The hatch chart · Midge
Midges
Chironomidae
- Natural’s size
- Hook 18–24
- Time of day
- All day; warmest hour in winter
- At its peak
- January, February, November, December
- Fly to try
- Zebra Midge or Griffith’s Gnat, size 20
The year
- JJanuary: main hatch
- FFebruary: main hatch
- MMarch: some about
- AApril: some about
- MMay: some about
- JJune: some about
- JJuly: some about
- AAugust: some about
- SSeptember: some about
- OOctober: some about
- NNovember: main hatch
- DDecember: main hatch
In the hand
Non-biting, mosquito-like flies with a slim body, wings shorter than the abdomen and, in males, feathery antennae. The pupa is a small curved comma with white breathing tufts at the head. Black, olive, red or grey.
On the river
Present every day of the year and the main surface food in winter. Fish feeding on pupae show as slow bulges or head-and-tail rises with nothing visible on the water.