March 2022 - 30
A variety of common dry flies work well
during midge hatches. A basic black midge
in sizes 20 to 24 is a great option. A small
Parachute Adams is another standard, as is
the Griffith's gnat.
Keeping an eye on your own fly in a midge
swarm is sometimes the most difficult part
of the fishing. Flies tied with a bit of bright
color on top are easier to see than the drab
hues of the fly body. It's also possible to cast
a two-fly rig, with a larger, brightly-colored
fly tied about a foot above the actual midge
imitation. Even if the angler still can't spot
the midge, it's possible to simply set the hook
whenever a rise occurs near the spotter fly.
If all else fails, set the hook every time a rise
is seen at the estimated location of your fly.
Plucking a size 22 fly
from your fly box is easier
with hemostats than
fingers. If you require
reading glasses, purchase
a stronger set for tying
tippet to tiny flies.
Light tackle works well for fishing midges,
on or below the surface. Four- to 5-weight
rods are sufficient. Tippets in the 5x to 7x
range are standard. A couple of tricks makes
handling those small-sized flies much easier.
Plucking a size 22 fly from your fly box is
easier with hemostats than fingers. If you
require reading glasses, purchase a stronger
set for tying tippet to tiny flies. I normally
use reading glasses with +1.50 magnification
but have a pair of +2.50 for dealing with
itty-bitty flies. Anglers who don't require
reading glasses often find low-magnification
lenses helpful in this respect.
Hundreds of fly patterns have been developed
to imitate midges, but the basic flies
easily found in fly shops or online are all you
need. Standbys such as blood midges, zebra
midges, brassies, black midges, Parachute
Adams and Griffith's gnats are perfect for
beginners and experts.
They're little critters, to be sure. But in
the dead of winter or other seasons of the
year, all you need to hook a trout might be
a smidge of midge.
- Jack Ballard has written hundreds of articles on
all types of fishing. See more of his work at www.
jackballard.com.
30 | March 2022
Midge hatches often provide trout like browns and rainbows plentiful food. Anglers can fish them on the surface or under the
water. (Photo by Jack Ballard)
http://www.jackballard.com
March 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2022
March 2022 - 1
March 2022 - 2
March 2022 - 3
March 2022 - 4
March 2022 - 5
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March 2022 - 48
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