The Madison River's twisted-yarn midge, popularized by Blue Ribbon Flies. A cord of twisted Z-Lon makes the segmented abdomen; a clipped tuft of deer hair makes the emerging wing bud. Red, olive, and brown, sizes 16–20, cover most of what a Western river calls midges and small caddis.
1. Thread base — Attach thread on a curved hook and wrap to the bend.
2. Body — Tie in a strand of Z-Lon, twist it into a tight cord, and wrap forward in touching turns for a segmented body to a bead-space behind the eye. Tie off.
3. Wing — Stack a small clump of deer hair and tie in over the eye, tips rearward.
4. Head — Clip the deer hair to a short brush above the hook eye — butts and all. Whip finish behind the clipped head and cement.
hook
thread
body
wing
Chironomidae spp.
