Earlier this year I was in a swap. One of the fellas in the swap almost apologetically said he would submit some lace midges and he ended up sending each swapper 4 midges total in sizes 20,22,24,26. I put them in my flybox and figured I’d use them some day. Well, later this summer I tied one on and I got into some fish. I came home and looked at some tiny midge patterns (tiny for me) and I had also heard alot about zebra midges. I tied up a bunch in different colors (red, olive, black, abd grey), some with bead heads and some without, and the last 5 times I’ve fished I have scored on the zebra midges. I’m so excited about this easy to tie midge that is so productive. How about some of you … do you fish this midge with any regularity and if so, how well does it work for you?
I fish a lot of Zebras. Usually 18’s and 20’s. It always amazes me how effective it can be. I usually fish it on the bottom but it also works well as a dropper while fishing dry dropper. Mostly I fish black (LBS) but I have also been known to fish red, olive or grey. I fished a ton of them when I was a guide because first they were very effective and second you can tie a ton of them in very little time.
Sorry Ducksterman, I left the species of fish out of my post. I have been catching trout on the zebra midges. I’ve yet to use them for crappie or bluegill but I don’t see why they would’nt hit these midges in the cold weather months. There are times when the crappie and bluegill really want something small so my thinking is they will eat these things up in late winter/early spring.
zebramidges were the first small fly I tied. I mainly use black and some red. got a guy who buys dozens from me evry year its the only fly he uses I do nothing but bead heads and size 18 and 20
I have one box devoted to nothing but zebra midges in Black, Red, orange, gray, olive and brown. All with bead heads. So of them I have add a flouro-fiber wing case (those are in a size 14 and are very effective in the slow or still water).
When fishing these I will fish them under a strike indicator about 10-12" under the surface to emulate an emerging little fella. Put a tungsten bead on that fly and it drops like a rock and you get good drift. Last December on the Lower Illinois River, I fished on zebra for 4 hours and landed thirty (I swear) 'bows. It was one of those days.
Recently I have started tying a version of a mercury midge in size 20, 22. Using a glass bead and a slimmer profile.