In short, a zebra midge is a fly pattern used to imitate both the pupal and nymphal stages of a wide variety of aquatic-born insects The Zebra Midge features a tapered body, ribbed abdomen, and a beadhead, making it a versatile and effective fly pattern for all sizes and species of trout.
What color are zebra midges?
The Zebra Midge is usually a thread body of Black, Red, Olive, Brown, and Gray color with a fine silver wire ribbing. It can have a beadhead of Nickel, Copper, Gold, Black, or a Glass Bead.
Is a zebra midge a nymph?
The Zebra Midge is a nymph that mimics midge pupae and/or emerging midges. Here’s where you can start looking for them. There’s just one trick to catching them: Use a size 16-24 shrimp/scud hook wrapped in colored thread and a copper or silver fine wire with a 2 or 3mm tungsten bead head of matching metallic finish.
Do trout eat midges?
Midges are closely related to mosquitoes and look like them, but they don’t bite. More importantly, they make up a huge percentage of a trout’s diet This is for a few reasons. Midges are pretty universal, being found in large numbers in many bodies of water.
What time of day do midges hatch?
Midges can emerge anytime of the day and any day of the season In the summer, when there are other insects hatching, midges are at the bottom of the list of likely trout foods. This does not mean that fish aren’t feeding on them—it just means you should rule out other insects before tying on a midge pattern.
How big is a midge zebra?
Zebra midges are most commonly tied on hooks size 16 and smaller Here I’m going to use a Dai-Riki #125 emerger hook in size 20. I’m using a 1/16th inch silver cyclops bead because it complements this hook well. It can be a microscopic wrestling match to get the bead on the hook, small hole first, but do your best.
What materials do you need to tie a zebra midge?
- Hook: Tiemco TMC 2488 Size 18 (or similar)
- Bead: 5/64 inch Silver Cyclops Eye Bead.
- Thread: Black Danville’s 6/0 Fly Master (or color of choice)
- Rib: Extra-Small Silver UTC Ultra-Wire.
- Thorax: Fine Black Dubbing (or color of choice)
Are midges black flies?
Black flies, Biting midges (No-see-ums), Horse flies, Deer flies and Stable flies are all biting flies Many of these species require a blood meal in order to lay eggs. In most species only the female takes blood meals.
Do midges swim?
After about three days, pupae actively swim to the surface , and adults emerge several hours later. Adults mate in swarms soon after emerging. More recent studies have shown that adult midges actually feed on nectar and other sugary materials. They live for only 3 to 5 days.
Who invented the zebra midge?
The Zebra Midge, invented by Lees Ferry guide Ted Welling , imitates a tiny midge pupa, but you’ll be amazed by how such a tiny fly can attract large fish. In his book Tying and Fishing Tailwater Flies, Pat Dorsey describes how he uses the Zebra Midge when he needs a midge-pupa pattern that sinks quickly.
Are midges dry flies?
This emerging dry fly closely resembles the natural mayfly emerger for tough to catch, selective trout. The midge pattern is effective when trout are selectively taking very small flies on the surface or in the film.
What does a WD 40 fly imitate?
The fly can be used to imitate a small Baetis / Blue Wing Olive or midge The original fly pattern was tied with a gray body/thorax, but it can be tied in a variety of colors including olive, chocolate, black, tan, and red.
What is a green drake fly?
What is a Green Drake? A western green drake or Drunella Grandis is a large crawling mayfly that can be easily identified for its upright mayfly wings and vibrant green color They are most often found in size #10-#12 sometimes even an #8 sized fly.
What type of fly is a zebra midge?
The Story. The TH Zebra Midge is a great stillwater fly pattern where chironomids are present. Chironomids can represent a significant portion of the trout’s diet in stillwater. Sizes: 16, 18, 20, 22.
How do you catch midges?
Create a midge trap This is super easy to do and a great way to get rid of midges that are already in your home. Put apple cider vinegar into a bowl with a few drops of washing up liquid. Midges are attracted to the smell of the mix but get stuck when they land!.
What does a midge fly look like?
Adult midges look a lot like mosquitoes: small and dainty, rather soft-bodied, with long, narrow wings and long, skinny legs ; males often have feathery antennae, used for sensing the high-pitched sounds of female wings.
What is the life cycle of a midge?
There are four stages in the life-cycle of midges, egg, larva, pupa and adult In the tropics, depending on species and environmental conditions, the entire life-cycle takes around 3 weeks to complete. The longest stage is the larval stage, when the larvae burrow in the sediment and organic matter in the water body.
What flies to use in winter for trout?
- Sipper Midge – Size 18-20. Sipper Midge John Fedorka
- LaFontaine’s Buzzball – Size 14-18. LaFontaine’s Buzzball John Fedorka
- Tung Teaser – Size 18-22. Tung Teaser John Fedorka
- Pat’s Rubber Legs – Size 4-8 and Frenchie – Size 16-20
- Complex Twist Bugger – Size 2-6.
What is the San Juan worm fly?
A San Juan Worm is a fly pattern designed to imitate an aquatic worm (or annelid) Constructed of three materials–a hook, thread, and chenille–San Juan Worms are known for their simplicity, durability, and versatility, as they can be fished year-round, and in nearly any body of water.
What is BWO fly fishing?
A Blue Winged Olive is the common name for a fly that is part of the Baetis fly group. They are mayflies with olive bodies and dark wings.
What is a stonefly nymph?
Stonefly larvae (also called nymphs or naiads) are aquatic, flattened, with 6 sprawling legs and with a segmented abdomen bearing 2 long antenna-like “tails” (cerci) The antennae on the head are long, too. Gills are tuftlike and usually positioned at the bases of the legs, on the underside of the body.
What is rainbow trout favorite food?
Some of their favorite foods are insects, larvae, worms, leeches, frogs, minnows, crayfish and snails.
What temperature do midges hatch?
Look for cloudy skies around mid-day when temperatures are in the mid 30’s to 40’s Wind-free days are hard to come by this time of year but are ideal for fishing these hatches.
Where do midges go in winter?
Midge larvae spend the winter in the soil until the following spring. A week later the females emerge, they mate and the males die off.. Females lay their eggs on the soil surface 7 days later….
What is midge slang for?
a short person From “midget”. I’m much taller than that midge.
Do midges hatch in the winter?
Because tailwaters are a little like Goldilocks’ favorite porridge—not too hot and not too cold— midge hatches can continue in abundance right through January It’s not uncommon to see midges rising through snowflakes, especially in the moderate Southern tailwaters, where fishing remains open year-round.
Are zebra midges good?
The Zebra Midge is an extremely simple, but highly effective fly I mean it REALLY catches fish. Fishing it as a dropper off almost any nymph can often produce trout that are constantly feeding off tiny insects in the bottom part of the water column, often referred to as “the strike zone”.
Do midges pee on you?
Contrary to common belief, it is not fly urine that causes the discomfort Rather, it is the saliva itself that produces the classic allergic response. Female biting midges may attack in large numbers, biting exposed skin, and the bites can be irritating and painful.
Do midges carry disease?
Although midges are known as ‘Scotland’s secret weapon’, there is no need to worry about being bitten leading to serious problems. However, biting midges have been implicated in transmitting a disease of livestock In hot climates, midges are known to spread both African Horse Sickness and Blue Tongue virus.
Why do midges bite you?
Why do midges bite? Only the female midges bite. Female midges feed on the blood of animals and mammals to help provide nutrients to grow their eggs Both the male and female midges rely on sugar for energy, but the females need more than this to mature their eggs.
What are midges attracted to?
Midge’s primary nourishment comes from flower nectar and other high-sugar juices, such as plant sap. Midges are also attracted to humans, their pets and livestock thanks to the CO2, body heat and particular scents we make. Once midges become aware of these cues, they hunt down their target.
Do midges eat mosquitoes?
In a new study in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Animal Ecology, researchers report that the larvae of a tiny fly, the midge Corethrella appendiculata, eat more of the larvae of the invasive Asian tiger mosquito than of the native Eastern treehole mosquito (Aedes triseriatus).
Where do midges live during the day?
The midge will actually only come out during the day if there is cloud cover because they are actually sensitive to light, this is the reason why you will generally see them under the shade of a tree, they hate windy conditions and very dry weather and prefer cooler and damp areas, you will find them mostly in woods.
Citations
https://www.amazon.com/zebra-midge/s?k=zebra+midge
https://www.flyfishfood.com/blogs/beginner-fly-tying-tutorials-1/zebra-midge
https://flyfishingfix.com/zebra-midge/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=zebra-midge
https://www.slideinn.com/product/tungsten-zebra-midge/