The Midge Fly: Top 10 Midge Fly Patterns You Must Know
The midge fly is one you’ll find in any experienced fly fisherman box. There’s an overwhelming abundance of patterns out there, so we’ll condense them into ten, largely based on experience and overall popularity among the fly fishing community.
Before we dive into the more popular variations, let’s try to answer a few brief questions so that you can better understand when and why to use midge flies.
At the end of the article, we will also give you some general tips based on our experience for tying most of the midge patterns.
What is a midge fly?
A midge typically refers to any small fly, and it’s usually a part of several families of non-mosquitos.
You can find midges on every area of land, with the obvious exception of permanent arid areas, frigid zones, and deserts. Their omnipresence in nature makes them appropriate for fly fishers around the globe, as they are not specific to a designated territory.
Just for clarity, some examples of specific midge species include:
The net-winged midge
Gall midges
Biting midges
Meniscus midges
Dung midges
What is the difference between a midge and a nymph?
We often get this question. Nymphs refer to several species of aquatic insects. Midges are a specific species (albeit a diverse one).
It’s like the popular saying about Jacuzzis - “All Jacuzzis are hot tubs, but not all hot tubs are jacuzzis.”
And since the nymph is a stage in the development of a fly, adjusted, the saying in this case would be: “All midges start as nymphs, but not all nymphs are midges.”
Are midge flies seasonal?
Midge flies are not seasonal. They can be used on your fly fishing trips year-round. However, there’s a caveat. Certain species are predominant during certain seasons, and tying them might prove to be more productive during that time of the year. Some midge fly patterns are also suitable for Euro nymphing.
Now that we have that out of the way let’s break down the most popular midge fly patterns. In essence, the midge can be a summer or a winter fly.
*Note: all pattern images are sourced from Umpqua and edited after the fact.
Top 10 Most Popular Midge Fly Patterns
Zebra Midge
The zebra midge needs little introduction in the fly fishing community - it’s one of the best natural subsurface imitations of a midge nymph.
The specificity of this particular fly comes from its slim body with accented ribs. The idea is to offer greater contrast in the water and trigger a bite.
Recommended hook sizes: 16, 18, 20, 22, 24
Mercury Black Beauty Midge
This midge fly pattern is a variation of the original Black Beauty that was invented in the 90s. One of the main differences with the original is the silver-lined glass bead and Mylar tinsel.
The purpose of this is to further increase the translucency in conditions where you would need to imitate an emerging pupa - the glass bead imitates the air bubble trapped under the midge’s exoskeleton that helps it emerge on the surface.
Recommended hook sizes: 18, 20, and 22.
Manhattan Midge
Developed by Forrest Dorsey, the Manhattan Midge was initially developed to target trout in the Rocky Mountains.
It’s a hybrid between the Top Secret Midge, the Mercury Black Beauty, and the Mercury Blood midge. It incorporates signature attributes from all of them, such as the slim profile, flashy wing, clearly segmented body, peacock collar, and so forth.
Recommended hook sizes: 18, 20, 22
Top Secret Midge
The midge fly pattern with the most mysterious name out there. Don’t let it fool you, though. It’s a well-known and respected fly to fish with.
There are multiple variations to this midge, but the segmented body, the durable two-color thread body in combination with a tiny portion of flash produces a very effective emerger, which floats right below the surface level.
Recommended hook sizes: 22, 24, 26
Pure Midge Larva
The pure midge larva is one of the simplest midge patterns you can tie to target trout. Invented by John Barr, it’s a very simple fly, and you will only need two materials for it.
This is also a perfect representation of one of the tips that we have for you - when less is more. Sometimes, all you need to catch otherwise pretentious trout is something plain and incredibly simple.
Recommended hook sizes: 18, 20, 22
Rainbow Warrior
Lance Egan first tied the Rainbow Warrior. It has become a signature pattern omnipresent in fly fishing boxes. And whilst some may argue it is not an actual midge pattern, it is a generic pattern that could imitate a variety of insects, including midges, when tied on a smaller hook.
The fly is known to perform particularly well in various conditions, but it’s an attention grabber in clear waters, spring creeks, and tailwaters. It works for both stocked trout and wild fish.
Recommended hook sizes: 16, 18, 20
Rojo Midge
Characterized by its white uni-stretch at the head to simulate the breathing filaments of a midge pupa, this pattern has become increasingly popular in various color schemes.
Most commonly tied with a red bead to attract aggressiveness, the body can be tied with black, hot red, olive, or purple threads. Make sure to rib it to get that segmentation that’s so specific of midge fly patterns, as you’ve probably picked up by now.
Recommended hook sizes: 18, 20, 22
Pat’s Midge
Some midges fail to complete the entire emerging process. These are known as cripples. As you can imagine, they make excellent targets for trout.
Pat’s midge is designed to mimic these exact midges - when the adult fails to free itself from the pupal sheath.
Recommended sizes: 18, 20, 22, 24
JujuBee Midge
Tied by Charlie Craven, the Jujubee midge pattern is one that’s used to fish on the upper layers of water closer to the surface. It works best in slower creeks where the line is easier to control.
The pattern imitates midge larva but with a twist designed to attract and produce a bite from more aggressive trout.
Recommended hook sizes: 18, 20, 22
Midge Dry Fly
This is the most basic variation of a dry fly midge pattern that you can use. The cream color works well in various conditions, while the hackle does well to leave a refined pattern on the water surface.
The fly can be tied in different colors.
Recommended hook sizes: 20, 22, 24
Pro tips for tying midge fly patterns:
Less is more
When tying midge fly patterns, using fewer materials is oftentimes the better approach, although there are some obvious exceptions. However, keep in mind that the diameter of the hook is usually quite enough to imitate the body of a midge. This means that the more material and layers you add to it, the more you’re straying away from the actual insect.
The size matters
As you can see from our recommended hook size section below each example, there are almost no midge patterns that require a hook size larger than #16. If you’re fishing lakes, you might need to use a larger hook (say up to #12), but most of your midge fishing will be done on sizes between #18 and #22.
Hotspots are your friend
Hotspots are a polarizing topic in the fly fishing community, but when it comes to midges, we’ve found out that oftentimes, it’s the difference between landing fish and not. A subtle and non-intrusive hotspot that doesn’t break the design and structure of the fly might make a big difference. For instance, flash materials tend to imitate bubbles or an emerging wing case - that’s a signal for weakness in that midge. And trout are not known for showing kindness.
Well, that’s a wrap, folks! We hope you enjoyed the content. If you did, feel free to share it around with your fishing buddies or across the internet - it helps us a ton!
Also, feel free to check out our article on perdigon fly patterns - it’s another fly that you absolutely must tie!
