Midge Fishing for Trout

What the trout are eating

Midge, or chironomids, hatch in enormous numbers on still highland waters. The pupae rise slowly to the surface to emerge, and trout cruise just under the film mopping them up. Because there are so many, the fish get selective and they feed in a steady, unhurried rhythm.

November on the flooded margins

One of the great events on the Snowy lakes is the November flush, when spring water lifts the level and floods the grassy margins of Eucumbene and Jindabyne. Insect life comes alive in that newly drowned grass and the trout push right into the shallows to feed, often in inches of water. Midge is a big part of what they're taking.

Timing and stealth are everything. The fish are close, in skinny water, and they spook easily, so a careful approach and an accurate cast count for more than distance.

Flies and presentation

Keep patterns small and simple, size 14 to 16 midge pupa in black, red or olive covers most situations. Fish them static or with the slowest possible figure-eight retrieve under a small indicator, or greased in the film for surface-feeding fish. Watch for boils and gentle rises and put the fly where the fish is heading, not where it just rose.

The take is often subtle: a quiet sip, the indicator dipping, or the leader just sliding away. Lift into it gently rather than striking hard.

Learning to read the rise

Telling a midging fish from a mudeye feeder, or working out which way a cruiser is travelling, is a skill that comes with time on the water. It's one of the things I most enjoy teaching on a guided day up in the highlands, spotting the fish, reading the rise, and getting the fly in front of it at the right moment.