Banded Midge

HOOK: Dai Riki 135, sizes 10-14 THREAD: Black BODY: Pearl or red Krystal Flash RIBBING: Fine black vinyl ribbing material (V-rib or Larva Lace) WING: Gray CDC THORAX: Black Haretron dubbing GILLS: White craft foam

Uses

Imitates a midge pupa. Jeff Morgan writes about this fly: "This fly started as a killer panfish pattern, but its effectiveness quickly promoted the pattern into my trout fly boxes. The banding effect this fly has is unusual and can attract fish that have seen it all. But the biggest reasaon for this pattern's effectiveness is the short CDC wing. It grabs a bubble of air and holds it, glimmering, along the body of the fly. While this fake wing is totally out of position compared to the wingpads of the natural, the effect of the bubble seems to remove all doubt from a fish's mind."

How to Fish

In lakes, use the static midge, deep midge, or slow retrieve presentations. On rivers, use the shallow nymph presentation.

 
After a couple of fish have inhaled this fly, treat the CDC with a desiccant to remove slime and dry it out. This allows the CDC to continue to trap air bubbles, which is the key to the fly's effectiveness.