I was checking through my fly boxes and discovered a few patterns that are in very short supply…these were guys that have worked for me in late May and early June up in the central pat of the High Sierras, on the Eastern Slope. Rumor has it that my son may be coming down from San Francisco with Aimee and that all of us, including Ally will be HQing it somewhere near Bridgeport, CA around that time…
Here are a few things that will be absolutely necessary for this excursion ( I will drop in MORE, as they are completed)…
Michael, on the West Walker River…
SIMPLY RED…(And, PURPLE)…
HOOK: Gamakatsu C12-B, #18
THREAD: Tiemco 16/0, Black
BEAD: 5/64 Black Nickel, (4 wraps 0.10 lead)…or Tung
ABDOMEN: Red Krystal Flash
RIB: Wapsi, Silver, xsm
THORAX: Spirit River Iridsescent dyed peacock eye, Purple
This is a variation of Craig Matthew’s ” Bloody Midge”, out of his BRF Shop, using a new product for the thorax from Spirit River…
The “GIANT” town of Bridgeport…the red building is Ken’s Sporting Goods which is Fly Fishing oriented and owned by my friend, Jim Reid…
BLACK/SILVER ZEBRA HOT SPOT MIDGE…
HOOK: TMC 2487, Daiichi 1130, Mustad c49s, #18-#22
BEAD: Silver or Copper, sized to hook, Brass with 4 turns of .010 lead or sub. or Tung
ABDOMEN: Wapsi 70 Denier, Black or Tiemco 16/0 Black ( I love this thread!!!)
RIB: Wapsi, Silver or Copper, xsm
SHUCK: Pearl Midge Flash or, in this case, Cascade Crest, Midge Rainbow Flash
HOT SPOT: Wapsi Ultra Thread 70 Denier, Fl. Red or FL. Orange…coated with Hard as Hull
A variation on the standard Zebra Midge used with great effectiveness on the East Walker River for a very long time…some regulars there refer to the standard pattern as “Little Blackie”…it has taken many good sized Browns and Rainbow in this river…
CREAM/TAN-ish MIDGE PUPA…
HOOK: TMC 2487, Daiiachi 1130, Mustad c49s, #18-#22
THREAD: Tiemco 16/0 Black or Brown
ABDOMEN: Wapsi Ultra, 70 Denier, Cream
RIB: Wapsi, Silver, xsm
WING: Hareline Sparkle Organza, Brilliant White
THORAX: Spirit River Iridsescent dyed peacock eye, Brown
BEAD: Wapsi, Killer Caddis, Diamond, 15/0
I updated what was left in one of my Midge boxes with this cream version using Organza for the wing instead of Zelon, the new Spirit River Peacock instead of Tan Ice Dub and a Diamond bead rather than a Glass Mercury bead. The bio-mass of the East Walker includes a huge selection of Midges in various colors…for me, Black, Cream , Red, Olive, Pearl, White and Blue have been most effective…on occasion, a Midge will be the only pattern the “Big Boys” want…and that, can be a REAL challenge…
OLIVE KF OWENS SERENDIPITY…
HOOK: TMC 2302, 5262, Daiichi 1760, #12-#18
THREAD: Wapsi Ultra, 70 Denier, Black or Gordon Griffith 14/0 Sheer for smaller sized hooks
ABDOMEN: Light Olive Zelon, 1 strand of Olive Krystal Flash, 1 strand Rusty Brown Krystal Flash – TWISTED – with rubber grip Hackle pliers
WING: White Zelon
I started playing around with this variation of Craig Matthew’s Guide Serendipity a number of years ago using old Mustad 9272 hooks I had laying around from the 70′s…a lot of them snapped in my vice and broke while fishing…when these puppies started nailing Trout for me in most of the Eastern Sierra waters I fish, I switched over to the TMC and Daiichi hooks. I am working on a new variation, in size #16, which will employ Amber Zelon, Pearl and Rusty Brown KF and maybe some double beads on the TMC 2302 hook…I’ll let ‘ya know how it works..( I believe that this pattern is being taken as a Caddis by the Trouties)…
BROWN/OLIVE KF OWENS SERENDIPITY…
HOOK: TMC 2302, 5262, Daiichi 1760, #12-#18
THREAD: Wapsi Ultra, 70 Denier, Black or Gordon Griffith 14/0 Sheer for smaller sized hooks
ABDOMEN: Equal strands of Olive and Rusty Brown Zelon, 1 Strand Olive Krystal Flash, 1 strand Rusty Brown or Black Krystal Flash…again TWISTED
WING: White Zelon
Play around with color variations for what might work in different locations. These are easy to tie and they do not disappoint…
“GREEN BEANIE” MAYFLY…
HOOK: Daiichi 1560, #18
THREAD: Tiemco 16/0, Olive
BEAD: Green Cyclops or Lucent, 5/64
ABDOMEN: Peacock Micro Tubing over working thread
BACKFLASH: Mirage Opal Tinsel
TAIL: Natural Pheasant Tail Fibers
RIB: Wapsi, Olive, xsm
THORAX: SLF Prism, Brown/Olive
WING CASE/LEGS: 6 strands Black Krystal Flash
Little Brown and Olive Mayflies are prevalent on the East Walker at this time of year. Tailwater Tinys, Dec Hogan’s Military Mayfly and other patterns using the olive/brown theme – ROCK !!!
AMBER KF SERENDIPITY…
HOOK: TMC 5262, #14-#18
THREAD: Gordon Griffith 14/0 Sheer, Brown
ABDOMEN: Portion of a stand of Amber Zelon (to hook size), 1stand Pearl KF, 1 strand Rusty Brown KF - twisted
WING: White Zelon
Specifically for a small Amber Caddis that appears on the East Walker in late May and early June…This color works on some other rivers I and my guys fish in Montana…
Michael on the East Walker River…I think there might be a bunch of new photos…
PT/TB 
PLANETTROUT: Fly Fishing, Fly Tying and LIFE
my girlfriend and i will be there the same weekend camping on east walker. black toyota tacoma. i have a question about your zebra midge, do you think the orange spot works better on east walker than the standard? and do midges work year round on east w.?
Travis,
I think there are days that the “Hot Spot Zebra” will out fish the standard version om the EW. I also tie them with copper wire and a copper bead… and that seems to work well there as well. Midges RULE all year round on the EW – they make up a huge percentage of the East Walker’s biomass…look for my tribe (Ally, Michael and Aimee) and you will know my location !!!
See ‘ya on the water…
PT/TB
Tim, any connection to the Simply…Red midge and the you tube video you put up the other day?
Keith,
Not really…Mick Hucknall and Simply Red are one of my all time, favorite, bestest groups on my PLANET…
http://www.simplyred.com/
PT/TB