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When you’re fishing in a stillwater environment, having a solid Chironimid imitation in your box is about as crucial as it gets, and having one that’s durable and quick to tie provides the icing on the proverbial lake…er, cake, that’s it…having midges on the mind can cloud the sanest of brains. With his Titan Tube Midge, Landon Mayer has designed the perfect fly whether you’re fishing a reservoir loaded with cuts’ or hitting an alpine lake in northern Maine for beastly brookies. An ultra-realistic pattern, the Titan Tube Midge checks all of the boxes for a lifelike Chironimid imitation. This pattern starts with a slim profile that includes the clear-cased look of a Chironimid and ends with just a touch of flash and a ton of movement from the ostrich thorax, making it an excellent choice to fish in tandem with other patterns or by itself whenever fish are cruising high in the water column. Easy to adapt to any size insect in your water system, the Titan Tube Midge is one that we always have in the box in sizes 12 through 16. 

Material list: 

  • Hook: TMC2302, size 14 (can be tied in sizes 12-18)
  • Thread: 
  • Bead: 3/32” Black Brass Bead
  • Body: Micro Tubing (color: clear) and Ultra-Wire (colors: black and red; size: small)
  • Veevus Pearlescent Mylar (size: large)
  • Thorax: Ostrich Herl (color: white)

Step 1. Begin the fly by inserting your wire into the Micro Tubing. A steady hand dramatically helps, and once your wire is inserted into the tubing, turning the tubing clockwise around the wire while pushing the tubing forward tends to make the insertion a bit easier, rather than pushing the wire into the tubing. Insert your wire about two inches into the tubing, and leave roughly an inch and a half of your wire extending out of the tubing (this will become the rear body of your fly). You will need to do this for both the red and the black wire.

Step 2. Once you have your wire in the Micro Tubing, begin wrapping it onto the hookshank; start wrapping it just above the hook’s barb and be sure to leave your tag of wire that’s not in the Micro Tubing extending to the rear (this will be wrapped rearward later). 

Step 3. Wrap the wire to roughly one bead’s length away from the bead. While wrapping, be sure that you keep the two wires in place so as to not disrupt the alternating colors. 

Step 4. Wrap the exposed wire on the rear of the shank three times towards the bend of the hook. 

Step 5. Begin your thread just behind the bead. Capture the wire encased in Micro Tubing, tie it down, and trim the excess. 

Step 6. Tie in your Veevus Mylar Tinsel on the top of the hook, just in front of the wire.

Step 7. Make one wrap over your wire with the tinsel, then tie the tinsel down and trim the excess.

Step 8. Select one piece of Ostrich Herl and tie it in just in front of the tinsel. 

Step 9. Wrap your Ostrich Herl forward to build a collar. Then tie it off and trim the excess. 

Step 10. Whip finish the fly and cut the thread. You can use head cement or Super Glue to seal your thread. 

Step 11. Cut off the remaining wire on the end of the fly, then add a bit of Super Glue to lock it in. 

The Titan Tube Midge is now ready to hit your local stillwater for those chironomid-hungry trout.