Michigan Flies

Flies / Nymph

Zebra Midge

A

Black-bodied #20 to #24 midges are the main winter food on the Muskegon tailwater from November through April, with heavy hatches near springs on warm afternoons. Fish a Zebra Midge as a dropper under a small indicator or behind a scud; it also takes pink salmon in clear water and St. Marys Atlantics feeding on midges in late summer.

#18–24Black with silver ribRedOliveclear waterafternoon
What the pattern looks like
Reference photos of the Zebra Midge tied by others, shared by their photographers. Not our flies; our own product photos replace these as they are shot.

Photo © Quinn for Fly Deal Flies, used with permission · Zebra Midge Black - Bead Nymph

Season
Months this pattern is in play across Michigan, derived from what it imitates.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Imitates

The naturals

Fish it for
Brown troutRainbow trout (resident)Brook troutPink salmonAtlantic salmon

Setups

  • Indicator nymphing
  • Euro / tight-line nymphing
How it's tied
A
A bead-headed thread-and-wire midge pupa for tailwaters and winter trout; the small dropper that gets eaten when nothing else does. Our own write-up of the standard tie, checked against the sources below. Recipe by Phil Monahan, Orvis News (video by Tim Flagler) (2011).

Materials

Hook
2X-short curved emerger or scud hook (Dai-Riki 125, TMC 2488H, Daiichi 1120), sizes 16-24Our box runs 18-24.
Bead
Silver, 1/16 in (about 1.5 mm); 5/64 in (2.0 mm) on a size 18Match bead to wire: silver with silver, gold with gold, copper with copper. Tungsten sinks fastest.
Thread
Black 70 denier (UTC or Danville) or 8/0The thread is also the body. Red or olive thread makes the Red and Olive variants.
Body
Tying thread, wrapped smooth and tapered
Rib
Silver UTC Ultra Wire, small (extra small on 22-24)Gold or copper wire with a matching bead are the standard alternatives.
Thoraxoptional
A wisp of UV Black Ice Dub behind the beadFly Fish Food's addition; the Orvis/Tightline tie has no thorax.
Head cementoptional
Thin head cement on the thread collar

Steps

  1. 1.Slide the bead onto the hook small hole first, seat it against the eye, and start the thread directly behind it.
  2. 2.Lay a 5 in length of wire along the near side of the shank with its tip at the bead and bind it in as you wrap toward the bend; work in stages, going back a third of the shank, forward again, then further back, so the underbody builds a gentle taper instead of a lump.
  3. 3.Once the wire is locked down into the bend, spin the bobbin counter-clockwise to flatten the thread and wrap forward in touching turns for a slim, smooth body that thickens toward the bead.
  4. 4.Stop behind the bead and re-twist the bobbin so the thread is round again for the finishing wraps.
  5. 5.Wind the wire forward in evenly spaced open spirals, five to seven turns depending on hook size, and lock it with two tight thread turns behind the bead.
  6. 6.Break the wire off by waggling it back and forth (helicoptering) rather than cutting, which leaves no stub to catch tippet.
  7. 7.Optionally dub a tiny collar of UV Black Ice Dub behind the bead, then build a small thread collar, whip finish behind the bead and cut the thread.
  8. 8.A drop of head cement on the collar is optional; the wire rib already protects the body.

From the tier

  • Tim Flagler (Tightline, for Orvis) flattens the thread by spinning the bobbin so the body lies smooth, and helicopters the wire instead of snipping it.
  • Cheech at Fly Fish Food says the pattern caught him more fish in his first years than any other; black is the standard but he fishes brown, olive and red too, and adds a pinch of UV black Ice Dub behind the bead.
  • Pat Dorsey (quoted by Orvis) fishes it as a dropper under a larger attractor; on the Muskegon below Croton Dam it is a standard spring and winter midge choice in sizes 16-22 (DIY Fly Fishing).

Tying the Zebra Midge Steps summarize the Orvis Learning Center / Tightline sequence with Fly Fish Food's optional Ice Dub collar; the two written sources give materials and video-derived tips rather than numbered steps. Unconfirmed: The 1996 date and the story of Welling tying the first dozen for Lees Ferry Anglers appeared only in search snippets (RiverKeeper Flies), not in a page I could fetch. Also checked against Cheech, Fly Fish Food (2015), Zebra Midge, Orvis Learning Center, Zebra Midge Pattern & Tying Instructions and DIY Fly Fishing (2022), DIY Guide to Fly Fishing the Muskegon River in Michigan.

Materials to buy
Everything one Zebra Midge takes, each item once: 4 items, plus 2 optional. Quantities are for a single fly. We do not sell components yet; when we do, these will link to them.

Hook and hardware

  • Curved emerger/scud hooks1 pack of 25

    sizes 18-22 · Dai-Riki 125 or TMC 2488H

    Hook

Synthetics, flash and legs

  • Ultra Wire1 spool

    silver, small · UTC

    Rib

  • Ice Duboptionala pinch per fly

    UV black · Hareline

    Thorax

Thread and finish

  • Black thread1 spool

    70 denier or 8/0 · UTC or Danville

    ThreadBody

    Add red and olive spools for the colour variants.

  • Head cementoptional1 bottle

    Head cement

Other

  • Silver beads1 pack

    1/16 in (5/64 in for size 18)

    Bead

    Tungsten if you want it to sink fast; brass or glass is fine for shallow drifts.

Sources