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Cutter inverted midge swap

Swap 
6K views 42 replies 8 participants last post by  Mike Wilson 
#1 ·

Ralph Cutter's challenge to come up with "the fly" representing an inverted emerging midge trapped beneath the surface film (see http://washingtonflyfishing.com/board/showthread.php?t=47654) got me thinking about hosting a swap.

Are any of you designers interested in a swap to compare, contrast and field test our patterns? The ultimate goal would be to mix and match the characteristics (tying ease, visibility, hooking ability, fragility, etc) of each to help create the ideal fly. Feedback could be continually updated on this thread as our patterns evolve in regard to materials, tying, presentation, etc.
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Flies mailed 6/28/08

riseform (Nick)...........................Cutter inverted emerger
obiwankanobi (Bob)....................dropped
Mike........................................Woven body bean bag emerger
Ron.........................................Cutter Chromie, Cutter Phrowley
spritualized50 (Eric)....................Inverted emerger

We'll be tying a total of 20 flies (including your own 4). Two flies of each size, size 14 and size 16. Due date June 21, 2008. Thanks to all who participated.
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#29 ·
Riseform,
Just keep the extras from me as I forgot to send you a little extra for hosting this swap. You have gone the extra mile beating the bushes to get this swap up and running. Thanks.:thumb:
 
#31 ·
Received Eric's flies today. Another great job!

I'll try to get the flies in the morning mail. Photos will be taken and posted over the weekend.

If it's ok with those who tied extra, I'll just divide them among the group. I'd feel selfish keeping them.
 
#38 ·
I've got some results to report on this swap. I contacted Riseform a while back asking about results and he sent me his swap flies. I found myself at Nunnally this past Sunday with some fish rising around 1-3pm. There were a fair number of small bugs on the water but I guessed the more sizable swirls and porpoising was the result of the larger (sz 14) black midges that were sporadically visible on the surface. I tied on one of Mike Wilson's black woven bodied flies (see thumbnail below) in the larger size. It's got a little white foam parachute, and I liked how the fat bodied fly matched the fat bodied naturals.

I dusted the hackle and post with some Frog's Fanny and chucked it out there...and it worked! The first fish I hooked was a bruiser rainbow. It gave one low jump, then bulldogged into the weeds and threw the hook. 2nd fish was a bit smaller, but put on a show. It jumped three times, completely vertically, about 3-4 feet in the air, each jump successively closer to my tube than the preceding, while I stripped like mad, and it too threw the hook. When 2 more fish threw the hook before I got 'em to the net I started wondering about Mike's fly! But they were taking it so I left it on. Of the next 7 fish that took the fly I landed 6, up to 18", all rainbows.

I only caught one other bow and a sunny on a 'mid, so I credit Mike's fly for a good day of fishing. Not sure how I would have done without it.

I'd love to hear if anyone else has used any of the flies from this swap. Thanks again to Riseform for sending those flies along.

 
#40 ·
Congrats to both Matt and Mike and thanks for reporting back! That was truly a well designed fly.

Almost embarrassed to say I did not fish any of the flies, simply because I don't fish much stillwater, which is why I was happy to forward them to Matt after two years. Emerging midge fishing for me is usually rivers or spring creeks with much smaller sizes than we used in the swap. I do have my own in smaller sizes and if I ever target emerging midges I promise to report back regardless of results. I'm thinking I should tie some of Mike's design in smaller sizes!
 
#41 ·
Yeah, I need someone to show me how to do those woven bodies.

I think I understand the bean bag parachute. Mike correct me if I'm wrong. You just take a foam pellet from inside a bean bag chair, wrap it in the nylon (pantyhose), and then tie down the nylon. Seems really easy, if you've got a bean bag chair handy, which I don't. Of course I have a whole drawer full of mantyhose. :rofl:

Do you think the bean bag parachute is any easier to tie or more effective than a plain ol' strip of sheet foam?
 
#43 ·
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