Midge Pupa and Emerger Fly Patterns

Midge Pupa and Emerger fly patterns can be fished either singly or in tandem at all times of year. In areas that hold consistent temperatures in Winter, midges will hatch when snow is falling on the water. A midge hatch represents an abundance of food: the brand new adult ‘Emergers’ on the surface, and the Pupae rising to it in order to make their transformation into adults. On cooler days both can be present all day long.

More about Midges

Pretty much anywhere there are freshwater fish, you’ll also find midges. They spend most of their lives as larvae (up to four years in some cases) before their body swells into a pupa to make space for the larvae to grow legs and wings. The pupae then ascend to the surface where they hatch into adults in order to mate. They are poor swimmers, and many species create a small air bubble to float up. Some species are pupae for only a few hours, and adults only live for a few weeks at most.

Fishing with Midge Pupae and/or Emerger Flies

Because they are so small, emerging midges have a real struggle to break the surface film as they wriggle out of their pupae. Trout have plenty of time to pick a mouthful, either on or beneath the surface, and they will feed in a quiet, relaxed, and unhurried manner. If you see fish cruising just under the surface with their dorsal or tail fins out of the water, or rising and falling (a little like dolphins or porpoises breathing perhaps), then it’s time to try gentle and quiet casts with either pupa or emerger flies. Some anglers advise using pupae patterns in the morning and then switching to emergers as the day progresses; others prefer to use a two fly rig to represent both stages of the hatch at once.