Most productive chironomid?

Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
Forum Supporter
I don't have any single midge pattern that's the "most prouctive" - sometimes none of my midge patterns work, this past year on my favorite BC lake, midges didn't seem to produce as often as a little jig - but - several years ago three of us hiked a tad over 2 klicks to a lake where an antistatic bag midge with "wine" coloured ribbing (Fr chromie) seemed to be the most effective.


Fr chromies.JPG
 

Stonedfish

Known Grizzler-hater of triploids, humpies & ND
Forum Supporter
Only one? 😉
How about two.
Red body, silver rib, white bead.
Chromie - holographic tinsel body with red rib and black bead.
SF
 

Norm Frechette

Googlemeister
Forum Supporter
i have done good with a chromie in my local waters

Chromie-2019-1080.jpg
 

ABITNF

Steelhead
I recall pumping a fish once and it was plugged with chironomids and all but a few were 16s or less. I went down in size to 18 on a scud hook and was nailing them every few minutes. I even tried a 20 and was getting tugs but not hooking many. I heard others commenting about me being 'dialed in'. I turned and said what I was using and these guys were aghast. They were using 12s and pumping a few fish, no doubt seeing the same size as I was but still not going smaller. What's the point of pumping a fish but not adjusting to the results?
 

SurfnFish

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
If I could have only one, Ice Cream Cone (web pic of one). I like to coat the body with epoxy for gleam, and always keep colored marker pens in the fly bag, If fish not hitting on white,
out come the pens, and on go the colors. 1674320384233.png1674320384233.png
 
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Irafly

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
What's the point of pumping a fish but not adjusting to the results?
To gain an idea of what the fish might be eating. Remember, in order to throat sample a fish, you first needed to catch a fish, and that fish clearly ate your offering.

But I do adjust my offerings after throat sample, depending on the sample. Is it plugged with size 16 chrome mids, or are there just a few? Is there a variety of sizes and shapes and colors? I have no idea what the other people saw in their samples, but I might have stayed with 12s as well after the sample, because more often than not fish will pick out a larger source of energy versus a smaller one if it is close enough. Sounds like you made a good call for that situation and “dialed” it in.

After you shared, did they switch? I would have.
 

ABITNF

Steelhead
Of course Irafly. That's what I'm saying. We pump a fish to see what it's eating. But I've seen guys pump size 18 black and refuse to use what's working. Often I've found several assorted bugs in one sample. And also been getting them on brown while a buddy 150 feet away is getting them on chrome. I think pumping a fish is somewhat invasive so if I see something in a sample and I'm using it and it's working I'll use it until it stops. But I don't like pumping fish after I've determined that. I don't think it's healthy for them.
 
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Tom Butler

Grandpa, Small Stream Fanatic
Forum Supporter
I'm still stuck in the past and should up my game, as an ugly TDC still finds it's way onto my line more than any other. 20230121_224958.jpg
 

O clarkii lewisi

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
If only one, black with a silver rib and a few turns of burnt orange thread behind a black nickel tungsten bead. Not a white bead fan. Uni Stretch for gills or no gills at all on size 18 or smaller.
Question for those of you tying in the orange thread behind the bead. Do you use orange thread for the whole fly and cover the thread up well with the black 'material' and then expose orange thread near the bead? And does the orange thread represent gills? (that was 2 questions). Thank you!
 
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