10,000 midge pupa fans can’t be wrong.

[@dennisfretz1814]

Thanks for the history, nice little pattern . Thanks Matt. Tight lines my friend hope you're catching a lot of trout, I'm doing pretty good . Thanks again Denny

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Denny! Not a lot of trout for me yet this year. I was skunked both my fishing days in January and February. I did okay one day in March. And finally had a good day a couple weeks ago in April. But terrestrial season will be here soon and that's when the fun really kicks in. :-)

[@frankmonroe8320]

Hi Matt. I was watching Miller and the outdoors. Wow that young man has a talent. Thank you for pointing his channel out to me. He's about the age I was when I started but much more talented.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you Frank! I appreciate you supporting the next generation of tiers. :-)

[@edwardchavez5627]

Good Morning Sir Matt, Awesome Awesome Awesome.

[@SavageFlies]

Good evening to you Edward!

[@russellsherwood2315]

These work wonders when the pan fish/blue gills aren't bitting,, thanks for the tips and ideas,, now I can save some money

[@SavageFlies]

You're most welcome Russell! I appreciate the note my friend. :-)

[@garrettswoodworx1873]

Kool pattern and I think it will be a bunch of fun on the local lake. Thanks Matt!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Garrett! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@guytrout7101]

I like how you do your videos on tying your flies.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you; I appreciate the kind words!

[@mikemarchacos2532]

Great fly Matt. I fish it in my camp lake and the trout love them. Great job love your site. What I like best is I’ve been fly fishing for 50 years and carry and fish almost every “old time” pattern you show how to tie. Keep up the great work.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you Mike, I appreciate the kind words and encouragement. I do love some of the old classics and anytime I can tie a pattern that the young generation may have never heard of, I like to introduce it to them. Thanks again for the kind words.

[@ejmacewan8942]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION ,,, WELL DONE 👍

[@SavageFlies]

I appreciate it EJ. And thanks for watching my friend!

[@bigdaddy99929]

Great little flies to use here on our many lakes and backwaters. Pretty little one here Matt. Thx!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Clyde! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@yvonpoitras916]

Well Matt im heading to the vise for a couple, thanks for sharing ! :)

[@SavageFlies]

Have fun Yvon! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@lorawinfrey9112]

Nice simple

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Lora! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@jonchristian7758]

I tied five of these this afternoon on Tiemco 205 BL caddis pupae, up eye standard wire 5X, wide, semi dropped point barbless hooks. They came out fantastic.

[@SavageFlies]

That's great to hear Jon! I hope they do well for you my friend. :-)

[@Fresh_Popped_Corn]

fun fact: I like your videos before I watch them!

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! I love this comment Andrew! Here's another fun fact... I always watch my own videos within the first hour of publishing them. (And I click the thumbs up too. :-) )

[@Fresh_Popped_Corn]

@@SavageFlies hahahaha … legendary.

[@dsmt8703]

Good morning young man and thank you for another interesting day. Nice pattern!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it D! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@harryjoesather6539]

san get a lot of them done matt. thanks. see ya joe.

[@martyrothman3933]

Thanks Matt for the start of another great day

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Marty! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@ninacleven7889]

I’ll be sure to tie up a few of these! Great little pattern.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Nina! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@johnsamothrakis4621]

Love the Zebra Midge , like the Antron add 👍

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it John! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@jeffjackson5331]

Nice! That is one of the flies i don't have.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Jeff! You should definitely put a couple of these in your box. :-) And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@jeffjackson5331]

@@SavageFlies you are very welcome

[@goldentwilight1944]

Howdy from Australia, love the banjo music playing when you tie the flies, it's very relaxing. Midge hatches are a feature in the trout lakes close to where I live. I'm still learning and getting advice on the best techniques and methods to fish these. When I get time I'm gonna tie up a heap to these little patterns. Thanks.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you my friend; I appreciate you stopping by and leaving such a kind comment! :-)

[@jamesyates5191]

Thanks Matt. Great little fish catching bug. Between the zebra midge and this guy you have all you need for lots of fun.

[@SavageFlies]

Absolutely! I do love the zebra midge. I'm always amazed that big fish will eat these tiny bugs. :-)

[@hirkojs]

Awesome job showing how quality flies can still be tied with substitutions and not lose the concept of the original pattern. Mega Thx !

[@epsieblaine7968]

Midges are great,but over looked a lot.I treat them like royalty.At times they will save your day.I tie four stages of them.The Larva,Emerger,Adult,and of course the Midge Cluster.I never leave home without my midge box.Caddis time here,largest caddis hatch in years.Having a ball.Have a good week Matt and everone and tight lines.

[@SavageFlies]

I agree Ken! But I've never tied a midge cluster. Except maybe for the Renegade which I suppose could be a cluster imitation. I've certainly caught fish with it. :-)

[@epsieblaine7968]

@@SavageFlies Griffiths Nat is a midge cluster

[@gdreilly]

Great tie as always!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it George! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@jimholland1592]

I love a midge🤓 Good morning Matt☕️☕️ I did not get skunked in NC I got five five Blue Gill🤣🤣🤣 but water snakes everywhere 🧐

[@SavageFlies]

I'll take bluegill over skunks any day. 🤣

[@randymorris8740]

I once dropped a full box (100 count) of size 24 Mustad midge hooks on my shag carpet, spent the next few hours with a magnify glass and tweezers getting them back... LOL 🤣

[@epsieblaine7968]

Don't drop your box.A Magnet will help.

[@SavageFlies]

Oh my gosh that had to have been a chore! If you tie with a Regal type vise, or one with the spring loaded heads, you'll occasionally be trying to put a tiny hook in, and won't get it in far enough, and you'll launch it across the room. Now that's nothing like dropping a hundred hooks, but I'll bet I've got a half dozen unaccounted for hooks somewhere on the other side of my tying room. :-)

[@Jd-yc3gw]

Good morning Matt. Chironomids are often used here when fishing still water I’m finding out. Those resin covered ones should hold up well to fish teeth. Our club has a fishing outing planned for this weekend. I’m looking forward to getting out and seeing some open water for a change. I was out practice casting last night with my fly rod. Heard the term “rust” ? 😀. Take care Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Hahaha! I guess I'm pretty fortunate that we can trout fish year round here in Maryland. Of course we're not as cold as you but we'll get ice in our guides a few times in January and February. And chucking big heavy streamers to deep holes in the middle of winter isn't really "finesse" fishing but it might keep us from getting too rusty. Good luck this weekend! I can't wait to hear how you do. Email me some pictures if you get anything worthy. :-)

[@31446963048]

Pretty. Been busy so I've got some catching up to do. Did get some neat books though.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thanks for stopping back by! I certainly appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@scottmilner3801]

I get a ton of midges where I live in Northeast Ohio this is a sweet pattern definitely gonna tie a bunch of these up!!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Scott! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@gdreilly]

Don Holbrook's book "Midge Magic" is my go to book on midge patterns

[@SavageFlies]

And that's a GREAT one George. I've got the signed copy you sent me right here beside my desk! I've tied a few from his instructions but now that you mention it, he's got chapters on metallics and if I recall some clear bodied ones... that I haven't explored yet. I might just have to pull this one out again. Thanks for the reminder!

[@kenb4685]

Another great job Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Ken! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@barbaraemerich1921]

I love this fly thank you Matt!!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Barbara! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@laytonmarvin3790]

Great little pattern and super effective. Olives and black are the go-to in the home waters. Thanks Matt for sharing

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Layton! Black and purple might be my go-to around here.

[@MyItalians]

Morning Matt. That is the dropper to my hopper every time. If you get a chance, can you tie up a foam pattern. Have a blessed day.

[@SavageFlies]

Absolutely Nich! I've got a different request for Thursday but I'm hoping to do my foam Gunpowder Hopper on Saturday.

[@jeffreystone7327]

Nice and simple. Proven fish catcher. Interesting background. Great looking. You can’t ask for any more than that. Thank you Matt. Great tie and video buddy. Greatly appreciated. God bless.

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Jeff! I always appreciate the notes my friend. :-)

[@crowdaddy8355]

I love tying chironomids. I’ve had good fishing using them too. I really like tying one with anti-static bags. It gives a great look. Thanks again Matt.

[@epsieblaine7968]

Static bags are great.I cut the bags on a school paper cutter.

[@SavageFlies]

That's a great idea Chad. I'm going to try it. I assume it will give you a bit of a metallic look...

[@jamesvatter5729]

Midges are flies that are so overlooked by most anglers. Good tie, Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Jim and I agree! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@mikeney5113]

Very great little pattern and proven to catch ton of fish.great tie matt! Thanks.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Mike! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@jeffreystone7327]

Well I landed my first fish today for 2022. Also my first Wisconsin Rainbow 🌈 Trout on a fly rod. Just a little guy at 11” but so pretty. It was a catch and release, since opening day is not until this coming Saturday. Caught him on a #8 Black Woolybugger. Can’t wait for the weekend. Then it’s game on, and target which ever species my little heart desires. Just wanted to share.

[@SavageFlies]

That’s outstanding! Congrats man!! And in many waters, an 11 inch fish isn’t really a little guy. That’s a nice fish! 😁

[@jeffreystone7327]

@@SavageFlies Thank you Sir. Sure made my day.

[@mitchbain3338]

Nice simple Midge Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Mitch! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@Wyamike734]

Thank you Matt for the video of this pattern. I think I need to tie a few in different colors and give it a try! Everyone be safe, thanks again Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Absolutely Mike! You'll be amazed at how many big fish still eat these tiny bugs. :-)

[@jimgollach6202]

Nice tie Matt! I don't fish midges much, but I do on occasion. Yes a very effective fly. Super easy to tie in a variety of colors. Thanks for sharing have a great day. 😀

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Jim! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@karljones6594]

Good morning Matt. Thank you for this pattern . I will be tying a few for the box. Have a great day and stay safe.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Karl! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@charlieboutin3341]

Appreciate the scientific narration on midges.🙂 I’ve hardly ever used them but enjoy tying them..just like the ease and way they look.😂 Have a great one Matt! Thanks a lot! 👍🎣

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Charlie! The next time you're fishing for some warmwater Texas bass or panfish, and have a big foam hopper on top, tie one of these on a dropper about 18-24 inches down. It might amaze you! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@jamesphillips2216]

Cool pattern!! I’ll have to tie a few of these!! Thanks for sharing the fly and the history behind it Matt!!👍👍

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks James! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@chevyguy6510]

Zebra midge is my go to here. Need to make a bunch emerger style for the next trip out Works well under a dropper. Thanks Matt!!

[@SavageFlies]

Absolutely Todd! I love terrestrial season with a fat hopper on top and a zebra midge underneath. On any given day I could catch an equal number of fish on either.

[@edwardmlotkiewicz2343]

Great, simple pattern. We tie them using pearl sparkle braid here in Florida for stillwater and red sparkle braid for moving water. Effective here for panfish (no trout in Florida except speckled saltwater trout). Thanks again for another fun session.

[@SavageFlies]

That's a great idea Ed! I've got some sparkle diamond braid and haven't figured out what to do with it yet! I'm going to remember this. :-)

[@joeduca8582]

Yeah, 10,000 of them, I think there's the same amount of patterns 🤔I like this one, but now I crave a candy apple 🍎🤤Good choice for this time of year, there's lots of different midges flying around now, I think they're all in the same family. That's one pattern I've never tied but I've bought some cool ice flies and and used them under the ice and fly fishing in the creeks. They were 3X long curved gold hooks, like a 200 R, with 3 or 4, maybe 5, small green or orange translucent bulges applied to the hook to resemble a segmented body. They never produced for me 😥 but sure looked cool. 😎 No idea how they were made, had to be 20 to 30 years ago when I bought them from a guide at an ice fishing seminar. I'd think that was well before UV resins but would be a cool project with the colored resins of today or a hot glue gun and rotating vise. Thanks Matt, awesome research, outstanding narration and presentation as always. 🤓👍

[@SavageFlies]

Candy Apple... oh my gosh, you're exactly right! Just the right amount of translucency in the red to look like candy. I think a hot glue gun midge would be a pretty fun one, and plenty durable. But you've also got me thinking... an amber or rust thread body, with a lighter color thread rib, tied really thin, but thickened up with the resin might make a fairly realistic midge. As soon as I'm done with these comments I'm going to play around with it. You always inspire me Joe!

[@joeduca8582]

@@SavageFlies 😇👍

[@kodaifishing]

Great, Thank you so much for your time and sharing, Please let me know Can this pattern be tied in different colors? Thanks again

[@SavageFlies]

Absolutely Reza! I think red might be the most common as it does imitate a blood worm as well as chironomid pupa, but I've seen similar flies tied with a natural color with a red rib as well.

[@kodaifishing]

@@SavageFlies thank you so much

[@michaelmerlino6753]

I still use the old rayon floss with a drop of acetone for midges and head body ants.The acetone melts the floss and hardens nicely.I use UV also but still like the old way.Caught many Brookies and one of my largest browns on a crionomid tied on a Mustad size 16 9174(3x short 3x heavy) so I know tiny works.

[@FlyTyer1948]

That’s really interesting. I’ve hardened tinsel bodied flies with Dave’s Flexament but never tried acetone on floss. I still have some old rayon floss & will try it. Thanks.

[@SavageFlies]

That is a great idea Michael. I've never tried acetone to melt and harden floss but I'm going to give it a try. Does it have to be a synthetic floss? It seems like it would meld a Rayon floss to the hook nicely, but what about silk? Hmmm... that's worth an experiment! Thanks for the note. :-)

[@michaelmerlino6753]

@@SavageFlies Never tried silk.It may dissolve it.Also may make the dye in silk bleed too much.

[@markfritch3168]

Was fishing Sheep Creek Indian reservation, in a bay with probably 20 other float tubers. Early on everyone was catching fish. At 9:00 am something changed and nobody was catching anything. After switching off several of my favorite flies without any luck, I decided to get a bite to eat. Most of the tubers left. On my way to the bank I noticed a bushy tree that was loaded with bug activity. As I watched I happened to look down and a chironomid crawled onto my float tube and hatched. I got a real good look at it but had nothing in my fly boxes that resembled it. After a sandwich I duplicated it, tying two and getting back to fishing. I got little ways off the bank and cast towards the bank. I let it sink a little and began twitching it up and sinking again like the one that eventually surfaced and hatched on my tube. I began catching fish on almost every cast. I didn’t know what a chironomid was until a bit after that day, but I can tell you it is very effective and always in my fly boxes.

[@SavageFlies]

Wow Mark, this is a great story! I've never had that kind of thing happen to me but that has to be a memory that's going to last you forever. Thanks for the comment; I love it!

[@Graham-1888]

Hi Matt, we would call that a bloodworm here and we fish them deep and almost static and we use buzzers to imitate midge pupae higher up in the water column, there are literally hundreds of buzzer patterns but the grey boy or traffic light are my favourite two. If you are a bit nerdy/weird you can put a clear container outside your back door filled with water and it won't be long until you have midge pupae in it and you can watch how they swim and hatch and see the colours and sizes, it's fascinating...honest 🤪 Over here they aren't used on rivers, its all stillwater fishing and usually for stocked rainbow trout but they are an important food source for fish in all waters from rivers and ponds to lochs (lakes) and canals. Your fly is a great winter and early season pattern 👌

[@epsieblaine7968]

Blood worm,look at the pig sticker great fly.

[@SavageFlies]

This is a great comment Graham! Grey Boy Buzzer... I've never heard of it but am looking it up now. It looks a little bit like one we call a chromie. Fun fact: I didn't know what you call a buzzer is what we call a midge pupa until I had already been tying several years. Now as for your science project of raising your own midges... I've always got buckets or flower pots with water in them somewhere in my backyard. Not on purpose though! And I do get plenty of larva at times but they're pretty small so I always assumed they were mosquitos. I'll have to be a little more observant this year! Maybe I can even capture some to feature in a video. Thanks for the note. :-)

[@toddslichter7831]

Interesting thing I read while in an upper level entomology class, it is estimated that if all bug life died and was placed on land, it would cover to the depth of about 5'-6'...that's a lot of bugs. 😎 (Disclaimer...I am a wildlife biologist, not an entomologist, so am uncertain to the validity of the above. Lol) Great intro, and great tie. Thanks for sharing, Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Great note Todd! That is a lot of bugs. Now I've also heard something similar to this about beetles. That there are more beetles than any other insect out there. Maybe not in numbers, but different species? I can't remember, but I do remember saying, "Wow, that's interesting." Of course I'm not a biologist or entomologist. Now I do work with a lot of biologists, but we deal with the weapon kind of bugs, not the cool kind. :-)

[@FlyTyer1948]

Good one Matt. I used to buy bloodworms for my tropical fish & they would go nuts eating them. Bet you get the same reaction from almost any fish. This one seems pretty popular. Wonder what the number will be.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Bob! I used to keep tropical fish too. As recent as just a couple years ago. One interesting note... my son and I caught some green sunfish fry in the creek behind the house and put a half a dozen in the 55-gallon tank. They quickly outgrew flake food so we started feeding them feeder minnows. And then they started growing like crazy. In less than a year they were bigger than your hand. And when we needed to take them to a pond to let them go, I didn't have a net big enough to catch them. A zebra midge on a foot or so of 6x did the trick. :-)

[@FlyTyer1948]

Lol.

[@davehall2160]

Definitely one of my favorite flies Matt, red, black or purple. I've never caught any on olive for some strange reason 🤔 Thanks for the video

[@SavageFlies]

Purple is a go-to color for me too Dave! I'll only break out the red if I'm in some really fast moving, oxygenated water or if I saw some red ones when sifting the gravel. Otherwise it's just black or purple for me. Sometimes a dark green.

[@diecastrejuvenation7779]

Morning Matt! Nice easy one here. Going to try the resin in the bottle. Much better than the squeeze tubes that Solarez comes in. What resin do you prefer to use? Yours looks more liquid than Solarez.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Troy! Here's the resin I use: amzn.to/3OS3tyi -I mostly use the standard thickness, but sometimes I'll use the thick. And here's what I use for the applicator bottle. It works great for the thin resin. I haven't tried to put the thick in it but it would probably work okay. amzn.to/37bVX07

[@diecastrejuvenation7779]

Thanks Matt, I'll give them a try!

[@justinnelson3383]

This is a great tie Matt, I really enjoy your videos and history on very unique flies. I have a tangential question - you had created a video some time ago and I noticed you used or at least have a whip finisher tool that has a large white handle. I can't find the video again, but am very interested in what specific brand that was or if it was a custom one you made out of a standard brass one? I use a Loon with a cutter today but am always looking for a larger handle, it may be only me but it is much easier to use with large hands. Any info would be appreciated and keep up the great work - thank you for what you do for the community of folks that like to tie flies and fish like me.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you Justin; I appreciate the kind words my friend. I think I've only used two whip finish tools since I've been making videos. Both Matarelli style. I think for the first year of the channel I used this one: www.jsflyfishing.com/js-tools-soft-grip-materelli-whip-finisher It's not white but kind of a light gray. But for the last year I've been using this one from Umpqua: www.jsflyfishing.com/item/of-902430-0000/umpqua-dreamstream-whip-finish-tool/1.html I like them both better than the Loon. I do have a Loon and I tried it for a week or so but like you, it felt a little small in my hands. I'd say both of these are only slightly bigger, but it was enough to make them more comfortable for me to use.

[@justinnelson3383]

@@SavageFlies Those are both very nice, thank you for the information Matt. I'm going to give that Umpqua a try!

[@nobodyhome8148]

Nice tie ! Can you tell me what brand of resin you use ...... and how smelly it is when cured ?

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks! I use this generic Riverruns UV resin and I've never noticed a smell at all. amzn.to/3OS3tyi

[@Flies_the_limit]

Antron seems to clump into 1 piece when wet. Any other suggestions? Maybe some sort of floss? Or maybe cdc?

[@destinhavens2211]

I also have a question I just got uv resin instead of head cement for these and for she'll casings I have noticed both products kind of just flake off after a bit of casting and hitting bottom is this normal ?

[@SavageFlies]

I don’t think that’s normal. Mine get pretty hard and I have never had this problem. One thing to check are the batteries in your UV light. You may think they’re good because you see the bluish light when you turn it on, but they could be weak and you not realize it. Fresh batteries could make a difference.

[@jasonsfishingagain312]

A question about your UV resin. Does it change to blue when you take it out into sunlight, or does it remain clear? I've been fooling around with resin, but the stuff I have dries clear, but looks blue in the sunlight. I'm not sure if it goes back to clear underwater.

[@SavageFlies]

That's an interesting question Jason but I've never noticed it turn blue in the sunlight. Of course I've never looked for it to, but I think I would have noticed if it did. This is the stuff I use: amzn.to/3OVvpRW

[@cowboycody8094]

The first time I caught a fish on a fly I was using a zebra midge.

[@SavageFlies]

Awesome to hear! The zebra midge didn't catch my first fish, but there have been a couple of years where it caught my biggest fish. I think my biggest fish of 2019 was on a #18 black zebra midge. On 2020 it was on a foam hopper. A sulfur dry in 2021, and the jury is still out for this year's biggest fish. :-)