Mercury Midge
I have been tying flies since the 1980’s. Generally, I avoid tying small files (size 18 or smaller) because initially I thought they would be hard to tie, now because I can’t see well enough to tie them onto my tippet. After talking with Cecil Woodman at the Branson Fly Fest, I became encouraged to try tying a few small flies (size 18 to 22).
My motto has always been “If you can read about it, you can do it.” Caveat, “With a little practice.” I found two books in my library that were very helpful, Tying Small Flies by Ed Engle (2004) and Micropatterns by Darrel Martin (1994. Both are excellent. However in my opinion, Engle’s book has better tying instructions.
Engle in his introduction states: “If you tie small flies you know that once you get used to the tying proportions and just being able to see the tiny small hooks, actually tying the fly is not difficult. You just can’t tie that much stuff to a small hook. Techniques for tying the few materials that you can attach to the hook tend to be pretty basic.”
In tying small flies, the selection of materials is very important. Prior to 1980 most tiers used natural materials which were often bulky. Now days synthetic materials, more delicate and easy to obtain, are available to the small fly tier. Tying thread for small files range from 8-0 to 14-0. Hooks are much stronger and available in sizes as small as 32s.
Technique is also very important. When wrapping thread on the hook, a clockwise twist is imparted to the thread. Counter clockwise spinning of the bobbin holder removes this twist allowing the thread to lie flat against the hook. Flat thread holds materials better. This allows the use of fewer turns of thread to reduce bulk.
Both Engle and Martin go into great detail on selection of materials, including hooks, and techniques for tying small flies. I highly recommend both to the serious small fly tier.
Here are a few of my first attempts.
Midge Cluster
Snowshoe Hare
Midge Cluster
Parachute Style
Midge
Vinyl Tubbing
Midge
Goose Biot Mylar Rib
Soft Hackle
BTW: You may have noticed the fine rib on the mercury midge and soft hackle. The rib is flat mylar embroidery thread by Sulky. I found my spool at Hobby Lobby. My local store doesn’t carry it any more. You can find it at Sulky.com. A spool holds 250 yards of mylar and will last a long time. It comes in holographic as well as gold and silver. In these flies, I used the holographic (product number 145-6001)
Size 18 PTN
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