The Ubiquitous Midge

A Generic Midge Pattern

          What would fly fishing in the spring be without midge patterns? It's pretty obvious that some nice midge patterns are needed especially during the early spring when the activity is low during a harsh winter (like this last one). I don't know what it depends on but I've been in a goose biot "state of mind" the last time. There is no question about it being a nice material that naturally gives a segmented body to the fly. Furthermore it's a cheap material and comes in any color that might be needed. Now i put some Zap-A-Gap on the thread base before winding the biot. For obvious reasons that will make the body more durable. The trout has really sharp teeth. Many trout have made my fingertips bleed when trying to get the fly out of their mouth to be able to release them. Lost my surgery forceps to the bottom of a favorite still water and haven't found one as good as that one to replace it. Guess I have to reconsider doing that soon for the sake of the finger tips on my right hand. Otherwise fly tying might be more complicated with band aids on the finger tips. The materials on this fly are:

                    Body = Grey Goose Biot

                    Wing = Tiemco Aero Wing

                    Hackle = Grizzle Midge Saddle Hackle cut

                                  to give the midge a low profile

                    Thread = Sheer 14/0 Dun

          By changing the colors of the materials and size of hook i think this pattern can cover most of the midges that can be of interest. Will try this pattern out ASAP. it's still very cold here during the nights so the ice and snow just don't want to disappear. Well that's kind of all so until the next post ...

Warm greetings from the cold,

Mats Olsson

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A Generic Pattern For Tiny Olives And Other Small Mayflies

A Generic Biot and CDC Pattern

          A found a picture of a similar fly and that gave me the idea to make a generic pattern for tiny olives. It can just as well imitate other small mayflies that aren't too big and need other techniques to make them float. With this fly in the picture I was thinking of the LDO that has made it's first attempts to hatch where the climate allows (not here though so the pattern is not tested yet). I think that the combination of micro fibbets as tail, CDC dubbing picked out a little to give more support under the wing and finally a CDC wing would be all that is needed to get enough floatability for small mayflies. 

          I'm also thinking of the Small Spurwing in the late season to wich I kind of have special memories of. One of my favorite still waters have an incredible hatch of theese tiny mayflies in late September. They come in such quantities that they bring up really big trout that specifically target them. Sipping down one after the other. Since I am to eager to set the hook, many times I spook the big trout by ripping the fly out of their mouth instead of letting them close it first. Anyway while stocking up some imitations of the LDO according to the pattern above, the only thing I have to do is to make some of them a little smaller, and "voilá", there we have some nice Small Spurwing imitations for later on. So my thinking is that the combination of these three materials in different color combinations will cover most of the small mayflies not just the olives. Well, that's about it, so until the next post ...

Kind greetings from a COLD Sweden,
Mats Olsson

What The Trout Really Wants - Easy Pickings

Large Dark Olive - Spent Spinner

          Spent spinners can get the spookiest of trout or grayling to leave it's "safe house" to gorge on the easy pickings that the spent spinners constitute. Even the morning after a spinner fall the spent spinner seems to have left an impression that makes big trout and grayling still are searching for them. Even when there hasn't been a spinner fall the fish will often readily take a spent spinner. So some spent spinners of various colors and sizes is good to have for those moments. I've experienced myself that an imitation of a spent spinner just seems to have the word "delicious" stamped on it for the trout and grayling. That means that it's time now when the first mayflies are hatching to tie a stash of spent spinners if not done before. Have heard that the Large Dark Olive (Baetis Rhodani, not the BWO or Ephemerella Ignita, this one will come later on and is usually a little smaller) has started hatching already in the UK and at some places in the US. Have fun you guys that are living in those areas! Wish I could be there but they'll hatch here soon too. So until the next post ...

Kind greetings from an even colder Sweden,

Mats Olsson

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Hackled Large Dark Olive Dun - For Riffled Waters

Hackled Large Dark Olive

          During a hatch of Baetis Rhodani, or perhaps more known as the Large Dark Olive, it might be a good idea to have hackled versions of the dun if the stream has riffled areas. It might come in handy when there is windy too since it floats better and is more visible. So this is what I'd pull out of the fly box under such circumstances (or something similar). If you want a lower profile it's easy to cut a v in the hackle under the wing to get the profile you want or that fits the water you're fishing. I'll have to keep waiting for the LDO to hatch since there seems that the winter is trying to return here. The days are getting longer but it's still to cold for the ice to melt and give us fly fishers a chance to wet our flies. Until next post ...

Kind greetings,

Mats Olsson

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What The Trout Really Wants - Easy Pickings

The Stuck Shuck Midge

          I watched a video clip on youtube where Hans Weilenmann was tying this particular pattern. I liked it from the beginning and finally decided to make a few. What could be more enticing to a trout than a midge hopelessly stuck in the surface film of the water? I must confess that I didn't follow the instructions on the video totally but almost. I like the looks of this pattern and it can be adapted to any color of midges hatching in your waters.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQfzfBak2kw

          Here is the link to the video clip that inspired me to tie this particular pattern. A very instructive and understandable video tutorial. Furthermore since I really believe in this pattern I'm going to give it an honest chance to show what the trout thinks of it. Soo until the next post ...

Greetings from a very cold Sweden (not god for the fly fishing :-( ),

Mats Olsson

Pheasant Tail Nymph - The Original (Almost)

The Pheasant Tail Nymph

          Well I guess that the Pheasant Tail is one of the most known nymphs at least in Europe. I remember when I was a boy reading all that there could be found about fly fishing in the local library. I practically lived there. Reading everything from Charles Cotton and forward. One of the known fly fishermen I read about was Frank Sawyer. The legendary river keeper of one of the most desirable chalk streams. That introduced me to the quite simple but most effective nymph, the Pheasant Tail Nymph. I remember struggling to tie it just with copper wire and strands from the pheasants tail feather. It didn't turn out to good so I decided to add a material, a matching tying thread. That made the trick now it was much easier to tie. I guess the problem was that I had a thicker wire than what was supposed to be used to tie this fly.

 

           To me the Pheasant Tail Nymph is closely connected to a hand vice. I remember spending a winter probably in the beginning of the 70'ties tying hundreds of pheasant tail nymphs while watching TV using this hand vice. I still have most of them in one of my fly boxes while some of them have been lost fishing in my small favorite stream. Either they're stuck in the trees or at the bottom of the stream. Anyway I've come to appreciate this fly or and some of the variants of it using material that wasn't available at that time. A wonderful but simple fly well worth having at the stream. Until next post ...

Kind regards,

Mats Olsson

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The Almost Ubiquituos Pheasant Tail Nymph

PT Nymph With A Tiny Tungsten Bead

          This is a PT Nymph with a tiny copper colored tungsten bead. The tungsten bead makes the nymph get pretty deep quick to get down to the trout or grayling that stay deep in the beginning of the season. As you can see the bead although adding pretty much weight doesn't alter the slim profile of the nymph. Since the nymph as the adult of LDO or Baetis Rhodani can change a lot between waters it can be a good idea to have some variations of those flies. The colors of the nymph can go from light green olive to pretty dark reddish brown, hence the variants of PT can also come in handy when the LDO nymph is present but there is no surface feeding. Almost all the baetis nymphs can be represented by slight variations of the original Pheasant Tail nymph and naturally the original of course. Well that's about it for this time so until the next post ...

Kind Greetings,

Mats Olsson

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Large Dark Olive Copper Bead Nymph

Tiny Tungsten Copper Bead Nymph

          I think I'm presenting the Large Dark Olive imitations kind of backwards. The nymph with the tiny copper tungsten bead would probably be the first one to try out if the trout or grayling isn't surface feeding. If you then encounter spooky trout the nymph with the tiny black tungsten perhaps would be to prefer. When the fish is surface feeding you would probably do well with a Large Dark Olive Dun imitation if it's this is what the fish is feeding on. Here in Sweden it will probably take some weeks before the LDO nymphs start being active so order of presentation of the LDO in it's different phases won't matter. This nymph is tied like the one I presented in my last post but it has a shiny copper tungsten bead to catch some attention when the water is cold. Well that kind of concludes this post so until the next one ...

Greetings from a freezing cold Sweden,

Mats Olsson

Large Dark Olive Nymph

Tiny Black Tungsten Nymph

          In the beginning of the season it can be an advantage to use a pretty heavy nymph to get down a bit in the water. Especially so if you're fishing a deep pool or a deep part of the stream. This nymph has a very small tungsten bead so it doesn't alter the slim profile of the nymph. The body is made of Light Olive Pearsall's Gossamer silk. It looks more yellowish in the picture but that comes from the light that has a warm tone. Coq de León fibres for the talil and building a slightly tapered body with the silk and ribbing with thin stripped peacock herl. A hint of hares ear dubbing and a tiny black tungsten bead. The body of this nymph is varnished for durability. This nymph will sink fairly quick and get down to the trout or grayling in the beginning of the season before they get more active in their feeding habits.

          When the hatch starts a lighter nymph, emerger or even a dun probably will be preferred. I believe that this, a little heavier, nymph will do good in the beginning of the season. Well that just about covers it so until next post ...

Kind greetings,

Mats Olsson