I was standing mid-river, cold water pushing against my legs, watching trout feed just enough to keep me hopeful—while I couldn’t make sense about what the fish were keying in on. There were no rising fish, no bugs in the air, and nothing obvious drifting on the surface. Like many anglers in that moment, I started cycling through flies and calling it “problem solving.” Half my fly box later, a simple thought finally cut through the noise: try a worm pattern.

If there is one insect that consistently separates anglers who catch fish from anglers who hope to catch fish, it’s the Midge. Midges are not flashy. They don’t arrive in dramatic clouds, they don’t bring reckless surface takes, and they rarely announce themselves. Yet on many rivers, especially tail waters, spring creeks, and winter fisheries, midges are the most important food source trout see all year.

I was fishing the upper stretch of the Colorado river near Kremmling Colorado in early June hoping to get into one of the most iconic hatches there is – The Salmonfly hatch. There were reports that a few of them…

Learn when to use attractor flies vs. match-the-hatch patterns for trout fishing. Expert tips on reading water, choosing flies, and adapting to conditions for more hookups.

When you think about what makes a river “fishy,” your first thought is probably bug life—mayflies, caddis, midges, and the seasonal hatches we all love to chase. But not all rivers are built the same. Some are insect-driven systems, where trout survive almost entirely on nymphs and emergers. Others offer an extra “power meal” in the form of sculpins and other small baitfish, giving trout more calories per bite—and often more size.