Bodkin / Patterns

Hilbert's Day Saver Midge

Midge · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Curved emerger/scud hook, Tiemco 2488 (or 2457), #18-24
  • Thread To match body (brown, cream, olive, or black), 8/0 8/0 / 70D

Materials

  • Trailing shuck/abdomen Body Quill or fine tying thread, color to match (brown, cream, olive) (1 length)
  • Abdomen coating Thin UV resin (Solarez Bone Dry) (coat)
  • Wing Grey or white Flouro Fiber / poly (small clump)
  • Flash Pearl or blue dun Krystal Flash (1-2 strands)
  • Thorax/head Hareline Life Flex or fine dubbing, color to match (1 length)

How to tie it

  1. Lay a thread base over the rear half of the curved hook, down around the bend.
  2. Tie in the matching Body Quill (or build the abdomen from thread) and wrap forward in touching turns to the 60% point to form a very slim, segmented midge abdomen; tie off.
  3. Coat the abdomen with a thin layer of UV resin and cure for a durable, translucent body.
  4. Tie in a tiny clump of grey Flouro Fiber at the thorax as a short emerging wing bud, half a shank length or less.
  5. Add 1-2 strands of pearl Krystal Flash alongside the wing, trimmed short.
  6. Tie in a short length of Life Flex (or dub a tiny thorax) and wrap it forward over the thorax to build a small plump head, tie off behind the eye. The bulged thorax imitates the emerging midge pupa's wing case and gas bubble.
  7. Whip finish behind the eye and add a pinhead of cement.
  8. Keep everything sparse and slim; on the smallest sizes omit the flash if it crowds the fly.

Tying videos

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