Red Midge Larva

In appearance, the midge larvae look similar to worm-like grubs. They are shaped long and skinny and have segmented bodies. There are normally eight to ten segments. They tend to be cream colored or light green. The free-swimming bloodworm stores oxygen in its blood and has a bright while red color while the larvae of the free-swimming, glassworm is almost clear or transparent. In our experience, the three colors; cream, light green and red, imitate most all of the species of midges that are available for trout to eat.

Most of the midge larvae build mud tubes and live in them on the bottom of the stream and they do not leave the mud tubes until they develop into pupae and rise to the surface to hatch into an adult. These midge species are not of great interest to anglers. However, the species that are important to the anglers are the free-swimming species. The free-swimming larvae tend to hide and stay put under rocks, logs and other similar type cover. The can crawl, float, or propel themselves by swimming or wiggling along. Although the midge larvae are small, they provide a great deal of the trout’s food often satisfying the appetite of the brown trout. For more see "Midges are a Staple in the Diet of Trout".

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