GRAVEYARD MIDGE

"I sprang out of bed at 2 a.m. one morning and tinkered with refining the idea until dawn. Thus the graveyard Midge was born.

The basis for all three patterns is derived from dozens of hours of netting and observing chironomids in a small lake in northwest Wyoming and stream netting across the Rocky Mountains.

The basic design uses the idea of over-exaggerating a single detail to act as a trigger for feeding trout.

The foam back and breathers on the Graveyard Midge act as that trigger, an idea inspired by the writings of the late Gary LaFontaine.

The use of open cell foam as the back and breathers on this pattern catches light, creating a halo effect making the fly more visible in the drift.

From the time I introduced this pattern it has been a top producer in tailwater and freestone rivers from the Guadalupe in central Texas, the South Platte in Colorado, the Bighorn in southeast Montana and beyond.

Fish it free floating in the current, as part of a deep nymphing rig or under an indicator wherever chironomids are present, anywhere and everywhere."

- Signature Tyer John Wood