Many inexperienced fly anglers mistakenly assume that the most exciting
fly fishing happens when casting really big flies.
Jim
Cannon, an expert Rocky Mountain fly fishing guide and innovative fly
designer and tyer has the experience to know that the midge’s
importance should never be overlooked. With this in mind Cannon
developed his Snowshoe Midge Emerger to represent that all important
emergent or drowned hatching midge, a staple of a trout’s diet in just
about every type of fishable fly water.
Cannon’s Snowshoe
Midge Emerger is constructed with fur from the snowshoe hare, a soft,
air-trapping material that will allow the fly to hang optimally and
pulse just beneath the surface film. According to Mr. Cannon himself,
this is his “go-to bug.” Try it out in your favorite river or lake the
next time you’re out in search of that big trout!
Specifications:
- Colorado-based fly fishing guide and fly tyer, Jim Cannon produced this excellent fly for his local midge hatches
- Elegant use of materials to optimize the effectiveness of a simple midge imitation
- Midge imitation in the mature larval life stage
- Fishes effectively in all types of trout water
- Dead drift through slower water and eddies
- Faster riffles and current seams can also be great spots to dead drift a midge larva pattern
- Midges are often most effectively fished when attached as a dropper to a larger nymph or when fished just below the water’s surface with a large dry fly as a strike indicator
- Because of the common and widespread nature of midge species, trout anglers ought to keep a wide selection of midge fly patterns in their fly boxes
- SIZE 20
When and Where to Fish Cannon’s Snowshoe Midge Emerger
This
elegant midge emerger is most effectively fished as an impressionistic
fly pattern when searching for trout. When searching, fish this fly in
all types of trout environments. Dead drift it through the faster
riffles and current seams of your favorite spring creeks and rivers or
lightly dap it onto the surface of a quiet back eddy or along the
shoreline of sleepy, trout infested lake you like to keep a secret.
Because midge populations are so widespread and so prolific in numbers,
a fly angler can always count on finding a solid selection of midges in
the water they fish. Simply turn over rocks or drag a net through the
main current to find the color and size of the midges in your local
water. Midges are active on water across North America throughout the
year and are an important source of nutrition for feeding trout.
How to Fish Cannon’s Snowshoe Midge Emerger
Fish
this fly in all types of trout water. Slow water, backwaters, eddys,
and spring creeks are prime real estate for these small midges, so
drift them through these areas to see what action they turn up. These
wormy larvae can also be quite easily caught in the main current, so
don’t be afraid to dead drift a midge pattern right through a
well-defined current seam. Although anglers will find great success on
lots of rivers and lakes with these simple techniques and a single
midge pattern, the most effective use of a midge larva pattern is in
concert with a larger nymph or dry fly. Tie on a midge larva as a
dropper behind your favorite mayfly nymph during a heavy hatch or fish
a midge larva with a large dry fly as an indicator – these strategies
can yield big results!
Midge
Sometimes referred to as “True Flies,” midges are
aquatic insects of the order Diptera, meaning two-winged. Most people
are familiar with the common mosquito which is a midge, and most trout
are familiar not only with the mosquito, but also with the hundreds of
other species of midges that can be found in their watery homes. Midges
are relatively small aquatic insects that can be found in just about
any freshwater (and brackish) environment on the planet, and despite
their diminutive size, the hundreds of species of these mosquito-like
bugs compose a quite significant portion of a healthy trout’s diet.
Midges, like caddis, undergo a complete metamorphosis, and experience a
larva, pupa, and adult life stage within a typical life cycle.
Midge Emerger Life Stage
During
its larva life stage, these small wormy insects are commonly found
throughout the many different types of water where trout are found.
Midge larvae are often transparent and take on hues of color; green,
red, cream, tan, and black are the most common colors for these small
larvae. Midge larvae can be found in large numbers among rocky and
debris littered river bottoms, along the shorelines of lakes, and
floating along the main current of rivers and spring creeks throughout
North America. These relatively defenseless insects are vulnerable to
feeding trout at any point during their life cycle and these simple
larvae can produce excellent results for trout anglers fishing anywhere
in the world.
About the Tyer: Jim Cannon
Following
one’s dreams is the path to success and riches, and Jim Cannon has
never compromised his dreams. Whether it was helping the homeless in
Denver, Colorado or eventually starting a fly shop with a friend in the
late 1980s, Mr. Cannon has chased his passions. Today, he still runs a
popular guiding business in Colorado and designs fly patterns for
Umpqua Feather Merchants, where he has found success in marketing some
of his well designed and successful fly patterns. He is a Federation of
Fly Fishers certified casting instructor and he continues to provide
the fly fishing community with his knowledge, experience, and love of
chasing his dreams.
Leland on Umpqua
In
1972 a man named Dennis Black and his fly tying skills found themselves
in high demand. Mr. Black, then a professional production fly tyer, was
famous in the industry for his unsurpassed skill and speed with
whipping up tremendously beautiful and precisely constructed flies. It
wasn’t long until this young fly tying superstar realized that he ought
to take his consistent approach to quality to the next level. Shortly
after this realization, a small army of fly tyers had banded together
to support Mr. Black’s vision. With the likes of Dave Whitlock, Jack
Dennis, and Andy Puyans, Mr. Black was officially in business.
Dennis
Black’s new company Umpqua Feather Merchants quickly extended its reach
and fly production capabilities with expansion into India, Sri Lanka,
and Thailand, where the world’s first and full blown “fly tying
factories” were built. Since those early days, only the highest
standard of excellence has marked Umpqua and this commitment to quality
and efficiency continues to spur the company forward. Dennis Black’s
innovative vision for “fly production” has truly revolutionized how the
fly industry operates and has ultimately made the majority of
production flies better. From the first “royalty system” for rewarding
the most creative professional fly tyers to streamlining production
systems and offering a range of other products, Umpqua Feather
Merchants just seems to “do it all.”
Today, Umpqua Feather
Merchants is without a doubt the world’s best and most prolific
supplier of hand tied fly fishing flies as well as fly tying hooks and
materials, and they recently got better! Umpqua’s brand new, state of
the art headquarters in Louisville, Colorado marks another paradigm
shift in the way fly tying business is done. From its vast warehouse to
its specially designed inventory management and tracking system, Umpqua
is poised to continue its energetic trajectory and lead the way for the
next generation of flies and fly tyers.
Umpqua on Umpqua
"As
you may or may not know, we're the largest producer of quality
hand-tied flies in the world. We also make available through your local
fly shop a wide array of the finest fly-tying hackle and Tiemco hooks.
At
Umpqua we offer everything the angler needs to a have a first class
fishing experience. (Everything that is, but the water and the fish.)"
Umpqua on Dennis Black and the “Obvious Quest”
“The
idea first took shape in the hands of our founder, Dennis Black, back
in 1972. As a fast and facile professional fly tyer, Dennis was known
for his skill and speed at producing hundreds of dozens of flies each
year for the larger mail order houses. But he was also quick to realize
how fast the demand for excellent flies would outstrip the abilities of
cottage industry types like him.
The Obvious Quest: To create
excellent flies in sufficient supply – without sinking his standards.
In response, Dennis developed (with characteristic care) a methodical
plan: First, he enlisted the tying expertise of the likes of Dave
Whitlock, Jack Dennis, Andy Puyans and others, to help him set the
standard of excellence for Umpqua flies.
Next, Dennis
established the first of what would eventually be five separate
fly-tying “factories,” first in India, then in Sri Lanka, and finally
in Thailand. The primary focus at each of these factories was on
producing the very best fishing flies possible, constructed of the very
best materials available. From the beginning, the quantity of flies
produced was secondary to the quality and excellence of each fly
pattern. These high standards were assured by the personal involvement
of the fly designers themselves, and by the ever-increasing skill,
imagination and creativity of the Umpqua production fly tiers. Today,
you will find no flies more skillfully tied than those available from
Umpqua Feather Merchants.
Finally, Dennis created a system of
royalty payments, to reward professional tyers like Whitlock, Lefty
Kreh, Randall Kaufman, Larry Dahlberg, and Bob Popovics for uniquely
good patterns.
The Result: Today, Umpqua produces umpteen
thousand dozen flies, from micro-scopic midge imitations to the huge
patterns favored by marlin and sailfish. And the "Umpquality" – you’ll
see for yourself.”
