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Zebra Midge

Materials

Tying steps

  1. Place the bead on the hook and slide it to the eye. Mount in the vise with the bead seated against the eye.
  2. Start the thread just behind the bead and wrap a smooth, tight base backward to the bend, building a slight taper as you go. The thread body must be perfectly smooth.
  3. At the bend, tie in a short length of fine silver wire.
  4. Wind the thread forward from the bend in tight overlapping turns, building a body narrowest at the bend and widest just behind the bead.
  5. Counter-wind the silver wire rib forward in 5–7 evenly spaced turns. Each wrap should show clearly against the black thread.
  6. Tie off the wire just behind the bead with 3–4 thread wraps. Twist the wire to break it cleanly.
  7. Build a small thread collar between the wire tie-off point and the back of the bead. Keep it minimal — 3–4 wraps only.
  8. Whip finish behind the bead. Apply a drop of UV resin or hard head cement to the thread collar and the bead shoulder.

Notes

The simplest effective midge pattern in common use. Thread body, wire rib, bead — nothing else. Works on tailwaters year-round because it imitates the midge pupae that are the primary food source on most regulated rivers. Tie it in red thread with silver wire for an alternate trigger; fish it in the top 12 inches of the water column under an indicator or on a tight-line euro rig at depth below pools.

Where this fly works