Tying and fishing with fly patterns smaller than size 18 have been, for me, a test in faith. As one explores fly fishing, you see the tendencies toward small offerings and the implied suggestion that it is a must to have such flies for gin clear waters and finicky fish.

Well, I have donned the goggles once again to tie up these miniatures of temptation. They are thankfully simple creations of a single strand flash or thread for the abdomen and a small dubbed thorax, finished with a minimal thread head. The faith comes from believing they will see the fly in anything but gin clear water and that the hook can be set into the jaw of a fish and remain there through the struggle against thin tippets and my exuberance.

Small Midge Collage
Three smallish Midge patterns, Size 18, 20 & 22. I usually fish these as droppers or as a straight offering on fine tippets and a supple rod tip. These smallish hooks get even much smaller, which seem more suitable for hooking fish in your home aquarium to me.

Midge Droppers Bottle Cap SwittersBHere, I combined my enjoyment of Macro Photography, artsy composition and an effort to show you the scale of the flies to a common object…a beer bottle cap, a spool of thread and scissors. Micro tying & Macro Photography & maybe hungry trout. Double click image.