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.

7-FEB-2023

FLY OF THE WEEK!! This week I had a lot of success on a small black midge, weird huh! 😉

As I have stated in previous posts winter fly fishing typically consists of fishing small black flies. This is to imitate the plethora of aquatic insects called midges. I talked about the black beauty, the mercury midge and other small midge patterns but one thing that I find important when choosing flies is picking VARIATIONS! Which brings me to this weeks fly - Bjorn’s Flash Midge Larva - a unique fly in the sense that it’s not as often used as the aforementioned flies so fish aren’t as cautious.

In pressured Tailwaters in the winter, one of the most important things to me is using flies and set ups that are different than what everyone else is using. This fly is tied with an iridescent black/green body, segmented by wire and it checks all the boxes I look for when picking a midge larva. Color: very realistic to the color of true midge larva. Profile: it’s curved hook body and sparse materials makes it extremely realistic. Size: I fish this in sizes 18-22; I usually will throw a “larger” size 18 in the Spring/Summer or as my lead fly in the winter; Most commonly I fish Bjorn’s Flash Midge Larva in a size 20 and 22 either as my very last fly or if I am using an emerger for a trailer I will use this as my middle fly.

This simple yet effective pattern is definitely a must have fly especially anyone fishing technical rivers. One of my first “Fly of the Week” flies was Bjorn’s Flash Midge Pupa which has also been a deadly fly lately and proof this pattern works!! There is nothing wrong with the staples but as anglers we can get in routines, using the same 4-5 flies all the time, but it pays to take chances and I suggest grabbing at least a few for the days when the fish just aren’t biting - you won’t be let down!

Until next time, Anna