modern Michigan dry fly · 1995
Jeff's Spiny Midge
Unverified origin Only the Michigan Dry Flies archive card supports the tyer, place and date; no independent source was found. Bonin contributed the card.
History
Jeff Bonin designed this tiny fly in 1995, when he first met spiny water fleas on the Muskegon River. The spiny water flea is a small European crustacean that reached the Great Lakes in the early 1980s, probably in ship ballast water.
The clear body and the dab of egg yarn mimic the flea's see-through body and dark eye spot. Bonin uses it whenever the fleas are in the water.
Materials
| Hook | Dry (Mustad 94838 size 18, or 94840 sizes 20 to 22) |
|---|---|
| Thread | Cream 6/0 |
| Tail | Two calftail fibers |
| Body | Clear Antron dubbing |
| Spot | Small clump of egg yarn behind the eye, pulled up and clipped short |
| Hackle | One turn of grizzly, clipped on top |
Sources
- Deschaine, T. "Jeff's Spiny Midge." Michigan Dry Flies archive recipe card.
- "Bythotrephes longimanus." Wikipedia.
Know more about this fly's history, or spot a mistake? Send a correction.
No photo yet. Every photo on michfly is of a fly tied for the site, so they're added a few at a time.
Original recipe cards for many Michigan patterns are kept at the Michigan Dry Flies archive, built by the late Tom Deschaine.