Winter…cold, snow, sleet, ice in the guides, lethargic Trout, hands that don’t work , many trips to the truck to warm up …and. these little guys. Fortunately, most of the Midges I tie… will work year round in the tail water fisheries we visit in the Eastern Sierras…These particular ties will be used this Spring on the Lower Owens River near Bishop, CA and the East Walker River in Bridgeport, CA. In this series, I have included some variants of patterns that were created by Pat Dorsey and Steve Parrott, the guys who are BLUE QUILL ANGLERS, in Evergreen, CO…their patterns WORK…

Just like the ARMY, one guy is out of step…

Those red hooks are these and I get them HERE…

Here are the patterns:

Steve’s Midge (Medallion Midge)/ Variant…
HOOK: TMC 2487, Daiichi 1130, Mustad c49s, #18-#22
THREAD: Tiemco 16/0, White or Lt. Cahill
ABDOMEN: Tying thread
OVER ABDOMEN: Clear or Tan Micro Tubing
THORAX: Black or Dark Brown Superfine Dubbing
TRIGGER SPOT: Micro Flasahbou – Pearl….for this tie, I used SM. Opal Tinsel
SHELLBACK/ WING PADS: Medallion Sheeting, Dark Dun – Hareline
This is a Steve Parrott design, the original recipe may be found HERE. I have chosen to use a different hook and tied it in color(s) that match the small cream midges found in the Lower “O” and East Walker. For those waters, I generally go deep with my Midge patterns, in those locations, because that is where the Trout prefer to take up feeding stations…

BROWN HOLOGRAPHIC MIDGE (side view)…
HOOK: TMC 2487, Daiichi 1130, #18-#22
THREAD: Tiemco 16/0, Brown
ABDOMEN: Brown Holographic Flashabou
RIB: Lagartun, x-Fine Copper wire
WINGLETS: Flashabou, Tinsel Flash, Marabou Action, Pearl Orange – charge with sunlight, it “GLOWS”…
THORAX: Iridescent Peacok, Brown, Spirit River
BEAD: Copper Tung. or Brass – Lead or Lead Sub. – Optional

BROWN HOLOGRAPHIC MIDGE (Tilted View) …
There is a little Brown Midge that makes it’s appearance on the Lower Owens River, in the Spring. This fellow was designed to mimic that critter. Standard chocolate wd-40′s and 50′s work well during this emergence…I offer something a bit …well...DIFFERENT. It will probably have some applications on the East Walker…the character below will, report on that…

Michael likes Midges and the East Walker River is loaded with them…

MISTLETOE MIDGE #18-#20, side view…

MISTLETOE MIDGE …tilted view…
HOOK: Daiichi 1153, #18 or Gamakatsu C12-B, #18-#20
THREAD: Tiemco 16/0, Olive
SHUCK: Chartreuse Midge Flash
ABDOMEN: Chartreuse Holographic Tinse, Wapsi, SM
WINGLETS: Flashabou, Tinsel Flash, Marabou Action, Pearl Chartreuse…as above
BEAD: Silver Tung., sized to hook
I have been using pearl or other colored midge flash shucks on many of my Midge patterns for some time. I believe they are very effective and now, I have started playing around with materials which act as “triggers” in these, and other patterns I tie…try some…
PRE-XMAS POWER DINNER WITH Michael…to kick my FLU to the curb !!!

EVERGREEN KOREAN BBQ…

Michael, in from San Francisco and the sides…

Kimchi Spicy Pork Belly Soup, BBQ Sliced Beef and Purple Rice…YUMMMmmmmmm…

BIOT BLUE KF TUNG MIDGE…side view…
HOOK: TMC 2488 #18-#22
THREAD: Tiemco 16/0, Black
ABDOMEN: Natural Goose Biot
RIB: Blue Krystal Flash or Blue Holographic Tinsel for extra “BLING”…
THORAX: Arizona Diamond Hair, Pearl Blue
WINGCASE: Medallion Sheeting, Dark Dun
BEAD: Black Tung., sized to hook

Tilted view…
This is more of a Midge/Mayfly hybrid than a straight Midge pupa. I have had some interesting experiences with the Browns, in the East Walker River, all year round, with blue incorporated into the fly pattern design. This is another offering for Spring, that was influenced and inspired by a pattern I saw HERE. I see some other variations, tied with Turkey and Goose Biots, using other flash materials for the ribbing, in my future…

PEPT-HO MEDALLION MIDGE…
HOOK: Gamakatsu C12-B, #18-#20
THREAD: Tiemco 16/0, Black
SHUCK: Midge Rainbow Flash, Cascade Crest
ABDOMEN: Pink Holographic Flashabou, 2 strands
RIB: Ultra wire, Red, x-sm
ABDOMEN: Ice Dub, UV Dun
WINGCASE/WING BUDS: Medallion Sheeting, Dark Dun
A little play on Steve Parrott’s Medallion Midge using the red Gamakatsu hook I am really becoming enamored with…the “Pinky” clobbered some nice Browns and Rainbows for us on the East Walker this past Spring…I believe this variant will see some exciting “hook-ups”…

Tilted view…

The TRADITIONAL day after Christmas Chinese Dinner with FAMILY…this year at a new place : MISSION 261 …“.GUNG HAY FAT CHOY” from PT and Family !!!

$3.00 BRIDGE DIP. HOLO/RED…#16-#18…side view…

Tilted view…BECAUSE, Craig is out of the # 18′s… 
HOOK: TMC 2487, Daiichi 1130, #16-#18
THREAD: Gordon Griffith 14/0, Red
ABDOMEN: Red Holographic Mylar Motion – Spirit River
RIB: Lagartun, Silver, x-fine
WING: Coastal Deer Hair, Bleached
BEAD: Silver Tung. or Brass, sized to hook
The “classic” BRF, Craig Matthew’s pattern with a new paint job…this pattern and a whole lot of variations on this theme, consistently take nice Trout…I would not be without them…

TUNG FLASHBACK BLACK BEAUTY…Dorsey/Variant…(the winglets are a secret trigger on the EAST WALKER RIVER)
HOOK: TMC 2488, #18-#24
THREAD: Tiemco 16/0, Black
ABDOMEN: Tying thread
RIB: Lagartun, Copper, x-fine or Silver, x-fine
FLASHBACK: UTC SM Pearl Tinsel or UTC SM OPal Tinsel
WINGLETS: 2 strands of Grizzly Krystal Flash, Black/White
BEAD: Tun. or Brass with Lead or Lead Sub., Black or Silver
Another Pat Dorsey original that I have taken the liberty of “tweaking”. The winglets, in this coloration combo, have acted as a trigger on this pattern with which, Michael totally outscored his Pop one afternoon and evening on the East Walker…We are talkin’ about some Browns of major proportions !!! I plan on getting EVEN…

CHIRONOFLASH MIDGE PUPA…Parrott/Variant…Side view…
HOOK: TMC 2488, #18-#24
THREAD: Tiemco 16/0, Brown
ABDOMEN: Tying thread
OVERABDOMEN: Tan Micro Tubing
TRIGGER/HOT SPOT: Micro Pearl Flashabou
WINGCASE: Medallion Sheeting, Mottled Brown

Tilted view…
This is another Steve Parrott design…simple with a “hot spot”…my variation, is once again for those chocolate/brown Midges that are seen on the Lower Owens River in the Spring…

DISSONANCE MIDGE…Side view…
HOOK: TMC 2487, Daiichi 1130, #18-#20
THREAD: Tiemco 16/0 Grey
SHUCK: Midge Flash, Lt. Blue Dun
ABDOMEN: Danville Silver Tinsel, 16/18
RIB: Lagartun, Blue wire, Fine
WINGLETS: 2 strands of Grizzly Krystal Flash, Red/Black
THORAX: Arizona Diamond Hair, Lt. Blue
BEAD: Silver Tung., sized to hook

Tilted view…
My experience, with stuff I tie like this…is reflected BELOW…

“HEY DAD, Gimme’ another one of those…!!!”…

KG’s FULLBACK/FOAMBACK MIDGE… Glissmeyer/Variant – Chocolate…“NOW PLAYING IN EUROPE”
HOOK: Mustad c49s, Dai Riki 125, #18-#22
THREAD: Tiemco 16/0, Brown
SHUCK: Strands of SLF PRISM, Amber
ABDOMEN: Uni-Stretch 1x, Brown, twisted
RIB: Lagartun, Copper, x-fine
THORAX: Hare-Tron Dubbing, Dark Brown
WINGCASE: Electronics packing foam
KG would be Kelly G. Glissmeyer who ties some nifty patterns. This little guy is intended for spring creeks and appeared in the WINTER 2011 Issue of Flyfishing & Tying Journal pg. 29. Kelly tied this pattern in black using flat tying thread for the abdomen and black dubbing for the thorax. My variant is keyed for those Chocolate/Brown Lower “O” midges that will, hopefully, be lookin’ up – this Spring…I like this UNI -Stretch for the segmentation it provides…tied in other colors, it would cover a wide range of Midge hatches…

“THE BURPLE”…a Midgey-Nymphy Thingee…Gamakatsu, C12-B, #20…side view…

For this place, just about this TIME of day…

Tilted view…
HOOK: Gamakatsu C16-B, #18-#20
THREAD: Tiemco16/0 Black
UNDER ABDOMEN: Purple Haze Holographic Flash Fibers – Hareline
OVER ABDOMEN: Blue Micro Tubing
THORAX: Arizona Simi-Seal, Purple
LEGS: Fluro Fiber, Grey
BEAD: Killer Caddis, Glass, Blueberry, SM
So the sun is starting to hang low, in the late afternoon, while we are on the East Walker River and Michael turns to me and asks, “What should I put on, Dad?” I reached into my box and handed him THIS (“Deep Purple”) “Try this as your lead” , I said. He wasn’t disappointed…this pattern may be tied with or without legs…it is meant to be used as a surface trailer or fished in the depths, as a trailer, when the sunlight is off the water’s surface…you won’t be disappointed – either…
To those who are new to this tying thing…make it FUN…retain a sense of wonderment and expectation that anything produced will catch a fish…glue this look on ‘yer face – as the experiments begin at the vise:
My Grandson Miles, attempting to levitate his first milk shake at Bob’s Big Boy…
NEXT: Some ties for CFR and a participation/fly box drawing at FFA
PT/TB 