How to Tie a Simple Midge Larva

Producer: tightlinevideo

Not all midges are super small but many of them are, like this guy, catching a ride on the eyes of about a size 14 Hendrickson. This goes not only for the winged adult stage of their life cycle but the larval stage as well. And, what kind of stinks for us fly anglers, is that in many rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, these ridiculously small wormy-looking things are a huge part of a trout’s diet throughout much of the year. It’s not like only little trout feed on midge larva, the biggest of the bigs do as well. And there are occasions when it’s all they want to eat. The solution for us is to give them what they want, or at least a near-enough interpretation of it. That’s where this Super Simple, yet very small, midge larva imitation comes into play.

The foundation for this diminutive offering is a size 24 3X long hook. Although a Dai-Riki #270 hook is no longer available, I’m sure you can find a suitable replacement. Hooking fish with irons this small can be a challenge, but removing them from a trout’s jaws without hurting the fish, is very often a much greater challenge. So do yourself a favor and mash the barb, as teeny as it is, even before getting the hook firmly secured in the jaws of your tying vise.

As small as this fly is, UTC 70 is still a very appropriate thread. Here I’m using a yellow color to closely match the midge larva I sample on my local stream, particularly during the winter months. Get the thread started on the hook shank behind the eye and, after taking a dozen or so wraps rearward, snip off the excess tag.

Copper-colored UTC extra-small Ultra wire is used to rib and segment the fly. Even the small size is too big and clunky for a fly this little. A 10” length will make numerous flies. Lay one end of the wire against the near side of the hook, and take rearward thread wraps to begin securing it. Keep taking slightly overlapping thread wraps to bind the wire to the near side of the hook, well down into the bend. Return your tying thread forward to a little ways behind the hook eye. Then, wrap 1/3 of the way down the hook shank and back up, followed by 2/3 of the way down and back up, then all the way down to the end wraps, but stop there.

Give your bobbin a counterclockwise spin, as if you’re looking down on it, to flatten out your tying thread. Use the flattened thread to smooth out the previous wraps, giving your bobbin a counterclockwise spin every so often to uncord and flatten the thread. The idea here is to create a really smooth, lightly tapered body on the fly, and end with your tying thread right behind the hook eye.

This smooth body will allow you to make open spiral wraps with the thin wire, without lumps or bumps dictating where those wraps land. When you reach your tying thread, use it to firmly anchor the wire then helicopter the wire to break it off close and clean. I like to tuck the remaining wire into a sticky pad so I know where it is, otherwise it’s guaranteed to get lost on my tying bench.

Rather than change thread colors at this point to produce the head of the fly, I cheat and use a permanent marker to change thread color instead – here, a dark brown, again, to closely match the naturals. I color about 3” of thread, which is generally enough to build up a small head on the fly and still have enough brown thread remaining to complete a 5 or 6 turn, back to front whip finish before seating the knot well and snipping or cutting my tying thread free.

A drop of head cement, here, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails, applied just to the head of the fly, will ensure nothing comes unraveled and help to improve the overall look of the pattern. I’ve found no need to coat the entire body of the fly.

The good news is this Simple Midge Larva pattern is easy and quick to tie, even though it’s super small. Trout often feed on midge larva close to the stream bottom, so I’ll usually use a tandem rig with something like a heavy euro-jig tied in first on say, 6x tippet then 12-18” of smaller tippet, such as 7x, going back to the midge larva.

One thing I’ve found with small tippet, is that using sharp nippers to cut it at a shallow angle definitely helps to get the tippet fed through the minuscule eye  of the hook. I really like to use plunger-style hackle pliers to hold the hook while doing this, so my fingers don’t block the eye.

A knot such as a Davy Knot or a Double Davy is my choice for securing the tippet to the fly. It’s small, doesn’t waste a lot of tippet and, if tied correctly, is quite strong. I do prefer to leave just a little bit of tag in case of slippage.

Something like a Uni-knot at the other end of that tippet segment works well for securing it to the bend of the lead fly. I’ve never had a problem with this slipping off, even when using barbless hooks. The jig hook gets the rig down to where the trout are, while the midge larva gives them what they really want to eat.