Tiny flies for big fish - the history of the Zebra Midge

Likely derived from Dick Thompson's TDC (Thompson's Delectable Chironomid), the Zebra Midge is one of the easiest, most effective flies out there. Can be fished year-round in rivers and stillwaters to equal effect.
Hook: #16-22 curved
Bead: 2.0 mm
Thread: 70 denier, body color
Rib: Small wire, silver or gold
Tail: Crystal flash (optional)
Body: Thread
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Savage Flies is a project with the mission of encouraging and teaching fly tying to as many people as possible. The channel is named after one of my western Maryland homewaters, the Savage River. Thanks for stopping by.

[@epsieblaine7968]

Hey Matt great job for Thur. fly.A lot of people don't realise the importance of midges.I allways have a midge box in my sling pack.A tip for viewers get a magnetic fly box and a pair of twezers for midges. Midges work all year,but are great flies in winter mounths.Comes a warm day in the winter,if you look close you will see a hatch.We call it midging.On the surface there will be a female and a male will latch on to her,then another and another,and soon there will be a midge cluster.That's when the Griffiths Nat comes into play.I have tied thousands of midges.The zebra midge was the first one I tied.I thought to myself,this won't catch fish I was dead wrong.Large trout will take them at times.Tie them down to #24s up to #16s.I could go on for hours about midges,that's how great they are.Have a great day Matt and everyone. Ken

[@SavageFlies]

Great note Ken! And I agree 100%. I also keep mine in a magnetic fly box and definitely fish then a lot in the winter. Thanks for the comment! Have a great weekend my friend. 👍

[@krissyverstad6204]

Nice tip with the wire! If there was an MVP award for the 20/20 club, the zebra midge would have to be it.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Kris! It's definitely in my top few nymphs patterns. And one reason is that they're so cheap and easy to tie, I don't worry when I lose one. Now a Prince Nymph that took me 15 minutest to tie... I hate losing those things!

[@jamesvatter5729]

Purple. The secret weapon of fly colors! Good stuff, Matt. "Just make sure you hit the point of your hook. That's always fun."

[@SavageFlies]

You know it Jim!

[@crowdaddy8355]

I love tying and fishing chironomids. Everyone should have some of these in their boxes. Thanks for some history. Thanks Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Chad! Always appreciate it my friend. :-)

[@mattfleming86]

I like a green midge as well... Learned that in TN tailwaters. And gold would instantly get you rejected. Silver or something dark.

[@SavageFlies]

I do fish some semi-translucent green ones Matt, just not as much as the darker colors. Thanks for the note!

[@damdatsdope8824]

The amount of information coming from this channel is priceless great video as always

[@SavageFlies]

I appreciate the note my friend! I do like digging up the history when I can find it. I think it gives the pattern a little more interest. :-)

[@Wyamike734]

“Make sure you hit the point if your hook, that’s always fun “ 😂😂 I usually add and expletive in there when I nick the hook point🤣. Great video as usual Matt. A great fly to have in your fly box! Thanks again !!

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! Thanks Mike. If I tried to edit out all my mistakes, the editing process would take me forever. :-)

[@TheKlickitat]

There are lots of teachers in this world. The great teachers have a gift of presenting information that is concise yet complete while captivating your attention. Your channel is addictive for those of us who want to learn. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. You sir, truly are one of the greats.

[@SavageFlies]

Wow, thank you for such a kind comment. Words like these truly encourage me to keep going and doing the best I can on the channel and for the tying community. Thank you for that. And happy holidays to you my friend!

[@johnnylightning1491]

Another nice simple fly. I wonder if green would work too, fish's brains aren't too big maybe they would think it was a caddis. Keep the good stuff coming buddy.

[@SavageFlies]

I have no idea what goes on in a fish's brain! But I do know I've had some success with these things in a green. Not a fluorescent green, but more of a darker hunter green.

[@ralphnicosia-rusin966]

Thanks Matt for doing all that research into the history of this fly. I expect understanding how fly patterns evolved is a great foundation for inspiring future innovations.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Ralph! I appreciate the kind words. I love it anytime I can dig up the history of a pattern. It makes it seem a little more personal. :-)

[@toddslichter7831]

Great tip on the wire rib...thanks for sharing Matt.

[@russmcduffie6673]

Thanks Matt, I'm a new subscriber and loving your channel. I've been tying for over 30 years, and the Zebra Midge is a standard "must have" fly on my home waters of the San Juan River, NM. Put an attractor on, with this as the dropper, and you have a deadly combo. Dang fish are pretty picky now, and 22-26 are standard sizes, of which I have about 30 of these in my fly box, ranging from 18-26. I have some 30's hooks, but I'm "a-scared" to try and tie those with these "time-experienced" eyes. Love the History, keep up the great work!!

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Russ, I appreciate the kind words! And welcome to the channel my friend. I can't imagine tying something down to a #30. I've got some #28s but haven't tried anything on them yet. :-)

[@mitchbain3338]

Great little fly and thanks to hear reference to Kelly Davidson, know him very well and a super fisherman.

[@ybarrajc]

Good morning Matt, I’ve never tied one but that’s going to change its now on my 2022 list.

[@jimholland1592]

Hey Matt and good morning, The Zebra Midge was my first fly I learn to tie and I love them. Sometimes I use a killer Caddis smoke gray bead but I like that rainbow bead. Nice tips this morning and enjoyed the history 👍☕️☕️

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Jim! I always appreciate you watching my friend. Have a great weekend. 😁

[@harryjoesather6539]

i love how you hit the hook and just keep rolling with it lot of guys would cut that out but thats what i like about you and your videos that you show mistakes happen and we are only human. thanks matt . have a great weekend. and as always i will be watching. see ya joe.

[@SavageFlies]

You know me Joe! I'd spend twice as long editing if I had to take out all of my mistakes. :-)

[@vrich3733]

My favorite (or lucky) fly for the Lackawaxen river in PA. 👍👍👍👍

[@bigdaddy99929]

KISS. Love it. But, I must confess. I’ve tied and fished very few midges. That’ll need to change. Thx Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Go for it Clyde! They are in almost ALL waters. Even if you don't see the adults flying about, chances are there are some. :-)

[@davehall2160]

One of my favorite and very productive fly patterns My largest rainbow came off of this also Thanks for the video Matt

[@SavageFlies]

You got it Dave! And seeing all the stories here, I need to fish this thing more often. :-)

[@karljones6594]

Good morning Matt. Cool little fly. Will need to tie up some of these for the box. Thanks for sharing this one. Have a great day my friend.

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Karl! Thanks for watching my friend. 👍

[@fish2reelaxfishing662]

Great History for this pattern. Midges are reliable producers for our tail waters in TN, lots of 18’s in the toolkit.

[@SavageFlies]

Yep! And 18 is probably the size I fish the most. 👍

[@markcampbell2401]

Thanks Matt. I usually hate tying these because they are so small and I have fingers like Cuban cigars. After hearing the history and depth of research you put into it, I can't wait to start tying them again. Another great one.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Mark! Funny visual there too. :-)

[@johnsamothrakis4621]

Love the history of this fly thanks , friend showed me how to tie this fly with DMC Yarn instead of thread, 👍

[@SavageFlies]

Nice! I'll bet it's a bit quicker too.

[@ConorMakes]

I do love the origin and history behind the fly's you tie Matt. Thanks again for the video

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Conor! I do like it when I can dig up the history of a pattern. It seems to make it a little more real. :-)

[@chevyguy6510]

The first fly I ever tied was this one. I do fish it a lot in the colors you mentioned. For some reason the last day of the Wisconsin season I caught the most fish on a tan colored midge with black wire. Not sure why I tied those colors but it worked very well for me that day. Thanks Matt !

[@SavageFlies]

Cool to hear Todd! I’ve heard of these called a reverse Zebra Midge, with a light body and dark rib. Sounds like I should try a few. 😁

[@josephwolf4896]

Enjoyed listening to the background information. I am a newby on tying flies. Wonderful easy to follow instructions. Thank you

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you Joseph! I appreciate you watching my friend. 👍

[@Sangria38]

Thank you for simplicity.

[@SavageFlies]

Yes indeed Joe! And thank you for watching. :-)

[@johnmaples2783]

Once again a great job Matt. I appreciate the research and history you give with these patterns. The zebra is one of the patterns we teach at Sowbug to beginning tiers. Keep up the good work.

[@martyrothman3933]

Good morning Matt thanks for another great start of the day this is one I can buy :-) again thanks

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Marty! Always appreciate it my friend. :-)

[@cephasmcpher67peteroutdoorspip]

Awesome Matt. When I first started tying I cut my teeth on tying the Zebra Midge because it was easy to tie but it also taught me a lesson in thread control and proportions and yeah I caught a healthy amount of fish with then too. A good fly to fill a box up for sure.

[@SavageFlies]

It definitely is! I love looking through a magnetic fly box with several dozen of these things in them. All the possibilities. :-)

[@dennisfretz1814]

Very nice simple ty Matt, very awesome and I know it catches fish . Thank you for the history . Keep the lines tight Denny.

[@SavageFlies]

You got it Denny; always appreciate you watching my friend!

[@sallysanderson3627]

That is what I have been tying zebra and chironomids. Have a friend who wants me to tie 2 dozen for him he is heading to pyramid lake next month. A place on my bucket list!

[@SavageFlies]

Funny you mention that Sally... Nich in the comments here (username MyItalians) has been talking about his trip to Pyramid Lake for months now! He's leaving tomorrow. :-)

[@chrisb.2061]

Hey Matt, great tip regarding the copper wire.. I was just tying a bunch of these up a couple days ago and kept fighting that.. I will definitely be using that method next time!!! I usually put a very thin layer of resin on it too. Those rainbow beads are deadly, I love using them. Great video, yet again. Cheers! ☕️

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Chris! I appreciate the great comment my friend! I can’t remember where I got these rainbow beads but they do look pretty cool. 😎

[@marshallbaldwin8960]

Such a great and easy to tie midge. Thank you Sir Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Marshall! Hope you have a great weekend my friend. :-)

[@marshallbaldwin8960]

Attending the Texas Fly Fishing and Brew Festival this weekend. Excited to meet up with other local fly fishermen and see some great fly tying folks

[@SavageFlies]

That sounds fun!!

[@jackreeves3001]

Again another great video. I enjoy the historical info. on the fly. Thanks for sharing your time and talent. KANSAS

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Jack; always appreciate you watching my friend!

[@DB-iu8yl]

Nice looking fly Matt.

[@ninacleven7889]

Love the tips you provide along with the patterns you tie. Thanks for another neat pattern.

[@SavageFlies]

You got it Nina! I appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@leemowers9395]

Thanks Matt, Great story, nice video, good tie, even with a couple of fuzzies. Keep up the flow of tying videos my Friend.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Lee; I always appreciate you watching and commenting my friend. :-)

[@mikefick6725]

Interesting that you chose a zebra midge, I was thinking of doing a midge life cycle box of 👍😎

[@SavageFlies]

Oh, great idea for fly box organization Mike. I've heard of folks doing that, but I'm still pretty old school and carry a dry fly box, a streamer box, and maybe a wets/nymph box.

[@manifestgtr]

It’s funny to hear that size 16 is considered small in certain circles. On the swift in Massachusetts, you’re lookin at about a size 24 on average…some guys go down to 32, it’s brutal. The saving grace is grasshopper season when you can break out the Chernobyl ants, etc.

[@MyItalians]

Morning Matt. Funny you tied that fly.. I just tied about a dozen in the same three colors you spoke about. Heading to Pyramid Lake tomorrow. If it calm on the no lake, I'll throw the zebra on.

[@SavageFlies]

Oh man, I’m excited for you Nich! I can’t wait to hear how you do. 👍

[@michaelmerlino6753]

They work well,Matt.My story mirrors yours.The largest brownie I ever caught was on a Crionomid tied on a Mustad 9174 hook in a size 18.That hook was a 3x short so you can imagine how small it was.Strange thing was that it was in fast mo ving water.Don’t remember if it was a last resort but it worked.

[@SavageFlies]

Cool story Michael! I can imagine how stubby a 3x short hook is. 😁

[@michaelpeterson6413]

That is my favorite winter pattern. I probably catch 80% of my fish on it the winter 🥶. I usually tie them in black, green and red. I’ll have to give the purple one at try.

[@SavageFlies]

Cool to hear Michael! In the end, when the purple gets wet I'm not sure it's all that different from the black. Maybe just a slight shade, but who knows. I just know I've caught plenty on both. :-)

[@Graham-1888]

Hi Matt, Buzzers catch some huge fish over here and all through the year, patterns are almost endless and they can be fun to tie, most over here are coated in varnish or resin nowadays. I haven't tied or fished a purple one though so this will be tied and tried 😉 thanks for the video 😊

[@jeffreystone7327]

Good morning Sir. Well for simplicity, I’d rank this fly right with Walts Worm. I’d think having both in your box would pay great dividends. Thank you for choosing a great fly for another great video. Truly appreciate your help my friend. Have a great weekend.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Jeff! Always appreciate it my friend. :-) Have a great weekend!

[@wingman8447]

Simple and it works. Thanks.

[@cheflexx778]

Classic. Thanks Matt 🎣🎣🐟🐟

[@jimgollach6202]

Hello Matt 👋, your right big fish do love small bugs, I've caught many of them. Midges are so easy to tie. I'm in the process of making me a personal pattern of Midges in three different colors. I tried a black one in the fall that worked really well. So I'm looking forward to trying the two other colors this spring. Thanks for sharing Matt, have a nice day. 👍

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Jim! Don't be afraid to add a green one as well. I do use a kelly green sometimes, almost a hunter green (not bright fluorescent). I've hooked a few nice ones with it. :-)

[@jimgollach6202]

@@SavageFlies you read my mind, green is one of the other colors. 👍

[@davehall830]

Thanks Matt your explanation on Fly origin history is very important, keep up the nice work your a good instructor.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Dave!

[@tonygarrett601]

Another great video I fish a lot of these. You can high stick this behind a pat’s rubber leg. I do tie the ice cream cone shape but a super thin body catches a lot of fish too. I also use holographic tinsel instead of a wire rib.

[@SavageFlies]

I like the idea of a holographic tinsel which would keep the body flat and still give it some flash. Thanks for the note Tony!

[@edpeter9411]

I know what I am tying tonight! Thanks for the great tutorial on what not to do. 😂😂

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! You bet Ed. Thanks for watching my friend. 😁

[@lorawinfrey9112]

Very nice simple and easy

[@joeg5414]

I live 45 min from the San Juan tailwater. I've caught my share of 18+inch fish on a size 24. Honestly I avoid that place most of the year now. combat fishing with flies a can't see isn't really my thing😂 As I've said before - I'd rather catch 1 fish and see no one all day than catch 20 fish standing in line. Don't get me wrong, it's good fishing and a lot of good memories, you just have to know when and where to go to avoid the crowds.

[@SavageFlies]

I hear you my friend! My two homewaters, the Savage River and Gunpowder Falls, never get to the point of "combat fishing," but they can get a bit crowded on a nice warm Saturday in May. On those days I may throw my lunch in my pack and hike way up a small tributary. A good day there might be fooling one 6-inch brook trout, but I'll have the water to myself. :-)

[@dennismccarthy7146]

Ken Lockwood Gorge, South Branch of the Raritan River NJ, a RED zebra midge. Nuff said!

[@SavageFlies]

Oh yeah, I love a red one in highly oxygenated waters!

[@huntingmissouri5420]

Good fly, I have caught alot trout on them. My first wild trout in Missouri was taken on one at Crane Creek in Missouri. The only wild trout in Missouri I know of.

[@SavageFlies]

Good note Franky! When I first read your comment I thought you said you caught THE only wild trout in Missouri. :-) That would make you pretty amazing!

[@rollinlapoint4554]

So true!!

[@TERRYBIGGENDEN]

Excellent! :-)

[@philipvankampen3394]

Great hint folding over the wire. I consistently hook up with the bigger fish with sz 18 and smaller. I don't ever eat chips for dinner, but I definitely eat more chips than steaks... :) I'm guessing it's similar for the local lunkers.

[@SavageFlies]

That's a great way to look at it! I love a big steak, but if that's all I had life would get pretty boring. :-)

[@garrettswoodworx1873]

No real mystery about a big fish taking those smaller bugs: Just like one of us grabbing a handful of nuts to go with the beer, right? Purple is a great color! I remember when purple plastic worms became a sensation for bass fishermen out West back in the 60's & 70's, lol! Great fly Matt and as usual the back story made the video! I'll be tying some of these as soon as the beads show up. Have a great weekend!

[@SavageFlies]

Oh man, purple rubber worms, with glitter in them! Those were the rage with bass fisherman even up through the 80s. And lots of big time bass guys had glittery boats to match. :-) I'll stick with my waders and vest, but I have to admit, I've had some fun bass fishing from a boat. Remember Bill Dance? And his University of Tennessee hat? I loved that guy. If you remember him, check out some of his bloopers on KZbin. Funny dude...

[@garrettswoodworx1873]

@@SavageFlies Heck yeah I remember Bill Dance! Used to watch his shows all the time, up to the point they became infomercials for the products of his sponsors rather than being about fishing. Great guy & his blooper reels are as funny as it gets! To his credit I think he was the first "celebrity" fisherman with the courage to release those blooper reels.

[@thomaswalls123]

I like to add a smidgen of black or peacock ice dub right behind the bead

[@SavageFlies]

Ohhh, nice Thomas! I've seen a lot tied with a herl collar, but ice dub sounds kind of cool. And probably a little bit easier.

[@sinelocum]

Love it

[@piercebruneau1284]

Thanks again for the videos Matt! I remember the video this past Sunday, wanted to ask if you'll ever (or have) done one on your fly rod &reel setups?

[@davidveilleux4688]

Ive caught some of my largest trout on a zibra midge. Lost a few huge Browns as well.

[@robertpetersen9450]

Good pattern. Point of order: If your red isn't florescent it will turn brown at about b7 feet deep.

[@SavageFlies]

Yes, good point Robert! And any deeper than that and I'd say they all look pretty dark and the fish just see a silhouette anyway. But I guess it also depends on water clarity.

[@jamesyates5191]

Thanks Matt. I have fished the Henry’s Fork of the Snake river in Idaho many times with guides and the number one dropper is a black size 18 Zebra midge. What a fish catcher and many in the 2-3 lb category. I was wondering if some UV floss might make it faster and perhaps even more effective?

[@joeduca8582]

I've heard of and seen the Ice Cream Cone ( eaten a ton of them too, soft serve, Drumsticks, frozen custard, mostly on sugar cones ;o) Sorry, wrong channel😆 I never knew what tail waters were, sort of know now. Water below a dam? Must be good fishing, current, oxygenated water, cooler temps and "chum" depending on type of dam. There'a a dam I've fished a lot, never fly fished it, but it's a magnet for walleye, smallmouth, big catfish, sheepshead, some kind of big shad I once had fun with, even a huge dead chinook salmon stuck in an eddy at the corner of the dam. Either someone dumped it there or it swam up the Barge Canal, the dam controls the water level of the lake and the provides navigable levels in the canal. I remember when the huge Day Peckinpaugh would go through the lock it sucked the water out behind it, exposing about 15 feet of river bottom, then the wake it left was like a tsunami, so you'd scramble back 15 feet from where you stood hoping you didn't leave any gear behind. Sorry Matt for sort of going off topic, I've just tied the Griffith Gnat, another easy fly. Never seen a blizzard hatch or mating of buzzing midges either. I have watched mosquito larva in a bucket left out in the rain. Cool wiggle when they rise toward the surface then slowly drop back down. Cool video Matt, always great research, greatly inspires me. Now I crave some ice cream before I tie a Zebra. 🍦 🤓👌

[@SavageFlies]

Oh my gosh you make me laugh. It's time for bed and your my last comment I'm going to respond to tonight. While I have Bill Dance bloopers playing on my other monitor. Do you remember that guy? So tailwaters vs. headwaters... yep, you guessed it right. A tailwater comes out of a dam, and a headwater is upstream of it, or just way upstream of a river system. I guess a headwater doesn't have to lead to a dam. A neat example is the Potomac River here in southern Maryland. Down here where I live it is a huge, brackish, somewhat saltwater river that enters the Chesapeake Bay. But way up in Western Maryland where my farm is, it's a small mountain stream with year-round trout. Speaking of mosquito larvae, I see those things all the time here at the house. Almost any mud puddle in the summer has them. It's hard to believe a fish would waste their time eating those things! Anyway, bed time here. But I now I need some ice cream. :-)

[@joeduca8582]

@@SavageFlies Yeah Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston too. How about Gadabout Gaddis, the flying fisherman on a black and white TV? One of my favorites was Billy Westmoreland fishing Dale Hollow Lake with his Silver Buddy lure for smallmouth, those ol' brown fish as he called them. He influenced my fishing a lot. I never had a Silver Buddy blade bait but I used a lot of the similar Heddon Sonar lures in a perch color, very popular on the lake I fish. But In Fisherman's Al Lindner shaped my fishing and got me into fish location and finesse fishing. All that helped my fly fishing too. Oh shoot! my ice cream melted!😒Good night Matt. OH! Thanks for the tailwater explanation, you rock dude! 👍

[@SavageFlies]

@@joeduca8582 Oh man, I forgot about Jimmy Houston! I don't remember the other two you mentioned but I certainly read In Fisherman as a kid. I think that magazine is probably still around but I haven't seen one in a while.

[@joeduca8582]

@@SavageFlies Yeah it's still around but the Lindner family has it's own enterprise gig now. 🎣😎👍

[@edwardmlotkiewicz2343]

Good morning, Matt. Yes, large fish DO eat small midges. Many in Colorado are caught on them.

[@SavageFlies]

And it always amazes me Ed! You'd think they have to eat thousands of them to get a meal. :-)

[@edwardpack3294]

Hi Matt, Thanks for the great content over the years!👍👍👍👍👍 I have learned so much from you including that a Pole Cat is skunk! It makes so much sense! Now I know what Jed Clampett was talking about in his "picnic" metaphor! I've been looking for a 14/0 or equivalent size thread in purple for this fly with no luck. What size do you recommend for a size #18 that I can find in purple? Thanks and keep up the great work! ed (North Carolina)

[@maxlawrence1629]

Nice tie! I really like the looks of the hook you chose, would you mind sharing make/model? Thanks!

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks! I’ll have to look it up when I get home but I’m pretty sure it was a Saber from the Fly Shack. Barbless klinkhammer in dark steel. A pretty economical hook.

[@Jd-yc3gw]

Good morning Matt. Enjoying my morning ☕️. Like a number of others the Zebra Midge was the first fly I tied. Do you ever coat them with a resin? I have hitting the point of my hook mastered now so I’m working on breaking my thread. 🙄. Great background to the fly. Take care Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! Thanks John. I don’t put resin on these. Not sure why really. Might just make it too much like a perdigon, which I do put resin on. And I’ve never caught so many fish that one of these started unraveling on me. 😁

[@edwardchavez5627]

Good Morning Sir Matt, you got to love it. Everything you said about this fly is spot on and this is the very first Fly I learned to ty. Thank you Sir for the history on this one. On another note I was wondering if you had a game changers on your to do list? And if not would it be possible? I know it takes a little longer to ty. Hopefully some day 😁👍

[@epsieblaine7968]

Game Changers,they are great.

[@edwardchavez5627]

@@epsieblaine7968 I've been experimenting making my own shanks and trying to get the right density of feathers and or dubbing brush to use. Any pointers Sir.

[@epsieblaine7968]

@@edwardchavez5627 Fly Fishing the Ozarks has some good tips.The Slide Inn has good tips too.Check them out.I make a lot of my shanks.Sometimes I use hooks and cut them off at the desired distance.For density of materials it up to the look you're looking fore.Have fun with the Game Changer.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Edward! Maybe someday. I don’t fish big streamers and have only tied about two articulated flies in my life but we can probably do one before too long. 😁

[@jeffreystone7327]

Hello Matt hope all is well. Just watching some older videos. I have a quick question about this Zebra Midge please. You mentioned that you normally tie these in size 16-22. What would be your maximum size if you were to go bigger than a 16? Thank you Sir. God bless.

[@FlyTyer1948]

Lots of good tips in this one. Oddly enough I’ve eaten more midges by mistake than I have fished non-dry versions. They don’t taste good, so they must be nutritious for the fish to like them so much. ;-). Matt, do you coat yours with lacquer or uv resin to keep them from fraying when fished ? Thread nicks: When I nick my thread, I smooth it back into the main thread by putting a tiny bit of dubbing wax on my finger & running over the fray. I only do this if I’m near to finishing the head; if I can bury it like you did in the tying process, I don’t bother.

[@SavageFlies]

Great tip Bob! And for some reason, I've never put resin on zebra midges. I think I like the body to stay slender and with the resin it would look more like a Perdigon. Now there's nothing wrong with Perdigons and I tie and fish them plenty, but I guess I don't consider them chironomid pupae. And another reason, I usually lose the fly long before it gets frayed from fish teeth. :-)

[@dsmt8703]

Nice, somehow this one got past me from the KZbin lineup. Not quite still caught me too.

[@SavageFlies]

That happens, but I'm glad you got it my friend. :-)

[@andrewwebster13]

Art Lee…22” on a size 22.

[@SavageFlies]

Holy cow I can't even imagine that! I'd love to get a 22-incher on a big meaty streamer. :-)

[@TonyTredway]

Ive caught 10lb+ trout on a small midge before the sun has even hit the water. Pyramid Lake.

[@SavageFlies]

Wow! I've heard of Pyramid Lake. In fact, a couple of viewers here have been there as recent as last week. Now as for 10-pound trout, I've never even seen one that big!

[@timothytapio4252]

Bead...brass or tungsten?

[@SavageFlies]

Usually tungsten, if I've got it in the color I want. I think these were brass though.

[@Dentspeed]

I have tried and tried and tried fishing these. I just absolutely can’t catch anything with them. I have tried different bodies of water, every depth possible, different levels of weight, small tippets, all kinds of indicators, etc. I just give up.