Mad River Micro-Baetis
Above photo: Micro Baetis hatch on the Mad River, June 16, 2026. Feel free to click any image to enlarge. All images shot with a Sigma 70mm macro lens.
Living on the Mad River, just down the road, allows me to constantly collect insects, bring them home, and photograph them within 5 minutes. This is a luxury for a fly fisher. I have, for the last 25 years, kept a pretty comprehensive journal of aquatic insects that have come and gone due to farm runoff and other environmental changes. Our water-borne insects, such as the Baetis, still seem to come off in sections of the Mad River in healthy numbers. June 2026 has been somewhat prolific for Baetis hatches, which makes me very happy. Most of the Baetis hatches I have experienced in the last few weeks start and end between 10am and 12pm. These micro Baetis are approximately 7mm, which is roughly the size of a #22 hook. These tiny Dun morsels are what I have been waiting for all winter, and I am glad to see them hatching in numbers. The following photos offer extreme angles on these micro trout appetizers, as well as fine details of segmentation and thorax proportions. Tying duns at these sizes is challenging, especially the hen tip wings, but a CDC wing is also a good choice.
Above photo: A #22 TMC 531 short-shank, wide-gap hook with very light wire provides a great hook platform for micro-Baetis imitations in early summer.
Above photo: These tiny little Blue Winged Olives have a very light creamy wing that I dye from white to achieve a slightly undersaturated cream for my hen tip wings.
Above photo: You can clearly see the pronounced exaggerated hump on these particular specimens. The legs are nearly a light translucent green or cream color.
Above photo: For subtle but well-defined segmentation in the abdomen, I use a peacock quill, stripped and dyed light olive green.
Above photo: I have often seen these little BWOs fluttering on the surface film or canting their wings out while traveling in the current over the last few weeks. The hen-tip wings always seem to be a successful addition to my dun micro patterns.
Above photo: A tight wing-set using Kapok, which is much finer and more buoyant than Superfine dubbing, results in a very durable, high-floating dun. For tailing fibers, I use light ginger CDL and set them with a strand of Pearsall's silk thread pulled between the four fibers. The thorax setting the wings is pure Sage Kapok, and again, you reap the benefits of Kapok by longer, high-floating drifts.
Above photo: In the vicinity of the shaded circle of this hen neck, which I dyed a light cream color, is where you will find smaller-sized tips. Finding the right neck is critical for winging because you still want a fair amount of webby feathers at these sizes. I purchase only white necks because it allows me to dye colors that are not commercially available, specifically hen necks. Typically, hen neck colors are very limited. I suppose hen tip wings are also a rare commodity nowadays since CDC is now used so readily.
~Micro Baetis~
Hook: TMC 531 #22 or any short shank fine wire dry fly hook
Thread: Semperfli Nano silk (white colored with Pantone light green or yellow)
Wings: Hen tips cream color
Abdomen: Peacock quill dyed green
Tailing Fibers: CDL golden straw or light pardo
Thorax: Sage green Kapok
Hackle: Light ginger or light dun
This is a simple pattern to tie, but it's difficult at first to calibrate down to a #22. As usual, proportions are critical, so don't drink too much coffee before tackling these little guys!
Thanks for letting me share~Clint Bova
