Fly Tying Inventory
Mayhem Midge
Depending on which insects are most active, the Mayhem Midge can stand in for either a midge or a mayfly. Cheech ties it here with an olive thread body, a gold wire rib, a gray Antron shuck, a peacock thorax and speckled hen legs. The foam wing case is what makes it different from other small nymphs. It gives the fly a touch of lift and motion, and it still earns its place when fished deep on a nymph rig. Tie it in several colors and sizes. Tied here on a size 20 hook.
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Materials
UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier, olive (or Semperfli Classic Waxed Thread 12/0, medium olive)
Olive · 70 denier
Rainy's Cross-Link Sheet Foam, gray, 0.5mm (or Razor Foam, translucent dun)
Gray · 0.5mm
Peacock eye stick herl
How to Tie the Mayhem Midge
- 1
Step 1
Mount the hook in the vise. Start the olive thread behind the eye and wrap back to the bend.
- 2
Step 2
Tie in a sparse length of gray Antron yarn at the bend for the shuck and trim it to length.
- 3
Step 3
Tie in the gold wire at the bend.
- 4
Step 4
Wrap the thread forward to the thorax area, keeping the body thin and smooth.
- 5
Step 5
Spiral the wire forward in open turns for a rib. Tie it off and trim the excess.
- 6
Step 6
Tie in a narrow strip of gray foam at the front of the body, with the strip pointing back over the hook.
- 7
Step 7
Pull a few herl fibers from the peacock eye stick and tie them in just in front of the foam.
- 8
Step 8
Wrap the herl forward to form a full thorax, tie it off behind the eye and trim.
- 9
Step 9
Tie in a few speckled hen saddle fibers on top at the front of the thorax, with the tips pointing forward past the eye. Trim the butts.
- 10
Step 10
Sweep the fibers back along the sides, pull the foam strip forward over the thorax and bind it down behind the eye.
- 11
Step 11
Whip finish behind the eye and cut the thread.
- 12
Step 12
Trim the foam, leaving a short stub ahead of the tie-down point.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bY_L6aTZ0s
Credit: Cheech / Fly Fish Food