Suspended Midge Emerger · Dry fly
A speck of white on November glass
A size 28 suspended midge emerger in black, green, white and cream, tied to hang a pupa in the surface film for trout on the Owyhee River.
A tiny midge emerger with a slim black body hung beneath a white plume and a small cream ball. Bright green wire bands the black thread body, and a sparse black CDC collar sits behind the thorax.
- Pattern
- Suspended Midge Emerger
- Imitates
- Winter midge emergence, typically a near-daily mid-morning hatch through November
- Hook
- size 28
- Tippet
- 8Xrule of three
- Size 28 curved emerger hook
- Green wire rib on black thread body
- White CDC plume holds it in the film
- Cream foam ball thorax
- Made for the Owyhee River in November
On the water
Black thread curls around a dark emerger bend, striped with thin green wire. Up front, a white CDC plume flares back over a pale cream ball, with a wisp of black CDC beneath it. Small enough to lose on your fingertip.
Fish it in the mid-morning midge hatch, when heads start sipping on slow water. Cast it gentle, let it drift dead, and watch the white tuft. The body hangs below the film like a pupa stuck halfway out. A Boise outfit, the NW School of Fly Fishing, rates this local variant among the best winter dries on the Owyhee, and their dry-fly regulars go down to 28.
The CDC plume does the floating, so keep it clean. Tie it in with two soft wraps, trim it short, and never touch it with floatant. A dry CDC tuft keeps the hook point down and the body in the film.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 8Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 7X tippet with a long, soft leader so the fly lands quietly.
- Dead drift only; any drag pulls the body out of the film.
- Trail it behind a larger dry if the white plume gets hard to see.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Winter midge emergence, typically a near-daily mid-morning hatch through November
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Slow flats and smooth glides
- Also fishes
- Any slow, clear water with a winter or early-spring midge hatch, and spring creeks where trout sip in the film.
Make it yourself
Advanced6 materials · 10 steps
- Pattern
- Suspended Midge Emerger
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Curved emerger hook, black finishsize 28
- Thread
- Black 14/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- RibFine green wire
- BodyBlack thread
- HackleBlack CDC
- WingWhite CDC plume
- ThoraxCream foam ball
- HeadBlack thread
Details
- Imitates
- Midge emerger
- Colors
- Black, Green, White, Cream
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the curved emerger hook in the vise with the bend fully exposed.
- Start the black 14/0 thread behind the eye and wrap a thin base down into the bend.
- Tie in the fine green wire at the rear of the shank.
- Wrap the thread forward in smooth, even turns to build a slim tapered body over two thirds of the shank.
- Spiral the green wire forward in four to five open turns, tie off and trim.
- Tie in a small black CDC feather and wind it in two turns as a sparse collar.
- Tie in a short bunch of white CDC on top, tips pointing back over the body, then trim the butts.
- Tie in a small cream foam ball just behind the eye in front of the plume.
- Build a tiny black thread head and whip finish.
- Trim the CDC plume to about one shank length.
Proportions (4)
- Body covers the rear two thirds of the shank and stays slimmer than the hook gap.
- White CDC plume runs about one shank length, angled back over the body.
- Cream foam ball is no wider than the hook gap.
- Black CDC collar fibres reach just past the hook point.
Tips (4)
- Use a single strand of thread flat for the body so it stays thin at this size.
- Keep rib turns evenly spaced; four clean bands read better than six crowded ones.
- Pick the fluffiest CDC fibres from the feather base for the plume.
- Good light and a magnifier make size 28 far less painful.
Common mistakes (4)
- Overbuilding the body; count your wraps and stop once the taper shows.
- Crowding the eye with foam and CDC; leave room for the head before you start the thorax.
- Cutting the plume too short; leave enough CDC to float the hook.
- Wrapping the wire too tight on thin thread; light tension avoids cutting the body.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 28 · Materials only · 12 flies
$57.30
$4.78 a fly
Includes Curved emerger hook · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Curved emerger hook, black finish$6.50
Thread & wire
- Black 14/0 thread$5.90
- Fine green wire$3.25
Materials
- Black CDC$13.90
- White CDC plume$13.90
- Cream foam ball$7.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 28 · Materials only · 48 flies
$125.78
$2.62 a fly
Bought separately $132.40 · you save $6.62
Includes Curved emerger hook · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Curved emerger hook, black finish$13
Thread & wire
- Black 14/0 thread$17.70
- Fine green wire$6.50
Materials
- Black CDC$34.75
- White CDC plume$34.75
- Cream foam ball$19.75
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 28 · Materials only · 144 flies
$329.82
$2.29 a fly
Bought separately $374.80 · you save $44.98
Includes Curved emerger hook · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Curved emerger hook, black finish$35
Thread & wire
- Black 14/0 thread$53.10
- Fine green wire$13
Materials
- Black CDC$104.25
- White CDC plume$104.25
- Cream foam ball$59.25
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 28 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$207.30
$17.28 a fly
Includes Curved emerger hook · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Curved emerger hook, black finish$6.50
Thread & wire
- Black 14/0 thread$5.90
- Fine green wire$3.25
Materials
- Black CDC$13.90
- White CDC plume$13.90
- Cream foam ball$7.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 28 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$268.28
$5.59 a fly
Bought separately $282.40 · you save $14.12
Includes Curved emerger hook · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Curved emerger hook, black finish$13
Thread & wire
- Black 14/0 thread$17.70
- Fine green wire$6.50
Materials
- Black CDC$34.75
- White CDC plume$34.75
- Cream foam ball$19.75
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 28 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$461.82
$3.21 a fly
Bought separately $524.80 · you save $62.98
Includes Curved emerger hook · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Curved emerger hook, black finish$35
Thread & wire
- Black 14/0 thread$53.10
- Fine green wire$13
Materials
- Black CDC$104.25
- White CDC plume$104.25
- Cream foam ball$59.25
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
How it was made
1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked
1 Saved
Remixes
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
“a fly tied for Owyhee River, Oregon”
fly pattern · made
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- midge
- emerger
- suspended midge
- cdc
- size 28
- winter dry fly
- black midge
- green rib
- trout
- owyhee