The Mercury Midge is proof—less is more! The Mercury Midge is a tiers dream, it is quick to tie, durable, and fools finicky, hard fished trout, on both freestones and tailwaters. Much of this patterns success stems from the clear, silver-lined glass bead that mimics a gas bubble that gets trapped in the midge’s thorax as it prepares to emerge.
The Mercury Midge got its name because the head-area of the fly contains a silver-lined glass bead that looks like a tiny tube filled with mercury—thus the pattern was called, the Mercury Midge. The Mercury Midge is a great attractor in a tandem nymphing rig as a “dash of flash” draws attention to the dropper flies. Don’t let the simplicity of this pattern fool you—it’s truly one of my top guide flies!
The Mercury Midge got its name because the head-area of the fly contains a silver-lined glass bead that looks like a tiny tube filled with mercury—thus the pattern was called, the Mercury Midge. The Mercury Midge is a great attractor in a tandem nymphing rig as a “dash of flash” draws attention to the dropper flies. Don’t let the simplicity of this pattern fool you—it’s truly one of my top guide flies!