There are many chances for missed opportunities in fly fishing. Too early, to late, or you should have been here last year are often times the overarching themes of many fly fishing trips. One opportunity that many anglers miss, is the chance to take advantage of the most prolific aquatic insects occupying many types of aquatic habitats across the entire United States.
Although diminutive in size, midges are one of the most important forage items for trout year round. While other hatches wane and fizzle out with weather and environmental changes, midges are a constant food source that are often overlooked by anglers. Midge populations are present in both lakes and rivers, they can withstand marginal water quality. Midges hatch in abundance, and they hatch year round. No matter where you live in the United States, midges are hatching on a stream or lake near you. They are an important forage item for not only trout, many fish species too.
For fly fisherman having a healthy supply of midge patterns in your fly box allows you to take advantage of periods before, after, or between hatches. Fishing midges prolong your fishing day, and they also allow anglers to fish year round for trout, even in the dead of winter. In this article, I will try to give you a brief understanding of midge anatomy, lifecycle, etc. and the best fly patterns for imitating the four stage life cycle of the insect, and some practical advice for how to fish them.
A Brief Understanding of Midges
Midges are primitive organisms and part of the order Diptera. The order Diptera contains over a million species of flies, mosquitoes, and of course midges. There are thousands of species of midges, so focus on the size and color of the insects and not the particular species.
The midges entire life cycle is a four stage process. Eggs -> larval stage -> pupae -> and finally the adult stage. Midge eggs are not important for the fly angler, so you can forget about that stage of the hatching process. The three phases that are an important food source to trout are the larval stage, pupa, and adult stages.
The larval stage is similar in appearance to a small worm. They come in many different colors, but the most common colors are: red, brown, or black. Simple fly patterns such as the zebra midge represent this phase of the life cycle. Larvae burrow into the mud river bottom. For this reason, trout feeding on midge larva is not visible to anglers, and occurs close to the river bottom. Midge flies imitating larvae should generally be fished deep.
The pupae stage of the midge life cycle, has similar characteristics to caddis fly pupae. Appearing short with a worm like body, the larva begins to fill out, forming wing pads, antennas, and gills. The pupa swim to the surface of the river in a wiggling motion. Also, similar to caddis flies, they will use trapped air between there body and exoskeleton to increase buoyancy when swimming to the surface of the water.
An example of a fly pattern that represents this stage of the lifecycle is the RS2 emerger. Flash tied into midge patterns helps to simulate the small amount of shiny reflection that air bubbles create when midge pupae are actively hatching.
Once the midge pupa reach the meniscus of the river, the emerging midge breaks free of its exoskeleton, climbs onto the surface of the water, develops it's wings, and flies away. Adult midges are almost identical in appearance to mosquitoes. However, midges do not bite, and one of the best ways to tell the difference between a mosquito and midge is by the presence of long bushy antennae.
What Type of Water do Midges Live In?
Midges live in every type of habitat that trout are found in, plus some others. If a trout can live in it, then so can a midge. While the presence of other trout forage is largely dictated by water quality, midges are found in large numbers everywhere.
There is a hierarchy of durability in the aquatic insect world. Stoneflies and many mayfly species are indicator species, and they require extremely clean water for survival. The presence of both mayflies and stoneflies, indicates high water quality.
Caddis flies are hardier then stoneflies and mayflies, but many species of caddis also require clean water or moving water for survival. Caddis flies are more widespread then stoneflies and mayflies, but still have limitations for survival.
Midges are at the bottom end of the pyramid, as they are the most primitive species of aquatic insects. They are the most wide spread species of aquatic insects that trout forage on. Besides lakes, rivers, and streams, they can even survive in sewage ponds and heavily polluted habitats. Still water or moving water, it doesn't make a difference. For this reason, they are extremely important to both trout and fly fisherman making it critical that you have a wide variety of midge fly patterns in your angling arsenal.
When Do Midges Hatch?
Midges hatch year round. In the winter months, they are often the only consistent food item available to trout. Hatches can occur at almost any temperature. Calm slightly overcast days with an air temp rising into the 30's will usually produce a strong showing of insects mid day. The combination of rising air temps and clouds are excellent conditions for fishing midge patterns. That being said, I have experienced epic midge hatches on the South Platte River with low hanging freezing fog and an ambient air temp of -13 degrees. Long story short, always bring some midge patterns.
In the summer months, midges are vitally important to trout before, after, and in between major hatches. For trout, the growing and feeding months are relatively short, so midges provide consistent nutrition when there is no hatch to match, or hatches haven't fully developed.
This is particularly true on hot sunny days in mid summer. By late afternoon, the main hatch has receded, and the water can be hot and devoid of both insects and feeding activity. This is the ideal time to go small and deep. In my experience, fishing midge patterns late in the day and deep under an indicator has rewarded me with many extra fish.
The bottom line is this, although small in size, midges make up an important part of a trout's diet no matter the month on the calendar. Trout establish feeding habits based on the aquatic insects that are most available. They feed on midges year round. Having the three important life phase of midge fly patterns in the fly boxes is a critical part of the puzzle for on water success.
Midge Fly Patterns that Work
Below is a list of some my favorite midge patterns for fly fishing streams, creeks, and lakes. I like to carry a wide range of flies in sizes #18 to #22. On extremely cold tailwaters in the winter months, you might even need to go smaller. I have had success fishing midge patterns in sizes #24 to #26 on the Blue River in Colorado to imitate tiny midges in the coldest part of February.
I will break down a few patterns below that represent the larvae, pupa, and adult stages of the hatch. I categorized the breakdown of each fly pattern in the corresponding life cycle stage.
Recommended Reading: How To Fly Fish Midge Flies
Larvae Fly Patterns
The larval stage is the most basic of fly patterns, but they work well at fooling fish and make good midge flies. As stated earlier, midge larva are found near the bottom of streams and lakes. Although they are simple patterns they are effective at catching trout.
Zebra Midges
The Zebra Midge pattern is one of those fly patterns that is so simple, you think it can't possibly work all that well. If you are looking for a midge larvae pattern then this one is hard to beat. Tied with a heavy bead, some thread, and small amount of gold, silver, or copper wire, it is deadly effective.
I prefer fishing the zebra midge with a heavier point fly like a rubber leg or guides's choice hare's ear. The heavier point fly helps to get the flies down. The Zebra midge can be fished in slow or fast water, and the heavy bead helps get the fly to depth too. For this reason, it is also effective as a dropper in a dry dropper setup.
Carry a wide array of colors too. I prefer to fish a red zebra in the morning and then switch over to black or brown in the afternoon. Changing the color mid day, has always worked well for me.
The Blue Poison
The blue poison is a favorite midge pattern when you need a larva midge pattern with a little flash. Tied with blue ribbing and a brown ice dubbed thorax, it is an effective fly for just about any tailwater fishery in the United States.
Blue is an often overlooked color in fly patterns. It is effective, and this heavy little pattern that utilizes the imitative profile of midge larva with the flash and color of an attractor pattern. It catches fish!. It can be fished under an indicator with an added piece of split shot, or as a dropper in shallow fast pockets.
The Jig Zika Midge
The Zika midge pattern is essentially a zebra midge tied on a jig hook with a heavy tungsten bead head. Riding hook point up, this pattern is deal for a dry dropper rig when fishing pocket water or faster moving currents. Riding hook point up it is less apt to snag and it is weighted to sink quickly. This pattern should be in every angler's arsenal.
Purple Haze Midge Larvae
The purple haze midge uses flashy purple body material with wire ribbing and a tungsten bead head to fool difficult trout. Straddling the fine line between an attracter pattern and imitative midge larvae pattern, the purple haze is excellent when you need a midge fly searching pattern. It is weighted heavily too. Getting down quickly, the purple haze is perfect for fishing deeper water, pockets, and shelves.
The Brassie
The brassie is a fish catching machine. closely related to the copper john, the abdomen is wrapped in copper wire. The bead head and additional copper wire get this fly down into the strike zone.
Much like the copper john, the brassie is considered a classic fly pattern by many anglers because it has proven to be an effective fly pattern time and time again. Whether you need to fish the brassie deep or off the back of a dry fly, it's flashy nature and realistic peacock herl collar get the job done.
Pupa And Emerger Patterns
It is important to keep both emerger and pupa fly patterns in your fly box for any fly fishing trip. When trout are porpoising, their rise form reveals only their dorsal fins, this indicates they are eating midge pupa and emergers just under the surface of the water.
As midge pupa swim to the rivers surface, trout will also take the opportunity to eat midge pupae in the mid level portion of the water column. For this reason, it is important to carry both weighted and unweighted emerger and pupa midge fly patterns. These are a few of my favorites.
Rainbow Warrior
The rainbow warrior is no doubt one of the most legendary flies ever created. Invented by Lance Eagan, it is the ultimate searching pattern. Tied with an excessive amount of pearl flash and a silver bead head, this is a fish catching machine. One can only imagine that fish key into this pattern because the silver nature of the pearl flash resembles silvery air bubbles that encase hatching insects.
When other patterns fail to produce, this is my go to fly for tricking picky fish. This is an excellent pattern to fish after a hatch ends and you are looking to prolong your angling day.
RS2 Foam Emerger
The RS2 is an excellent pattern, especially in clear water where fish have time to inspect fly patterns. It's slim profile, minimalist no frills construction, and diminutive size is ideal for technical fly fishing situations. Midges are tiny, and this fly pattern matches the profile of the real thing in a convincing way.
The RS2 foam emerger takes all those characteristics and adds a foam post to allow the RS2 to hang in the meniscus of the surface film. Fish eating emerging midges key into this behavior and select easy meals stuck in the meniscus. This fly is best fished in a two fly setup with a small sighter fly as the first fly. The small sighter fly allows the angler to better see where the almost invisible emerger pattern is in relation to the trout. In addition, the foam post helps this fly float, thus making it excellent for fishing rougher water.
Juju Bee Zebra Midge
Created by Charlie Craven, the juju bee midge is a slim profile midge emerger pattern with a subtle amount of flashback for selective fish. This is one my favorite emerger flies to fish when trout are taking emergers just under the surface of the river.
I like to fish juju bee emerger as a trailer fly behind a dry fly in a two fly setup. Using 18" to 24" of tippet, add the tippet to the bend of the hook of the point fly. Grease the additional tippet or simply dust frogs fanny on to the juju bee pattern. This technique allows the un-weighted nymph to ride just below the surface of the water. The tactical presentation of an un-weighted nymph hanging in the surface film is effective on the most pressured fish.
Recommended Reading: What's an Emerger Fly and How Do I Use Them? 
Twin Territory
The twin territory is one of those midge flies that is always handy to have in the fly box. This fly not only works well with midge hatches, but I have also used it to fool trout during a blue wing hatch. For this reason, it is wise to have this fly in winter, spring, summer, and fall.
This is a difficult fly to see, as it rides flush in the surface of the water. Although it has a foam over wing, it is still necessary to dress it with floatant. This fly is best paired with a sighter dry fly, and works very well in slicked out flats, and areas where large numbers of midges are hatching on softer water, like the inside bends of the river.
Flash Midge Pupa
I like the flash midge pupa for the versatility that this fly offers. Not only does it look great by combining the right amount of flash with a realistic peacock herl thorax, but it can be dressed with floatant and fished in the surface film. It can also be paired with a heavier nymph for presentations deeper in the water column.
Adult Midge Flies
Once midge pupa break through the tough surface tension of the meniscus, they stay on the surface of the river long enough to dry their wings and then take flight to find a mate. Many times, adult midges hatching in large numbers will clump together and form tiny rafts of floating midge balls. This is a rainbow or brown trout's dream come true, as these are high calorie morsels that provide double the calories for half the work!
Adult midges will also remain on the surface of the river as individuals too. Generally, as fish feed on adult midges, they will produce a rise form where the trout's mouth is visible while taking the insect. This is your cue to switch from an emerger pattern to a true dry fly pattern.
Griffith's Gnat or Hi-Vis Griffiths Gnat
The Griffith's gnat is a classic dry fly pattern. I have included both the regular and hi-vis version because they are the same fly, only differentiated by a hi-vis post. The most difficult part of midge dry fly fishing is seeing the flies. This is especially true when the surface of the river is covered in adults. The hi-vis version of this pattern can be a real asset to anglers fishing in these conditions.
The Griffith's gnat is an genius creation that simulates a ball of adult midges clumped together. This fly has been effective for me on many different rivers and seems to work universally well anywhere midges are hatching and fish are looking up. The Griffith's gnat is a excellent point fly to pair with some of the emerger patterns we listed above for a two fly dry fly combo. The copious of grizzly hackle when dressed with floatant can also withstand heavier water.
Parachute Adams
As we have discussed many times before, the parachute adams is an excellent all around dry fly. The smaller sizes of this fly in #18 to #22 will work well as a midge dry pattern, especially when colored black with a permanent marker. Having plenty of parachute adams in the fly quiver is never a bad idea.
