Orvis's Magic Midge....need help

[fly505]

Hi all! Been really interested in tying up this simple yet beautiful pattern on Orvis's website but cannot identify the legs and wing material used?! Anyone have any ideas or have this particular fly from Orvis? I think the legs could be supreme hair but wing cannot tell :/. Any insight would be helpful thanks!

 

[Vulpes]

Hi all! Been really interested in tying up this simple yet beautiful pattern on Orvis's website but cannot identify the legs and wing material used?! Anyone have any ideas or have this particular fly from Orvis? I think the legs could be supreme hair but wing cannot tell :/. Any insight would be helpful thanks!

Search me on the legs but the wing looks like it could be a couple of small strands of a quill maybe in white??

 

[mcnerney]

Good question, its really hard to tell from that photo. Buy a couple from Orvis and once you have the fly in hand it would be pretty easy to replicate. I liked the reviews, sounds like a pretty good pattern for winter and spring midge fishing.

 

[darwin]

The wing looks synthetic, (could be biot tho) I would use any suitable wing material.

 

[fly505]

The wing is the hardest to identify for sure. Userx, it does resemble a white biot of some sort? Defintely has good reviews, looks like a perfect cripple/adult to fool even the warriest of trout on some difficult tailwaters. Your right mcnerney, best bet would to order a few and try and replicate. Thanks for help!

Mark

 

[silver creek]

Good question, its really hard to tell from that photo. Buy a couple from Orvis and once you have the fly in hand it would be pretty easy to replicate. I liked the reviews, sounds like a pretty good pattern for winter and spring midge fishing.

I totally agree with Larry.

In the days before the WWW, you had to find a fly pattern in a magazine or a book. You couldn't get advice on-line. The standard way to learn a "new" fly pattern before it was published was to buy 2 flies.

One fly was kept as a model and the other was autopsied. We cut the tie off thread and worked backward, even going so far as to count the number of turns of thread to tie in a specific material. Many a new or non standard pattern was learned using this method and that can still apply today.

I remember the first time I went to the San Juan in the early 1980s. I had no tailwater flies but I brought my tying kit. I purchased flies on arrival and after fishing them, I autopsied the ones that worked that first day. I then bought the materials and tied them up at night for the next day. Later when I fished Marble Canyon at Lee's Ferry in Arizona, I did the same thing.

 

[pszy22]

There was a period of time, I don't exactly remember when or for how long, that Orvis provided a complete material list for all the finished flies they sold online.

I'm sure the philosophy was to generate fly tying material sales. Of course, it always seemed to me that it would cut into finished fly sales. In any case, they have since thought better of it.

 

[fly505]

Thanks for he replies, I'm just gonna have to purchase a few indeed and see what they are mode from. I've kinda came close with black supreme hair for legs and flouro fiber (white) for a wing superglued into a wide flat wing....I'll pick some up and see what they are . Thanks again!

 

[mcnerney]

I was cleaning up my fly tying area yesterday and found some wing material that Bob Gartner had sent to me for making Trico spinners with, it would be perfect for that wing on your midge, it is a crinkled shinny translucent material that has a slight pearl color to it. I'll send an email to Bob and ask what it is and let you know.

 

[silver creek]

I think what you need for the wing is “Zing Wing.” it is used to tie this pattern:

You can pay fly shop prices:

Betts' Zing Clear | Winging Material | Legs, Wings & Tails | Fly Tying Materials | Bob Marriott's Flyfishing Store

Zing wing is viscose rayon which is formed into synthetic raffia. It used to be used to tie bundles of newspapers together, which is where supposedly John Betts got the idea to use it for fly tying. It is also known in fly tying as “swiss straw.”

Click on these articles:

Simple Semi-Realistic Wings for Fishing Flies - Step by Step Patterns & Tutorials - Fly Tying

Synthetic raffia, flytying article by Agostino Roncallo

Do a google search under terms such as “synthetic raffia”, “viscose raffia”, “synthetic straw”, "swiss straw", etc, and you will find exactly what you need at craft store prices:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/184566603/hi-straw-swiss-straw-synthetic-raffia?ref=unav_listing-other

 

[fly505]

Oh man! That's perfect! Thanks a ton, gonna have to head to my local hobby lobby and check em out . Thanks again!

Mark

 

[moucheur2003]

I bet if you send an email to Orvis customer service they will tell you the tying instructions.

 

[fly505]

You know what....I bet they would too. They are truly customer oriented, have nothing but kind things to say about Orvis. Thanks for the suggestion.

Mark

 

[fly505]

So I contacted Orvis to see if they would provide a materials list and they did! A super friendly customer rep sent me this :

Materials:

# 20, 18 200R Tiemco hook is what I recommend and use
Body Colors Orvis UNI-Thread in Rusty Dun, Grey, and Black.
Legs I use Unique Hair, in Black.
Thorax Hobbs Ever Float Olive Dun- 66, and Black- 33
Wing Grey Goose Biot (This is the only material we carry)

I hope this information helps.

Best Wishes!

Chris M.
Orvis Outfitter Department


Enjoy!

 

[mcnerney]

Fly505: Thanks for the info on that pattern!!!!!

 

[planettrout]

Good luck with that Hobbs dubbing...this may be the only place in the world that still has it (it was readily available in the 90's)...

Hobbs : Sky Fly 2006, Fishing Equipment


PT/TB

 

[fly505]

Ya I did a search on it as well, I think some superfine lightly dubbed will work as a fine substitute . At least I think it looks decent ...haven't fished the few I've tied yet.

 

[mcnerney]

Ya I did a search on it as well, I think some superfine lightly dubbed will work as a fine substitute . At least I think it looks decent ...haven't fished the few I've tied yet.

Please post up a photo, we would love to see how yours came out.

 

[fly505]

I will defintely once I figure out how to :/....I think there's a tutorial somewhere on this forum.

 

[bassguitarplayer]

I REALLY want to try tying that fly.

Thanks for looking up the materials list. I'll be watching this thread to see how you do tying these.