Zebra Midge

Most effective in cold tailwaters when no dries are visible. Classic go-to midge pattern.

Printed on the Jack of spades

A Zebra Midge is a bead, a thread body and a wire rib. That is the entire fly. It takes ninety seconds to tie and it is, on many tailwaters, the single most productive pattern in the box for eight months of the year.

Midge pupae are the most consistently available trout food in cold water. They are present in enormous numbers, they are active every month including January, and they are small, dark and slim — which is precisely what a thread body with a wire rib looks like. The bead adds the flash of a gas bubble forming under the pupal skin as the insect prepares to rise.

The discipline it demands is going small enough. Anglers routinely fish a #18 when the fish are eating a #22. On a pressured tailwater in winter, dropping two sizes and lengthening the tippet solves more problems than any other adjustment.

What does a Zebra Midge imitate?

Midge pupae.

How do you fish a Zebra Midge?

Dead drift deep on a long leader under an indicator, usually as the trailing fly behind something heavier. On stillwaters, fish it static under a bobber and let the fish hook themselves.

When should you fish a Zebra Midge?

All year, and essential in winter. Tailwaters in particular fish midges almost every day of the season.

What are the quick tips for fishing it?

• Black with a silver bead and red with a copper bead cover most water.
• Go smaller than feels sensible. #20 and #22 are not extreme.
• The trailing fly in a two-nymph rig is where this pattern belongs.

How is a Zebra Midge tied?

• Hook: curved scud or standard nymph, #16-#24
• Bead: silver, copper or black tungsten
• Body: black, red or olive thread
• Rib: fine silver or copper wire

Dressings vary by tier and region. Treat this as the common recipe, not the only one.