Mercury Midge

The Mercury Midge is an effective pattern, and it is really quick to tie. This will be a great fly for beginners as it really only involves three materials besides the hook itself - a glass bead, white thread, and copper wire. Begin by securing your thread to the hook behind the glass bead on a scud hook. After securing your thread, go about half-way down the hook shank and tie in a piece of copper wire - brassie size - just behind the bead. Then continue taking thread wraps deep into the hook bend. From here, work your white thread up and down the hook to ensure you are covering any of the darkness of the hook shank showing through. We really want this to be white. However, don't get too thick of a body doing this. It should only take a couple of passes up and down to cover the hook well. Then work with your thread to create a slight taper moving up to behind the bead. Once you are satisfied with the taper, spin your bobbin counter-clockwise to flatten the thread. Take wraps back down the hook to where your body begins. The flattened thread will smooth out your taper. Just leave your thread dangling deep in the hook bend. Now take open wraps of the copper wire over the white, thread body until it is right behind the bead. You can let go of the wire here - it won't come unwound. At the back of the hook, grab your white thread again and begin taking wraps up to behind the bead. Each wrap needs to fall between the copper wire wraps to ensure they are not covered at all by your thread. Once behind the bead, secure the copper wire and break it off. Take a number of thread wraps behind the bead to create a small head. Finally, simply whip finish and remove your thread. The fly is done. Here I'm tying on a size 20 hook which is kind of small. If you are a beginner, you may want to start with a size 16 or 18, just to practice. I'll typically tie this in either a size 20 or 22. These are small bugs. I can tie them smaller, but it is Hell trying to get smaller sizes on my tippet when I'm in the river. My eyesight isn't what it used to be.