North Park Skeeter/Midge

North Park Skeeter/Midge 
(Montana Midge by us "Old-Timers")
By: Larry O Jurgens
Hook: TMC 100 or TMC 101
Size: 12 ~ 18
Thread: Iron Gray UNI-Thread
Abdomen: Natural Canada Goose Biot or Vane
Wing: White or Light Dun Float-Vis
Thorax: Adams Gray Super Fine Dubbing
Hackle: Natural Grizzly
Head: Tying Thread

Notes:

When fishing in North Park especially the Delaney Buttes and Lake John areas there are two very pesky critters that are constantly gathering in gigantic clouds around you. These two critters are the Mosquito that feasts on you and the “Montana Midge” (this is what we called them in bygone days) that you feasted on as they were constantly being breathed in as you are trying to wave them away. As all North Park fishermen well know both species of critters are impervious to any and all repellents.

In my younger days the most effective repellent was smoking a very bad smelling cigar. One of the most effective was the rum soaked “Mississippi Crooks” which, if I remember correctly a box of five sold for 25 cents and were about three to four inches long and about one half inch in diameter. And they were NASTY little things. The price was the same as a full pack of Camels, Lucky Strike etc. cigarettes in those bygone times.

Smoking a pipe with strong tobacco like “Prince Albert and Sir Walter Raleigh” was also an effective repellent.

A “Prince Albert” tobacco can was used by my “Dad” for his fly box. 

See my blog for this story at URL; http://lojsflytyingbugstuff.blogspot.com/2010/07/old-fly-box.html

Tying Instructions

1.    Start the thread behind the hook eye.

2.    Wrap a smooth threadbase to above the hook barb.

3.    Tie in the biot and wrap a smooth threadbase forward to the 1/3 hook shank point.

4.    Wrap the biot to the 1/3 hook shank point.

5.    A “standing or no standing” rib is tyers choice.

6.    Tie in and cut off excess.

7.    Tie in the wing at the 1/3 hook shank point.

8.    Tie in the hackle at the wing tie in point.

9.    Dub the thorax to one eye length behind hook eye.

10. Wrap the hackle forward to one hook eye length behind the hook eye.

11. Tie in the hackle and cut off excess.

Note: Trim a “V” notch in the hackle on the bottom of the fly to allow the fly to ride low on the water’s surface.

Trim the hackle flat on the bottom if you want the fly to ride flush on the surface.