Flat Water Char
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Brad Trumbo
Arriving at the launch, I peered across the mirror reflection of the distant hills on flat water. Rich hues of goldenrod shown crisp on the glass-slick surface; sulfur lupine and arrowleaf balsamroot dappling the landscape beyond. The high desert lake was tinged emerald green from spring phytoplankton productivity. The saccharine aroma of antelope bitterbrush bloom thickened the air. Fish were rising eagerly under an overcast sky. Big fish. Dimpling and porpoising. A midge hatch. Midges (also known as Chironomids) are small aquatic insects that hatch into non-biting flies, some resembling 36
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mosquitoes. They range in size from smaller than a grain of white rice to that of something around a size 12 dry fly. Midge hatches can be notoriously painful to fish under the penetrating scrutiny of a fussy rainbow or brown trout. These species will key into the very specific, tiny larvae and adults, readily snubbing any fly pattern, especially a dry fly. Productive desert lakes can spew blanket midge hatches, and if the stars align, epic fly fishing in the ambiguously literal sense of the word. Fortunately, my buddy Chas and I were seeking brook trout in central
