In this week’s “How to Tie†video feature, Fly Fish Food gives us a great tutorial on how to tie the Mayhem Midge.
Learn About This Fly:
Difficulty: Novice
This week, we will be learning how to tie the Mayhem Midge. Spring is right around the corner. The time of year where colors begin to pop, birds and animals become more noisy, and bugs begin to hatch. As the temperatures warm, midges, baetis, and PMDs begin to litter our creeks and rivers with activity. This ultra simple pattern will easily become a mainstay in your fly box throughout the year.
Simple yet effective, two words that make a fly-angler’s ears perk up. This ultra versatile pattern will leave you questioning why your box wasn’t previously filled with them. If you know, you know. The Mayhem Midge is designed to imitate midge or a mayfly depending on what is active in the water column. Unlike other midge patterns, the Mayhem Midge is designed with a foam wing-case. The thin foam creates extra buoyancy and movement in the current and is very effective when fished deep on a nymph rig.
Most fly-anglers will omit giving the Mayhem Midge legs. They will just pull the wing case over, throw it in the box, and hit the river. While it will still catch fish without legs, the subtle addition of hen hackle can really make a difference to a hungry trout. In this tutorial, Cheech brings light the the importance of a minimal tail on this fly. Having a large, bulky clump of antron fibers in the rear of the fly will lead to un-natural movement and can slow its sink rate. The key takeaway with the Mayhem Midge is to keep it simple. There is no need to over think this fly. Sure, feel free to experiment with colors and variations, but the proof is in the pudding.
Ingredients:
- Hook: TMC 100 Dry Fly Hook – 20 – 25 Pack
- Alternate Hook: Daiichi 1180 – Standard Dry Fly Hook – 20
- Alternate Hook: TMC 101 Dry Fly Hook – 20 – 25 Pack
- Thread: UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier – Olive
- Alternate Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed Thread – 12/0 – Medium Olive
- Alternate Thread: Veevus Fly Tying Thread – Olive – 14/0
- Shuck: Antron Yarn – Carded – Gray Dun
- Alternate Shuck: Antron Yarn – Gray
- Rib: UTC Ultra Wire – Small – Gold
- Thorax: Peacock Eye Sticks
- Wingcase: Rainy’s Cross-Link Sheet Foam – Gray – 0.5mm
- Alternate Wingcase: Razor Foam – Translucent Dun
- Alternate Wingcase: Rainy’s Cross-Link Sheet Foam – Tan – 0.5mm
- Legs: Flash Sale Hackle 77 – Whiting 4B Hen Saddle – Variant (Speckled Brown)
Now you know how to tie the Mayhem Midge
Video and Ingredients courtesy of Fly Fish Food
