The Little Lehigh Fly Shop was on the banks of a fine limestone spring creek. I spent many years observing the stream, just about 24/7. 365 days a year.
I couldn’t understand, AND STILL DON’T, why fisherman abandoned salmonids when the weather cooled
. It’s MIDGE time!
Midges usually emerge during the nicest part of the day, they experience a complete metamorphosis egg, larva, pupa and adult. Two, three or more generations occur per year.
The life cycle takes from 2 to 4 weeks or as long as a year.
The farther north you go the larger they get.
Dr Ernest Schwiebert told me the most important thing about the presence of adult midges on the surface film is that there are pupa under the film. Most anglers agree the pupal stage is most important to the angler.
Suspect midge pupae whenever trout are rising but you can't see what they are taking
To be continued