Midge Fishing Tips

[sevenout]

Heading up to the Sierra's in a couple of weeks and am anxious to break out the flyrod and Midge fish for the first time at Crowley this year. Any tips or techniques would be much appreciated. You can just PM me if you wish-thanks.

[Sierra_Smitty]

10ft of water.....bobber( I mean strike indicator) - fly = fish. Midging is the simplest way to catch fish with a fly rod. You should knock 'em dead...your timing is excellent.

[sevenout]

Thanks Smitty

[Sierra_Smitty]

Make sure to ask the lake staff where to go....of the lakes in the area, the folks running the office there really do have a pretty good handle on where the fish are. Kind of an odd spring we've had but I'm guessing Mcgee Bay will be going off....but like I said, the folks at the fish camp have their finger on the pulse so to speak and the bite change fast so ask the folks in the shop (not the guys on the dock).

[sevenout]

Thank you sir

[seal]

Test the depth of the water, stick your rod down into the water till it hit's bottom. You want to place your indicator at a depth that will allow your bottom fly to rest just above the bottom. Two fly train is a good way to go also, you will get a feel for where they are based on which fly gets the most takes. Tiger midges a good bet usually.

[Koshaw]

Can you do this using a spinning rig and a water bubble?

[dockboy]

Are you staying in Mammoth? If so, go into one of the fly shops and let them show you how to rig up. Right now, the hatches are very slow and the fish aren't on a midging tear as of yet. In a few weeks, it should be good. Right now, a lot of guide are running midges real deep, some case down to 25 feet. To midge like that, you need a special indicator and a longer leader than most people can cast efficiently.
This time of year, think bigger than smaller. 14-18 would be my starting point. Typically a larva pattern on the bottom, and a pupa pattern on top. When the hatch gets moving, go with emergers on top and a pupa on the bottom.
You dont need a special outfit for midging. A 9' 4-6wt with a good floating line and quality tapered leaders get it done well. But, I highly recommend going to the local shops, all of them can put you on fish. I prefer Ricks, Performance Anglers, and especially the The Trout Fly, but most of the shops can get you up and midging. Good luck and have fun!

[EMarty]

The fly shop suggestion is spot on. Also you can ask what flies are working right now, versus buying fly down here and hoping you got the "hot" one when you arrive. I know the flies cost more there, but if you only have to buy the one that work you will actually save money and catch more fish. If you can afford the big price tag, a guided trip on Crowley can return years of benefits. A few year back with went with a guide "Mickey", he was a great instructor and very forth coming with answers to all our questions. I'm sure any guide would be wonderful with teaching you the techniques required. From my limited experiance, the key is to keep your fly very near the bottom, maybe 6 to 12 inches. If you are float tubing you'll need to keep measuring the bottom and re-adjusting the indicator. From a boat on anchor, maybe not as often...

I never tried a midge on a spinning rod, but if I were to try I think a set up with a small weight on the bottom and the midge about six inches above may work. Kind of like a "drop shot" rig you might use for bass. Again the key would be keeping the midge about six to twelve inches above the mud.

Very best of luck.