The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

Nymph, Emerger

Dorsey’s Top Secret Midge

Insect Species Icon Midges, Blue Wing Olive
Difficulty Icon Easy - 1-3 Min
Water Category Icon Coldwater, Warmwater

Tying Video

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Tying Recipe
  • Hook: Curved shank, straight eye, nymph hook
  • Thread: Brown UNI 8/0
  • Rib: White UNI 6/0
  • Wing: Glamour Madera or Pearl Diamond Braid
  • Head: Brown or Rusty Brown Superfine Dubbing
  • Rib: White floss is a great way to add some transparency to your fly.  Krystal flash and copper wire are other good options to cater to any tailwater your pursuit is on.
  • Wing: Tyers floss and calf hair are a few options to change up the wing to any situation you may find yourself in.
  • Head: Use ice dubbing to add a little spice to this pattern. Grab your dubbing with your fingers (once it’s spun on the thread) and wrap with the dubbing itself (instead of the bobbin) to add a little segmentation to the top of the head.
  • Bead: Add a glass tyer bead to better imitate the bubble insects ride to the surface is a great way to stick out from the crowd.
  • Rib: Adjusting the proportions of your ribbing is a good way to change up the number of segments in your bugs. Additionally, braiding two colors of copper wire together is a fantastic way to add flare that almost no other angler has on the water.
  • Wing: Loop the end of your wing back up and tie in to create a loop-winged version of this fly that better imitates that famed bubble your midge is riding to the surface. Don’t hesitate to use mono and add a clear tier bead as the wing for another great pattern.
  • Head: Try varying this pattern up with peacock herl or ostrich herl to add to the overall profile of this fly.

Crafted by tailwaters, for tailwaters, this pattern created by Colorado guide and author Pat Dorsey, is sure to light up your favorite tailwater. Dorsey makes his name largely in the tailwaters of Cheeseman Canyon, the Dream Stream and Deckers; needless to say the pressure on these systems is extreme and the angler must come prepared for a battle. Dorsey crafted this fly with extreme precision and found monster success using it in the most pressured waters of Colorado. You need this fly in your box because it’s so good that fish will munch it regardless of how clear the water is, how much pressure the stream sees and how willing that fish is to take it. Cheeseman Canyon is known for its exceptionally spooky fish and this fly really does work in streams like it. Add a piece of Colorado tailwater to your box with this fly.

Don’t hesitate to get creative when fishing this fly in streams. Sometimes it’s best to fish this fly on small tippets behind a small dry and at other times, a dry fly may spook fish off of the Top Secret Midge in extremely technical streams. Dorsey’s Top Secret Midge can be fished as an emerger off of a dry or as a nymph behind an attractor. In extremely technical streams, greasing this fly up and fishing it as if it were a dry can be a productive way to take really, really spooky fish. Ultimately this fly was specifically designed for clear water and midge infested cold-water tailwaters and should be used especially in situations that match this. However, this midge also shows good success fished in the summer so you really can’t go wrong with tying this one on.

Blue Wing Olive

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: Northwest
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: East
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: Southeast
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: Midwest
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24

Midges

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest, East, Southeast, Midwest
Midges
Sizes: #14 - #26

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