Fly of the Month by Scott Reisetter
The Mighty Mighty “Midge”
What the heck is a midge? That is exactly what I said to my Dad as I watch him land another massive German Brownie just South of Crested Butte Colorado. It was the classic tale of the dude on the other side of the river slaying them while you go through your entire portfolio of flies. The Old Man grew up in the mountains and I was new to the game. He waded over and proceeded to show the young padawan the ways of the Mighty Mighty Midge. So back to the question. What the heck is a Midge? It’s a fly larva. And any good trout stream should be chalked full of them. Everything from no see um flies, black flies to Mr. Mosquito larva’s. The Old Man knows that is the Colorado late spring when things are getting buggy, the midge is the secret to a successful day. Little does he know that they hatch year around, don’t tell him I said that, ah he probably knows anyway but just never told me. Anyway since my Jedi training with Old-Man-A-Wan, I have got into the habit of using a midge as a my trailer fly year around and still to this day I am always amazed that the fly that I can barely see myself is the secret weapon of success.
So, Mr. Scott where did this pattern come from? The Dorsey’s? Heck I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone else can truly say. Maybe from the great fisherman in the sky! All I can say is get in the habit, get it into your rotation. Spend a day with only the midge and its 500,000 color combos. All joking aside, study the water before you cast. Take a clear cup and scope some up and see what swimming around in it. Watch what is swamping in groups. There are more days that the Mighty Mighty Midge will be in play that anything else in your bag. Fish On!
