Blood Midge

HOOK: TMC 2457 or 200R, sizes 12-22 THREAD: Red RIB: Fine silver wire BODY: Red marabou.

Uses

Imitates the larval stage of the blood midge, a red critter that is found in many lakes and some rivers. Other than casting a bare hook, you'll have a hard time finding an easier fly to tie.

Variations

Other useful colors are black, tan, and olive.

How to Fish

On lakes, use the static midge, deep midge, or slow retrieve presentations. On rivers, use the shallow nymph presentation.

 
It's tough to get a small fly to break through the surface film, so you might need to use a sink-tip line or put a small split shot on the leader to make this fly sink.