Whats A “Gidget?
” —– The television program Gidget was titled based on the primary character’s nickname; a conjoined version of the words “girl” and “midget.” Mike Mercer’s “Gidget” may not be exclusively feminine, but it is on the small side. In fact, Mercer himself has said: “The Mercer Midgeling, with its transparent glass bead head was such a success, I wanted to go down pretty much the same road – incorporate the best “triggers” of the Midgeling, but with a brass bead head that would sink the fly much more quickly.” On that basis, Mercer’s Gidget can be used to imitate a midge (particularly a chironomid) or even a small mayfly; although Mercer also has another, similar pattern called the Micro Mayfly for that specific hatch. (You can read about the Micro Mayfly in Mercer’s book Creative Fly Tying – see below.) With the copper/brass bead, it will sink faster than his Midgeling, making it more useful in “faster” currents and/or deeper waters. But, given the size, it’s not going to sink “like a r
