In today's Times

Ken Fortenberry wrote:
Training wheels.

What puzzled me was his inability to fish midge emergers in the surface
film. Don't tell me you can't mimic that, I do it all the time. This
presents another opportunity for me to brag on Willi's midge emergers.
I've only got a handful left (hint, hint ;-), and they're the best damn
midge emergers I've ever used or ever seen being used.


What do Willi's midge emergers look like?

TL
TL

Tim Lysyk writes:

What do Willi's midge emergers look like?

Yes. Pics? Recipe?

Dave LaCourse wrote:
Tim Lysyk writes:


What do Willi's midge emergers look like?


Yes. Pics? Recipe?

I'm not sure what his "midge" emergers look like, but here's his BWO
emerger:

http://gula.org/roffswaps/recipe.php?page=FS2002&id=39

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

rw wrote:
Dave LaCourse wrote:
Tim Lysyk writes:

What do Willi's midge emergers look like?

Yes. Pics? Recipe?

I'm not sure what his "midge" emergers look like, but here's his BWO
emerger:

http://gula.org/roffswaps/recipe.php?page=FS2002&id=39

I don't have a digital camera capable of making a decent jpeg of a
size 22 midge emerger. Well, more likely the camera is capable, but
I'm not. ;-)

Willi should be along shortly, but the midge emerger is similar
to the BWO emerger posted by rw, except it's smaller and in midge
colors, of course. I think maybe the wing is CDC instead of snowshoe
hare, but Willi will have to clear that up.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Ken Fortenberry wrote:
Willi should be along shortly, but the midge emerger is similar
to the BWO emerger posted by rw, except it's smaller and in midge
colors, of course. I think maybe the wing is CDC instead of snowshoe
hare, but Willi will have to clear that up.

Well, I've used midge emergers to imitiate BWOs, so why not use BWO
emergers to imitate midges. Thanks for the link.

TL
TL

His midge emergers have a little quill body and a cdc or snowshoe emerger
wing. It looks like the one pictured except he points the wing backwards
instead of up and trims it short. Hopefully that's correct.

He showed me how to tie a snowshoe dun and because I'm always tying midges,
I orient my wing a little different on the bigger ones. Man is that a great
fly. It's really a great mayfly dun or emerger and it works in all types of
water.

bruce h

I like Lasher's Raccoon ( or variations) for midges. I also use ones very
similar to the BWO in the picture but I find it difficult to get and
maintain the right "half in, half out" float in smaller sizes.

One of my gifts was "Midge Magic" by Don Holbrook and Ed Koch and I've
already read it cover to cover. This has greatly increased my interest in
Penns, as the Cumberland Valley seems to be the only area the authors fish.
The book speaks of dozens and dozens of extremely slight color variations on
a basic "thread midge pupa" and continues on to talk with apparent
seriousness about size 32 hooks and 12X tippet !!!

Now I don't think any of that is of much interest, relative to my fishing,
but I DO find it a fascinating example of how human over population can
lead, indirectly, to madness G .... the streams are hammered constantly,
the fish get ultra wary, the fishermen go bonkers :-)

Larry notes of"Midge Magic"
The book speaks of dozens and dozens of extremely slight color variations on
a basic "thread midge pupa" and continues on to talk with apparent
seriousness about size 32 hooks and 12X tippet !!!


.....and is, as noted, a prime example of seeming rational types going
completely mad. Few books in the last decade ticked me off more than that one(I
own it as well, so don't be shocked if you get it as a raffle prize,
Penns-goers). Never have I seen an example of horse**** excess for no real
fishing gain in my life. No one can tell me the effectiveness of angling is
much improved by carrying or tying 80 different size 22-32 thread midge color
variations.
Basically, under it all, is a shill for certain brands of threads, flosses and
such which I will not name, and an excuse to buy lots of different shades. As
for the tippet advice, I will defer to George Harvey, who once stated that no
one needs to use anything finer than 6x, anytime, if their presentation and
leader design are correct. Most of the time, he claimed 5x would suffice, as
well as lead to quick playing and landing of trout, which is in the health
interest of the trout itself.
come to Penns,Larry,
and you will forget
about midges, at least
in late May.
Tom

I'll be happy to donate my copy to the raffle, too G

MY take was not so much a push of various threads, rather a supreme example
of how desperate the fly fishing business is for "new **** to sell" ... in
this case new books

I am a fisherman of VERY modest ability, but I now believe I could publish a
book on fly fishing, if I come up with a new enough slant, certainly
magazine articles

As for flies and tippets .... I have actually caught trout up to about 14"
on 28 hooks and 8X ... one day, several years ago .... but it was very much
a "been there, done that" trophy hunt and I could have caught them on 18s
and 5X I'd bet.

I used to fish a Sage Light Line 2wt and 7x a LOT until one day on Silver
Creek, above that old broken down bridge near at the head end of the
conservancy, I hooked a truly large rainbow. He went down stream but the
water/ silt was too deep for me to follow. I held him ok and things seemed
to be going well until he started to really tire and then I realized that
the rod/ tippet weren't really strong enough to pull him upstream, even just
his weight not fighting me much. I would have just broken him off but it
was clear he was very tired, and I, like most of us, I'd bet, have seen very
tired fish just sink unable to right themselves without long, loving,
revival.

I finally compromised, tossed/ let drift some slack below him to urge him to
"fight" by heading toward me and went in over my waders into silt sticky/
deep enough to be scary at the same time. Soon a lunge with the net got
lucky and the last time I saw him, after a long revival, he seemed fine,
upright, wagging the water vigorously, ****ed I bet, but alive.

Since then, a 4 wt and 6x are the absolute lightest I use anywhere with
"real" fish, and limited ability to follow hooked fish, although I still
love the Light Line and use it when fish will be smaller and following them
if needed a real possiblility. Um, all that said, I picked up a TFO 4
piece 3wt not long ago and really liked it ... been trying to think of an
excuse to buy it ... don't have to be from Pennsylvania to be bonkers, I
guess

"Larry L" wrote

.. don't have to be from Pennsylvania to be bonkers, I
guess


maybe not, but it sure as hell helps.

yfitons
wayno