HiVis CDC Midge

A high visible small dry

By Darryl Lampert

	The finished fly  Darryl Lampert

The fish are rising all around you to midges. You open your flybox and search for your tiniest midge pattern. You finally manage to tie one onto the 7x tippet and cast it out. With so many rises, it’s very difficult to see when the fish has taken your fly, especially if like me your eye sight is not that great to begin with.

This is the problem I have faced for the last couple of years on the Cape streams, especially with Net-winged midge hatches on the Elandspad. While small midge imitations like the Griffiths Gnat are very effective, when tied on size 18 and smaller they are not the easiest flies to see.

A year or so ago, I started tying a midge pattern using a dubbing loop and a couple of CDC feathers. The pattern was very effective but when tied in black (which I have found to be the best colour) it was very difficult to see.

One evening after tying up a couple of Parachute Adams, it suddenly hit me that if I added a parachute post to the pattern it would make it far more visible. I tied up a couple using a bright orange post and tried them out on my next outing. They could now be seen at a distance and took fish just as well as the non-parachute version. When tied in sizes 14 – 16, the pattern works well as a crippled mayfly imitation. You can also try skating the pattern to imitate emerging caddis.


Materials

Hook	Grip 11011BL Size 18 or Grip 14723BL Size 20 or equivalent
Thread	Gordon Griffiths Sheer Thread 14/0 – black or colour to match CDC
Post	Antron or Poly Yarn – fl orange or colour of choice
Body	CDC Feather – black or colour of choice

Tying instructions

1. Start at the hook eye and run the thread about a third of the way down the shank.
2. Tie in your post at this point – no need to wrap up the post as you would for a normal parachute fly, although I find that a slight wrap up the post makes it easier to palmer the CDC without catching the post fibres.
3. Run the thread down to the end of the shank.
4. Take a CDC feather and stroke the fibres so that they are at a 90 degree angle to the stalk. Do the same with a second feather and then place them one on top of the other.
5. Clamp the one side of the two feathers using a bulldog clip, leaving about 5mm between the feather stalk and the edge of the clip.
6. Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut the barbs off the feather as close to the stalk as possible.
7. Spin the bobbin in an anti-clockwise direction until the thread starts to flatten. You can also pinch the thread between your thumb nail and index finger and run your nail over the thread a couple of times to help flatten it.
8. Split the thread in half using a dubbing needle (I use a large embroidery needle) and hold the dubbing loop open using your finger.
9. Place the end of the feather barbs into the dubbing loop and then pull down gently on the bobbin to lock the feathers in place.
10. Gently spin your bobbin in a clockwise direction until the CDC fibres are well trapped and splayed in all directions.
11. Now palmer the CDC forward and around the parachute post to the eye of the fly and tie off.
12. The finished fly should look very rough and buggy.
13. For faster/rougher water, use more CDC to create a bulkier fly, which will float better.