Higa's SOS Chironomid

Spencer - January 2026

I
first tied the SOS Chironomid pattern back when I was guiding full time in eastern Utah. I fished a lot of lakes with clients and it was important to have a variety of different chironomids. By the end of the season the fish were getting pretty smart from seeing all of the flies we’d thrown all spring/summer. This pattern seemed to work when they became picky. The hint of flash in the body with Krystal flash came about by using just a black body then testing it with a little flash to see how the fish would respond. The flash seemed to make a difference on most days. The thorax was originally tied with floss but I experimented with some wire. It added segmentation I liked and also a little weight to the fly. We fished it under an indicator and also under a buoyant dry fly if the fish were feeding within 5 ft of the surface. I tie this in Black and Olive. I've tried a lot of great chironomid patterns and this chironomid pattern catchs fish everywhere.