Kaleidoscope Midge Pattern & Tying Instructions
Fly Tying Recipe:
Kaleidoscope Midge
Show / Hide Kaleidoscope Midge Transcript Video Transcript:
This tasty little bit of trout food is John Collin’s Kaleidoscope Midge, also known as the “K” midge. John’s a well known New Jersey fly tier, a fixture at regional tying shows and a fellow member of the Regal Vise Pro Staff. The K Midge is so simple to tie, we’re going to show it to you in three different variations.
For the original K midge, John uses a size 20 Dai-Riki #135 scud hook. After mashing the barb and getting the hook firmly secured in his tying vise, he loads a bobbin with a spool of Veevus iridescent thread in the color iris.
Start the thread about 1/3 of the way down the hook shank and take wraps rearward well down into the bend. You want to leave the tag long so don’t snip it off just yet. Work the thread back up the hook shank to create a lightly tapered abdomen then start to build up the thorax area. Don’t take too many wraps as much of the build-up will come when you end with a 3 or 4 turn whip finish. Once the thread is secure, snip it off close.
Use a thin UV cure resin, such as Loon Outdoors Flow, to both strengthen the body and enhance the overall look of the fly. Once you have a nice even coat, lift the tag end up a bit and give the fly a shot of UV light. When the resin’s cured, use one blade of your scissors to cut the tag off and leave a short, little splayed tail. And that’s it, an original Kaleidoscope midge, ready to fish.
The bead head version of the K midge is tied on a slightly larger size 18 Dai-Riki #135 with a 5/64” rainbow bead. After getting the hook and bead assembly secured in the jaws of your tying vise, use the same thread as before and start taking wraps behind the bead and down the hook shank into the bend. Then, you can complete the fly as you did the original.
The third version is called the “Suspender” Kaleidoscope midge. It incorporates a small strip of white craft foam to help suspend the fly higher in the water column and is tied on a Dai-Riki #135 in a size 20. Complete the abdomen of the fly as with the others then tie in the foam before building up the thorax. Finish the fly the same as the previous versions.
The K midge and it’s siblings are guide flies of the highest order - cheap, quick and easy to tie, but most importantly, super effective.
For the original K midge, John uses a size 20 Dai-Riki #135 scud hook. After mashing the barb and getting the hook firmly secured in his tying vise, he loads a bobbin with a spool of Veevus iridescent thread in the color iris.
Start the thread about 1/3 of the way down the hook shank and take wraps rearward well down into the bend. You want to leave the tag long so don’t snip it off just yet. Work the thread back up the hook shank to create a lightly tapered abdomen then start to build up the thorax area. Don’t take too many wraps as much of the build-up will come when you end with a 3 or 4 turn whip finish. Once the thread is secure, snip it off close.
Use a thin UV cure resin, such as Loon Outdoors Flow, to both strengthen the body and enhance the overall look of the fly. Once you have a nice even coat, lift the tag end up a bit and give the fly a shot of UV light. When the resin’s cured, use one blade of your scissors to cut the tag off and leave a short, little splayed tail. And that’s it, an original Kaleidoscope midge, ready to fish.
The bead head version of the K midge is tied on a slightly larger size 18 Dai-Riki #135 with a 5/64” rainbow bead. After getting the hook and bead assembly secured in the jaws of your tying vise, use the same thread as before and start taking wraps behind the bead and down the hook shank into the bend. Then, you can complete the fly as you did the original.
The third version is called the “Suspender” Kaleidoscope midge. It incorporates a small strip of white craft foam to help suspend the fly higher in the water column and is tied on a Dai-Riki #135 in a size 20. Complete the abdomen of the fly as with the others then tie in the foam before building up the thorax. Finish the fly the same as the previous versions.
The K midge and it’s siblings are guide flies of the highest order - cheap, quick and easy to tie, but most importantly, super effective.
More Fly Tying Videos
