The Mercury Midge is proof—less is more! The Mercury Midge is a tiers dream, it is quick to tie, durable, and fools finicky, hard fished trout, on both freestones and tailwaters. Much of this patterns success stems from the clear, silver-lined glass bead that mimics a gas bubble that gets trapped in the midge’s thorax as it prepares to emerge. The Mercury Midge got its name because the head-area of the fly contains a silver-lined glass bead that looks like a tiny tube filled with mercury—thus the pattern was called, the Mercury Midge. The Mercury Midge is a great attractor in a tandem nymphing rig as a “dash of flash” draws attention to the dropper flies. Don’t let the simplicity of this pattern fool you—it’s truly one of my top guide flies!