When to use it
- When tailwater trout key on tiny midge emergers.
- From subsurface drift up into the film.
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Reviewed technical illustration← Fly Box
Emerger · guide 30
Top Secret Midge
Pat Dorsey's tiny brown midge emerger with a white thread rib, sparkle-organza wing, and rusty thorax.
- Common size
- #20–26
- Colors reviewed
- dark brown, white rib and wing, rusty-brown thorax
- Imitates
- midge emerger, small midge pupa near the film
The reviewed form uses a dark-brown thread body, contrasting white thread rib, small white sparkle wing, and rusty-brown thorax on a curved pupa hook.
Technical illustration
Identification views
Top Secret Midge reviewed side profile
A schematic profile emphasizing curved pupa hook and contrasting white thread rib.
- View
- reviewed side profile
- Color shown
- dark brown body, white rib and wing, rusty thorax
- Look for
- curved pupa hook; contrasting white thread rib; small sparkle wing; rusty-brown thorax
On the water
Understand it. Then fish it.
The river, depth, insects, and fish behavior still decide the final presentation. These are reviewed starting points—not a claim about what is happening today.
How to fish it
- Dead-drift, swing gently, or suspend in the film.
- Keep the pattern sparse.
Mistakes to avoid
- Omitting the contrasting rib and keeping the exact name.
- Fishing it only on the bottom when fish take emergers.
Variant control
Small changes matter.
Three reviewed technical illustrations show the identifying profile, construction, and fishing orientation. They are schematic field-guide aids, not photographs.
Reviewed core form
The reviewed form uses a dark-brown thread body, contrasting white thread rib, small white sparkle wing, and rusty-brown thorax on a curved pupa hook.- Colors shown
- dark brown, white rib and wing, rusty-brown thorax
- Weighting
- Weighting is identified when it defines the reviewed form; other bead or weight choices remain labeled variants.
Review trail
Sources, rights, and limits.
Pattern facts were reviewed on 2026-07-12. Every image has its own rights record; photographed hand-tied flies may still vary slightly in proportion.