David Hughes from Fly Rod and Reel discusses fly fishing with small midge fly patterns, when to use them and strategies on how to use them.

…You see trout rising, you suspect they’re not doing it as a hobby, but you can’t see anything they might be taking. When that happens, make midges your first thought because they might be dying in those rises…

…River midges are typically tinier than most lake and pond midges, size 20 to 24. They go through three life stages: larvae, pupae and adult…all you need is a hook wrapped with wire, thread or latex ribbing. In my experience, a size 18 to 22 Flashback Pheasant Tail, fixed as a trailer to a larger nymph, works as well as a midge larva pattern…

…Midge pupae are the most important stage of the insect…Matching those tiny pupae is less difficult than often supposed. They’re slender strings, with a bit of taper, and a bump at the head end where the formative thorax and wings are located…

…MY FAVORITE RIG FOR MOVING-water midge pupae includes a couple of tiny yarn indicators, about four to six inches apart on the leader, one of them black, the other white. In failing light, you’ll be able to see one or the other against river surfaces that are alternately dark or silvered with reflected light from the sky. I use a size 18 or 20 wire midge (in any color, on about two feet of 5X tippet) below the indicators. It’s mostly for weight, though I catch an occasional trout on it. At the end of another two feet of 6X tippet, I tie the size 20 to 24 pupal pattern. It usually works if it’s black, has a bit of brightness on it and—most important—is as small as the prevailing midges on the water I’m fishing…

Read the full article at Fly Rod and Reel.