Midges are part of the Chironomidae family of true flies. They are very small as the name implies and their cycle is similar to the mayfly or the Caddisfly. When fish are taking midges the midges are generally available in large numbers. The Lava is between 6 & 12 mm in length and is blood red leg less maggots that live in the sediment in the bottom of the lake. As they mature into pupae the colour may change to black grey or green and a bulbous wing case and curved abdomen develop. When its time to emerge the pupae swim to the surface like a “mosquito wriggler” and break through the surface tension and hatch into small generally non-biting mosquito like flies. Trout do feed on the lava and the pupae and a good tactic is to use a weighted blood worm as an anchor and one or two unweighted pupa above that.

Materials

Process

	Tie in a length of .015 lead wire along the top of the hook shank as you wind the thread from the 95% position to part way round the bend of the hook. Adding weight to a fly Tie in a sparse marabou tail which is about as long as the hook shank. Tie in a length of red cotton. Take the black thread to the 95% position.

B	Wind the red cotton forward in touching turns almost to the eye of the hook. Tie the red cotton off with the black thread and trim the excess cotton.

C	Build up a neat head of thread and whip finish the head. Neat thread heads Trim the thread. lightly varnish the body, just a bit of head cement smeared along the body with your finger is enough. Varnish the head of the fly.