by Jon Duke, October 01, 2004

Because Chironomids are one of the most abundant lake insects, trout feed
constantly on these bugs. The pupa, the most important form, ascends to the
lake surface to emerge, then sits right under the surface film until it
turns into the adult. There are two main places to fish; at mid-depths and
right at the surface. To fish at mid-depths, attach a strike indicator with
a Chironomid pupa (flies like Brassies, Chan's Chironomid, etc.) below at
the proper depth. Then, cast out and let the fly sink below the indicator.
The retrieve varies from no movement to small, one-inch strips and twitches.
Although not the most exciting method, it is extremely productive. The other
area to fish midge pupae is right under the surface. This is a method to use
when fish are consistently rising, but the rises are very soft,
head-and-tail rises. How I handle this situation is by tying on the correct
size and color of Chironomid, then greasing the leader all of the way up to
the top of the fly, but not the fly itself. This makes the fly hang
vertically under the surface. Then, for visibility, I add a tiny ball of
soft strike putty about six inches above the fly. A small dry fly will
suffice. I watch this miniscule indicator, and when a fish rises close to
it, or the indicator jerks, I set up. 99% of the time when this happens a
fish took my Chironomid. For these techniques a standard lake fly rig works;
about a nine-foot five-weight and a floating line is perfect. Knowing how to
fish midge pupae is crucial for the serious lake fly-fisher.