Stillborn Midge

Stillborn Midge

Show

Tying Instructions

1. Start the thread about mid-way on the hook shank.

2. Secure a strand of black flashabou to the hook shank.

3. Secure a piece of X-small silver to the shank and wrap the two strands down the shank to the midpoint of the hook curve.

4. Once the strands are secured at the midpoint of the hook curve, wrap the thread back up to the area you started the thread wraps, about three eye lengths behind the eye.

5. Wrap the flashabou with overlapping wraps up the hook curve to the thread tie down position, trim off the tag and secure.

6. Wrap the silver wire ribbing with 5-6 spirol wraps up to the thread tie down position. Helicopter off the silver wire and secure.

7. Select two hen neck hackles.

8. Secure the hackle to the top of the hook shank. The tips should be even with the bend of the hook.

9. Secure the hackle to the top of the hoon shank just in front of the two white hackles

10. Wrap the hackle three times and secure the hackle with thread wraps. Trim off the tag end.

11.Secure a thin piece of packing foam in front of the hackles.

12. Attach a piece of Peacock Herl just in front of the hackles.

13. Wrap the Peacock Hackle forward to the eye of the hook and secure with thread wraps. Trim off the tag.

14. Bring the foam over the thorax and secure with 1 wrap of thread behind the eye and 1 wrap of thead under the foam behind the eye. Apply two half hitches to secure behind the eye.

15. Trim off the tag end of the foam and trim the hackles below the thorax. The finished Stillborn Midge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Materials to Order Material, click the link
Hook	Daiichi 1130 #18
Thread	Veevus 12/0 Black
Body	Flashabou Black
Thorax	Peacock Herl
Ribbing	X-small Silver Wire
Wing	Hen Hackle tips white
Wingcase	0.5mm Clear Speckled Foamor White Packaging low density Foam
Hackle	Grizzly Hackle

Stillborn Midge

Midges hatch year-round and even when other major hatches are in progress, the midges continue to be a food source for the trout. The winter months are often considered to be prime midge months, only due to the lack of any other insect hatches taking place. During this period the trout focus on emerging midge pupae and they can be quite selective. The trout tend to ignore a single midge but will look for midge clusters to inhale. If you encounter a trout coming to the surface for a subtle sip, leaving a faint rise-form, the trout is most likely finding single midges. However, if midge clusters appear, the trout get more active and rapidly feed on the cluster as it drifts down the stream.

Stuck in a Shuck

The stillborn midge is meant to represent a single midge that is having difficulty emerging from it’s shuck. Like the small midge cluster, this is an easy meal and the trout will be attracted to it. Casts should be short and pinpointed to rising trout. This may mean actually kneeling within the stream as to get as physically close to the feeding trout as possible. Utilizing short upstream casts will allow you to diminish drag, working the outside of the feeding lane before casting into the center of the lane. If you encounter midge clusters, try skittering the fly across the current in front of the rising fish. This will grab their attention and proceed to fly in the excitement. Winter months are usually cold and the trout are lethargic, so the best time to midge is Noon to 2 pm.

Stillborn Midge, Pearl

Hook	Daiichi 1130 #18
Thread	Veevus 12/0 Black
Body	Flashabou Pearl
Thorax	Peacock Herl
Ribbing	X-small Silver Wire
Wing	Hen Hackle tips white
Wingcase	0.5mm Clear Speckled Foamor White Packaging low density Foam
Hackle	Grizzly Hackle