Griffith's Gnat
Midge pattern imitating chironomids, for trout and grayling. Beginner. George Griffith.
A peacock herl body with an undersized grizzly hackle palmered over it; no tail, no wing.
Materials
- Hook: Dry fly hook, standard shank, size 18
- Thread: Black thread, 8/0
- Hackle: Grizzly cock (saddle) hackle, fibres 0.9× gape
- Body: Peacock herl, 2 strands
Steps
- Attach thread Attach the thread at 90% of the way along the shank with a few turns and trim the tag end.
- Wrap thread Wrap the thread to the start of the bend in touching turns.
- Tie in: grizzly cock (saddle) hackle Tie in the grizzly cock (saddle) hackle with a few firm thread turns. By the butt, at the bend; deliberately undersized.
- Tie in: peacock herl Tie in 2 strands of peacock herl with a few firm thread turns. Fine herls from near the eye of the quill.
- Wrap thread Wrap the thread to 90% of the way along the shank in touching turns.
- Wind: peacock herl Wind the peacock herl forward to 88% of the way along the shank in 8 turns. Touching turns; twisting the herl round the thread makes it tougher.
- Tie off: peacock herl Tie off the peacock herl with a few thread turns and trim the excess.
- Wind: grizzly cock (saddle) hackle Wind the grizzly cock (saddle) hackle forward to 88% of the way along the shank in 5 turns. Five evenly spaced turns.
- Tie off: grizzly cock (saddle) hackle Tie off the grizzly cock (saddle) hackle with a few thread turns and trim the excess.
- Whip finish Form a small head, whip finish with 5 turns and cut the thread.
History
Usually credited to George Griffith (1901–1998) of the Au Sable River in Michigan, at whose home Trout Unlimited was founded in 1959. Its origin is not well documented: Sexyloops reports that some credit a Walt Shaw with the fly and Griffith with making it known, and that it seems to go back at least to the 1930s.
Fishing it
Imitates a cluster of mating midges, or a single adult in the smallest sizes. A fly for gentle, sipping rises on smooth water. Rusty Dunn suggests clipping the hackle off underneath so it rides lower, like a stillborn or crippled midge, or hanging a small pupa just under the surface behind it. It is also fished behind a larger, more visible dry.