Multi Purpose Midge - On Stream Treatment

Howdy folks. Have anyone made fishing to Montana general rivers opening day last weekend?
For people who are reading this blog from other states or countries, I never mean to scare you off but........it's cold here in Paradise Valley, MT. Believe or not, we are having snow again, if not cold rain...... Well, actually this may help river flows/levels later in the season as we don't have huge snow packs this year. This weekend is the opening of Yellowstone National Park fishing! However,   I'd rather wait till it gets warmer as June rolls in.....

OK, here's my recent tie that I learned from my guide mentor, Montana's Master Angler himself Tom Travis (click for info). It's called Multi Purpose Midge for right reasons. Tying materials and steps are simple. I love the little twitch of using stripped peacock herl for abdomen.  

It's already great & juicy appearance enough for most of midge situations. However, if situation (trout and/or hatch) gets picky, there is more to do with this fly. While you are fishing, if you clip the tail/shuck with scissors or nippers, you will have an adult midge instantly!

Then if you trim top & bottom of hackle fibers flat, leaving the tail, you will have a low-riding spent midge as you wish!!

I'm a great fan of multi-purpose & cross-dresser flies that imitate several stages/appearance of insects at once. As for dry-fly, it would be imitating: emerging, struggling, crippled, full-fledged adult, or sometimes even spent spinner. At least I look for or invent patterns that contain at least two of those stages. Soft-hackles can be: nymphs from subsurface to certain depth and drowned individuals (cripples, adults, or spinners) but also I fish them as dry-flies!!
This idea of Tom's gave me another approach for designing cross-dresser patterns = prepare at your tying bench then fix at streams as you need. Super practical.
Everyone should give a try! I will be tying and learning more for mayfly patterns for this kind.