Zebras

J

JohnPowers

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Jun 9, 2007
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No stream names necessary but tell me. In SEPA when why do you fish the zebra midge? Tricos, red quills, sulphers, gray ghosts I get it. But i now need to get hip. Do you fish the zebra midge when you see midges in the air? Do you fish them just on the theory that there's always something wriggling in the film? Do you fish them on the dropper?
 
I fish them as a dropper to a larger nymph almost exclusively during the fall and winter. Primarily becuase I've read that there are more midge nymphs in the water than anything else during that time of year. I'm no expert but I catch more fish on the midge than any other fly when the water is cold. Plus it's easy to tie.
 
With near the bottom when nothing else is hatching. And mostly in the winter. That's the only fly I have caught fish on this year so far.
 
I fished zebra midges on a limestoner all year last year and caught fish with them each trip......if nothing is hatching it is one of my go to flies (along with scuds and pt)....I think there are so many midges available that they get eaten year round....i will usually dead drift them through pocket water, runs, or any likely holding area and I usually let them swing like a wet fly after the normal drift. I'll do this especially if they are hatching because I think they look like an insect swimming to the surface trying to hatch.

I think a lot of fly fishers, especially new ones, catch that fish at the end of a drift when the leader is dragged back to the surface and don't understand that the drag and fly coming towards the surface looks like a nymph swimming to the surface to emerge. Thats when the nymph is most vulnerable and an easy meal. I've done this on spring creek right behind other anglers that caught nothing through the same stretch.
 
Started tying recently and was looking for something new to try last night when I stumbled upon the zebra midge. Looked really simple, yet deadly, so I tried a few. How appropriate to find this post here today. The ones I tied last night were size 14's (too big, I know...) but it was all I had laying around so I went with it more for the practice than anything else. Will hopefully be picking up some appropriately sized hooks tonight to make an arsenal for the box.

 

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The zebra is an excellent dropper pattern. I don't fish it exclusively, but I do fish it all year with good results.
 
@stal
i had a rather well day the last time i fished spring creek on a pattern close to that black one i think it was a size 12 and had a clear glass bead i fished it in tandem with a sow bug but the sow bug hanging off the back i think it was a size 16 sow bug
 
I'm a novice at tying flies and the zebra midge was one of the first flies I learned to tie that I would consistently catch fish with. I'll fish it all year round in this area, primarily as a secondary fly. My personal preference is to tie it with a glass bead head, size 18 and 20, black primarily but olive and brown can work well too.
 
I use them all year round on limestone and freestone creeks. They consistently catch fish. It is great for a tandem. Because its so small and looks the same wether its upside down or spinning or something, I feel that it looks more natural in the drift than some other nymphs and is rejected less.
 
Well midges are present in all streams and most times are the majority of a trouts diet. You can fish them really anyway you feel the fish are feeding. But the late fall/winter time when the water is still cold midges are the majority of their diet. You will find some bwo on warmer days and small mayfly nymphs on rocks. But the majority of the feeding is done on midges. I like to fish it as my second fly only 6-10" from my dropper. But if its a colder day I will fish a tandem midge rig. I tend to start out with a zebra then move to different colors/ribbing/etc to target in on exactly what they are eating.
 
What Matt said. They ought to be illegal, that's how effective I find them just about anywhere I fish them.
 
They're like potato chips to fish. One is never enough. They come in packs of thousands. Open a fresh bag of chips and see how you react. Then count how many times a year you have lobster. Sure it tastes better but you hardly see one. Chips, I can usually see the bottom of the bag before I realize how many I've eaten.

 
Midges will catch fish year-round, just about anywhere. I usually fish them as a dropper off of a heavier beadhead fly to get them down, but sometimes I'll fish a couple of them in different colors to see what's working. I usually fish them under an indicator, but I've had luck w/o as well.

As far as tying, I tie them like the pics posted earlier in the thread, but I'll also add a couple twists of peacock herl and/or partridge hackle just below the bead.
 
The zebra midge is why I started tying flies. I felt so ripped off when I would buy them for $1.50 when they were just black thread on a hook. I know people say you don't save money by tiying your own flies but I tend to disagree. If you buy only select materials to tie specific flies you are definitely saving money. If you buy every material know to man to tie sporatic patterns here and there then you will not save money. I'm a little off topic here and I don't mean to derail the thread only to reinforce the fact that the zebra midge is one of my favorite flies for a multitude of reasons.
 
I love the pattern and so easy to tie! I actually have my girlfriend tying san juans and zebras for me now. I tie mine in black red, grey, tan and olive. Also will mix and match the colors like red/black, olive black, and florescent orange and black. I too have gotten more strikes at the end of the drift/swing. More often then not I tie 18s-22s but havent gone smaller, perhaps I ought to give it a shot.
 
I like them in 18-22 with a 1.5 or 2mm tungsten bead. My favorite is rusty brown thread, copper wire, copper bead. I tie these with and without an orange hot spot behind the bead.
 
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