You can’t feel your fingers. Your breath is fogging up your sunglasses. Your waders are just a little bit frozen. Obviously, it is the perfect time to tie on a dry fly… in the size 22-28 range.
Even when bigger bugs aren’t fluttering around the stream, smaller insects are probably hatching. In long runs, glassy pools, and off-current eddies, trout of all sizes will orient themselves upwards. A midday sun or even precipitation can trigger insect activity.
“However,” you may object, “the flies are really tiny.”
True. But the fish don’t seem to mind. If you’re looking to take trout off the surface in January and February, midges are probably your only option.
There is a link to the rest of the post, Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Midge? after the jump.
But before you do that, be sure to check out the two videos I’ve included in today’s post. One is a great interview with angler and tyer Landon Mayer, and the other is a sub-minute clip that will walk you through a simple (but great) pattern.
Watch the videos, and find a link to the article, below:
Head to “The Pursuit of Fish” on Trout & Feather to read my posts, including Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Midge?
As per usual, Tim has gotten a great guest. Landan Mayer shares three of his favorite flies and talks about how he fishes them. This is a video that is worth ten minutes of your time.
Sometimes fly tying is hard. Other times, you can get the gist of an incredibly effective pattern in less than a minute… while being serenaded by the Beastie Boys.
Have any tying or fishing questions for Tim or me? Please leave a comment below.
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