oxygen poor zone at the bottom of lakes. Generally they
inhabit mud & muck bottoms rather than sand & gravel. This zone is so deep
that it receives little or no sun light for photo synthesis and the decaying vegetable
matter absorbs oxygen. The red pigmentation of this midge is the hemoglobin it uses
to store the oxygen it needs. Red is the first band of light that water filters out
so your red pupa does not appear red a few feet below the surface. It becomes shades
of gray like on a black and white TV. At the surface the red/orange color becomes
important, particularly for emergers.
The more translucent pupa ( ie. mosquitos) are best imitated by the Pearl
coloration. It is a white pattern with multi-colored crystal flash wrapped
over. Fish key in on positives and the multi-color over white gives lots of
options. Pearl is a good choice for
clear water conditions.
Black gives the most contrast in poor
visibility conditions and thus is sometimes the most noticeable color for midge
pupa. A number of black pupa naturally occur in both still and flowing waters.
Lee¹s Ferry on the Colorado River has incredible numbers of small black midge pupa (size
#18). Black is the most often fished color of midge pupa.
The Grey Boy is black with white banding
on the body and a red & black head. Again a multi colored offering hoping to
appeal to some color the fish are used to feeding on.
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