Midge / EmergersMercury Blood Midge
The Mercury Blood Midge utilizes a glass bead to imitate the gas bubble midges use to ascend to the surface during a hatch. Its bright red body replicates the hemoglobin visible in many midge larvae and pupae, which is a major attractant for trout.
Spring, Fall, Winter
Beginner
Trout
Apr 2025
Overview
Adds a clear glass bead to the traditional Blood Midge to enhance visibility and add subtle weight. Use red thread for the body, fine silver or red wire for ribbing, and a sparse peacock herl or dubbing collar. The clear bead imitates an air bubble and gives this fly a slight edge in both flash and sink rate.
Materials
Hook: Firehole Sticks 316, size #18–#22
Bead: Mercury Midge Glass Bead, small
Thread: Red Veevus 16/0
Body: Red thread
Ribbing: Fine copper wire
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Blood-red midge pupae hang suspended just beneath the surface surface tension, trapped by surface tension as they prepare to emerge.
Where Trout Eat It: Trout sip these mid-depth in clear tailraces as water warms and blood-red midge pupae suspend beneath surface film.
How to Fish It: Dead drift with strike indicator, adjusting depth as water temperature changes—deeper in cold, higher as day warms.
Best Water: Focus on foam lines and slicks behind current breaks where suspended midge pupae concentrate before emerging.
Strike Type: Watch for your indicator to hesitate or drift unnaturally; the take is often a subtle pause rather than a visible dip.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Can be fished on a standard tapered leader or as part of a multi-fly setup.
Seasonal Timing: Most effective in the cooler months when midges make up a larger portion of a trout's diet.
Pro Tips: This pattern is designed to sink and imitate midge larvae and pupae. The glass bead adds visibility and helps the fly descend to the right depth.
Entomology
Blood-red midge pupae hang suspended just beneath the surface meniscus, trapped by surface tension as they prepare to emerge. Their bright hemoglobin coloration makes them highly visible in clear water tailraces and spring creeks. Selective trout sip these pupae delicately from the film, requiring precise presentations that match the natural's suspended profile and vibrant color.
- Order
- Diptera
- Family
- Chironomidae
- Common Name
- Midge
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- general