Drifter's Chironomids

Gillie Chironomid Pupa, Dark
Gillie Chironomid Pupa Dark
Tying Instructions 		Materials:

Notes: During the 1990's, a local guide service in Mammoth, Sierra Drifters, developed a series of chironomid pupas and emergers for Crowley Lake. These were variations of the TDC (Thompson Delectable Chironomid) utilizing Superfine dubbing for the body, a beadhead, and wire ribbing. The guide, Tom Loe, would add a strand of Pearl Krystalflash to the end of the pattern for attraction and a trailing shuck. By adding Turkey Biots behind the bead, these variations became known as his Gillie patterns. The Gillies, over the years, have transformed to a thinly dubbed body with a krystalflash overbody (dark) or with a thread body coated with a finish (light) and a black wire ribbing. No longer do they appear to be similar to the TDC but have become a pattern within it's own. However, Tom still ties his Chironomid Pupa patterns using the dubbed body .

Sierra Drifters added a number of other chironomid patterns to their arsenal. The Broke Back series is an articulated midge using a tippet connector to a smaller hook size with the point snipped off. This articulation provided movement to the midge similar to the natural working its way up the water column. The Chironomid Emerger patterns originally had a dubbed body but eventually the patterns were adapted to a thread body and a Krystalflash overbody. White Antron yarn is used for both the gills and the trailing shuck. This is a material used on other pupa emerger patterns, such as buzzers and zebra midges. Zebra midges were commonly built as a thread body midge with Silver or Copper wire ribbings. Drifters had a pattern that was named a Dubbed Zebra using Hares Ear dubbing for the body and a Silver Wire ribbing. This is very unusual for a Zebra pattern. When Zebra patterns were first introduced to the Eastern Sierra, they had a Silver wire ribbing and were typically a thread body. If you applied a Copper wire ribbing, it was known as a Tiger Midge. Today, Zebra's can have either Silver or Copper ribbing and the Tiger Midge is often used interchangeably with the Zebra Midge name. Drifter's has a Tiger Midge using a Red Wire but you will find Zebra patterns also using this red wire as well.


Variations:
Gillie Chironomid Pupa Light
Gillie Chironomid Pupa Light
Drifter's Broke Back Gillie Pupa
Broke Back Gillie Midge Pupa
Drifter's Chironomid Pupa Copper
Chironomid Pupa Copper
Drifter's Chironomid Pupa Black
Chironomid Emerger Copper
Drifter's Chironomid Emerger Copper
Chironomid Emerger Copper
Crystal Black Olive Dubbed Zebra
Gillie Chironomid Pupa Light
Crystal Black Zebra Midge
Crystal Black Olive Dubbed Zebra Midge
Black Crystal Tiger Midge
Black Crystal Tidger Midge
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