Blog

@anna_on_the_fly is on the water constantly.  She is constantly trying new things -- new flies, new techniques, and new gear.  We are grateful that she's an Ambassador for DiscountFlies.  And, we're grateful that she shares her knowledge and adventures with us here in the "Fly of the Week" (or month during the "off" season) Column.

31-Jan-2023

FLY OF THE WEEK!!!

This week’s fly is one of my favorite midge pupa patterns- The Rojo Midge! Created by Greg Garcia in an attempt to fool some of the pickiest trout in the county and he did just that! At the time he created this fly, tyers like Pat Dorsey had just begun using glass beads to imitate the gas bubble produced by emerging pupa. The glass bead was a proven success and Garcia had read that midge pupa nearing adult stages frequently create extra hemoglobin which expands the thorax and creates a strong red color - so he decided to try using a red bead instead of clear and the results came quickly. This was THE ticket fly!!

I remember the first time I used this fly I was fishing with my mom and dad, we all took a try at sight fishing to this gorgeous cutbow, all you could see is a bright pink stripe through about 5 ft of water. Finally after several calculated attempts by my mom to fool this beauty she says “go get it Anna”. I walked over to see the fish sitting right below a shelf, waiting for bugs to come cycling in like the assembly line of a factory. I had just put on a size 20 black Rojo Midge and went for it, after a few casts I see this white mouth open - it ate my fly!! The rush was on as the fish used the heavy current to run straight down stream, peeling line and making me more nervous by the second. LUCKILY IT INHALED THE ROJO MIDGE and I battled the fish to the net!

Since then I have had a lot of success using Garcia’s “Rojo Midge” pattern, both as an attractor and as my second fly. I typically fish it in a size 18 or 20, dead drifting it mid-column like a midge pupa pushing its way to the surface. This fly is especially deadly during a midge hatch and I’ve had success using two flies to make it appear like a small cluster.

The two things that make this fly stand out are first, the white uni-stretch used at the head - simulating the short, brush-like breathing structure (gill tuft) that protrudes from the last abdominal segment of the midge. Second, the red bead used to mimic the “super-charged” hemoglobin thorax found in late stage pupa.

Until next time, Anna