Pearl Jam - The Ultimate Tailwater Midge Pattern

  

 Email Article  

Tweet  

  

  

  

We all have a variety of midges in our fly box, some we fish a ton and others we look at and wonder why they are there. Winter in Colorado is midge fishing season as the water temps have dropped and the great hatches of summer have come and gone.  Most anglers hang up the waders and store the rod until spring but for the few die hard anglers, winter is fishing season.

Having a great day fishing in the winter is like having a banner day in the summer with the amount of effort it takes to catch trout when it is 10 degrees outside.  A fly that will help make your winter fishing adventure a success is the Pearl Jam. 

This fly is so simple, it seems silly but to the trout, they inhale it on just about every drift.  There is something in the combination of the flashy pearl body, dark gunmetal head and size that really drives trout absolutely crazy. 

Simple to tie and effective in winter, spring, summer and fall, this is a must for any anglers midge box.

Tying Recipe:

• Hook - Tiemco 2488 - #20-24
• Thread - Uni 8/0 - White
• Body - Midge Sparkle Braid - Pearl
• Bead - Glass Bead - X-Small - Gunmetal

Tying Instructions:

• Place bead on hook then place hook in vice.
• Start thread right behind the bead with several wraps to secure the bead in place.
• Wrap thread to the back of the hook, just slightly down the bend
• Tie in the UTC Midge Sparkle Braid at this point and wrap thread back to eye
• Wrap the UTC Midge Sparkle Braid toward the eye making sure that each wrap lays right next to the last wrap so there are no gaps.
• Tie off the UTC Midge Sparkle Braid just behind the bead and clip the excess.
• Form a small head just behind the bead with the UNI 8/0 - white thread and whip finish

Fishing Instructions:

Fish this fly on a two fly nymph rig in either the bottom or top position with enough weight on the rig to get the flies down on the feeding zone. Fish will usually not hesitate to grab this fly quickly as it entices the fish to feed with the flashy body.

If the pearl color does not work well on certain days,have a few tied up in black, peacock, root beer as well as purple.  This should cover the color spectrum and make for an enjoyable day on the water