I don't think you need to fixate on small chronies in west side lakes as much as a lot of people believe. Twenty-five years ago, we were using large midge imitations-- however, at that time we were fishing later in the season-- after the opener in the latter part of April.

The midge imitations we used were anywhere from a #8 3399A to a #12, no smaller. Three patterns were exceedingly good, the Offut Lake Special, the Pink Lady Bucktail (not a streamer despite its name), and the Pink Lady Nymph. The first two were tied commercially by a guy out of Centralia. The last was a pattern out of the Flies of the Northwest book published by the Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club.

We'd fish these by casting to rises or blind casting, particularly around vegetation.

I've also found large populations of midges (definitely not chironomids) being swept down from snow-fed streams the last part of May, first part of June. These midge larvae varied in color between red and gray. Size on these, we called them snow worms, was somewhere comparable to a #8 or even larger.

I'm looking forward to trying these old patterns this spring. I'm also looking forward to doing the indicator thing the next time I have a day off.

Keith