From the banks of the scenic Au Sable River to the crystal clear trout
waters of New Zealand one of the best ways to snag a hungry trout is
with a delicate cast and a Griffith's Gnat.
This classic fly
pattern imitates an emergent or adult midge or midge cluster and can
bring huge returns for the prepared angler. The fly was invented by
American fly fishing legend and founder of Trout Unlimited, George A.
Griffith, who chose a simple design and common fly tying materials to
produce one of the world's most effective dry flies.
Tested on
Griffith's storied home water and proven along the banks of rivers and
streams, large and small, far and wide, Griffith's Gnat is the most
effective adult midge pattern ever tied, period. This simple fly
pattern is constructed of two ingredients: peacock herl and grizzly
hackle. It's unique mix of buggy, leggy, and iridescent qualities make
it a midge imitation feeding fish simply can't resist!
Specifications:
- Wickedly effective fly pattern developed by Trout Unlimited founder, George A. Griffitth
- Known for its simple design and use of common materials
- Midge imitation in the emerger or adult life stage
- Adult midges are active early in the morning and later in the afternoon
- During the early part of the day, look for midge clusters above slower water
- In the afternoon and evening, look for egg-laying females at the water's surface
- Be extremely careful not to disturb fish holding in slow water when fishing an adult midge pattern
- It is paramount to angling success that you achieve a drag free drift when fly fishing with an adult midge pattern
- Longer leaders are very useful when fishing adult midge patterns
- SIZE 20
When and Where to Fish Griffith's Gnat
Midges are active on
trout water throughout North America on a year-round basis and can be
particularly effective on western rivers, streams, and spring creeks.
Midges generally hatch early in the morning hours and return to the
water's surface to mate and deposit eggs later in the day. During the
morning hours, look for soft rises from feeding trout in slower water
like eddys, deeper pools, and slower bank side runs. These rises are
generally indicative of emerging midges and can be fantastic places to
hook a hungry fish with an adult midge fly pattern. In the afternoon
and evening, it pays to observe the water's surface and look for areas
where adult midges are clustering to mate and females are landing on
the surface film and diving below to lay their eggs. Despite their
ability to live in a wide variety of water types, the most productive
water types for adult midge activity are of relatively low energy, so
be sure to check out all the areas below faster riffles, eddys, and
slower water near under cut banks and deeper channels and pools.
How to Fish Griffith's Gnat
Griffith's
Gnat can be fished as either and impressionistic searching pattern or
as a realistic imitation when matching the hatch. This fly is unique in
that it can be fished as an effective imitation of a cluster of
emergent midges, as a pair of mating adult midges, or as a solitary
adult midge stranded in the water's surface film. Midges spend a good
deal of time in the subsurface as larvae and a relatively short time
emerging and hatching, but a well-prepared angler can have a field day
on dead drifted emerging and adult midge patterns like the Griffith's
Gnat. Midges can reside anywhere within an aquatic system so look for
activity in all types of water. Faster riffles, runs, current seams, as
well as the slower pools, slack water areas, eddys, and pocket water
below and near the higher energy portions of a river, stream, or spring
creek can all produce excellent midge hatches. Midges often move to
slightly slower waters prior to and during emergence and subsequent
hatching. Fish this fly on a drag free dead drift, and in slower water,
be sure to present the fly delicately and be careful not to disturb
holding fish. When imitating a mating pair of adult midges, give this
fly a few twitches once it's riding on the water's surface film; simply
moving the rod tip up and down a few times will produce a realistic
lifelike movement that trout can't resist.
Midge
Even though a relatively simplistic midge may not
seem as sexy or interesting to a fly fisher as a giant hexagenia mayfly
nymph or the epic activity of thousands of electric green emerging
caddis, trout think midges are just fine! Midges are relatively small
aquatic insects that can be found in just about any freshwater
environment on the planet, and despite their diminutive size, the
hundreds of species of these mosquito-like bugs compose a quite
significant portion of a healthy trout's diet. Midges, like caddis,
undergo a complete metamorphosis, and experience a larva, pupa, and
adult stage within a typical life cycle.
Midge Adult Life Stage
During
the midge adult life stage, these two-winged "true flies" of the
Diptera order can be observed forming mating clusters above slower
moving, lower energy aquatic environments. There are thousands of
species of midges and the winged adults resemble the common mosquito;
they are easily identified by their long, slender legs, darkly colored
bodies, and flat pair of wings. Adult midges are quite small but
constitute a big part of the common trout's diet. Midges hatch to
adults in the morning hours and typically return to the water's surface
later in the afternoon and evening. Male midges will cluster above the
water's surface to attract and fertilize female mates. Females will
either land repeatedly on the water's surface film to deposit their
eggs or will dive beneath the water to securely deposit their eggs on
submerged rocks and debris. These egg-laying adult female midges will
sometimes be caught in the main current and swept downstream where they
collect in slower pools and eddys.
About the Tyer: George A. Griffith
From
a majestic lodge on the banks of the Au Sable, a river with mythical
qualities, a now legendary man who loved trout and fly fishing created
an organization now recognized around the world for its efforts in
conservation and the promotion of angling for sport. George A. Griffith
is not only famous for his dedicated role as founder of Trout
Unlimited, one of America's most well-known environmental
organizations, he is known for his fishing ability and fly tying
prowess. Griffith, who passed away in 1998, was a prolific angler and
fished for game fish across the globe. His love of trout, salmon, and
the Au Sable River, however, drove him to open and operate a fly
fishing lodge that helped to define the very term "fly fishing lodge."
Griffith is known as the keeper of The Barbless Hook Lodge, but he's
also legendary among trout anglers for a wickedly effective fly
pattern: Griffith's Gnat. The clarity of Griffith's vision and
understanding of fly fishing shines through in this simple fly; it's
traditional peacock herl body and grizzly hackle combine two readily
available materials to produce one of the very best dry flies the world
has ever seen. George A. Griffith quite literally had a hand in writing
fly fishing history in America, and each time an angler knots on a
Griffith's Gnat and with each soft rise of a feeding fish, his passion
for the sport will live on.
Leland on Umpqua
In
1972 a man named Dennis Black and his fly tying skills found themselves
in high demand. Mr. Black, then a professional production fly tyer, was
famous in the industry for his unsurpassed skill and speed with
whipping up tremendously beautiful and precisely constructed flies. It
wasn’t long until this young fly tying superstar realized that he ought
to take his consistent approach to quality to the next level. Shortly
after this realization, a small army of fly tyers had banded together
to support Mr. Black’s vision. With the likes of Dave Whitlock, Jack
Dennis, and Andy Puyans, Mr. Black was officially in business.
Dennis
Black’s new company Umpqua Feather Merchants quickly extended its reach
and fly production capabilities with expansion into India, Sri Lanka,
and Thailand, where the world’s first and full blown “fly tying
factories” were built. Since those early days, only the highest
standard of excellence has marked Umpqua and this commitment to quality
and efficiency continues to spur the company forward. Dennis Black’s
innovative vision for “fly production” has truly revolutionized how the
fly industry operates and has ultimately made the majority of
production flies better. From the first “royalty system” for rewarding
the most creative professional fly tyers to streamlining production
systems and offering a range of other products, Umpqua Feather
Merchants just seems to “do it all.”
Today, Umpqua Feather
Merchants is without a doubt the world’s best and most prolific
supplier of hand tied fly fishing flies as well as fly tying hooks and
materials, and they recently got better! Umpqua’s brand new, state of
the art headquarters in Louisville, Colorado marks another paradigm
shift in the way fly tying business is done. From its vast warehouse to
its specially designed inventory management and tracking system, Umpqua
is poised to continue its energetic trajectory and lead the way for the
next generation of flies and fly tyers.
Umpqua on Umpqua
"As
you may or may not know, we're the largest producer of quality
hand-tied flies in the world. We also make available through your local
fly shop a wide array of the finest fly-tying hackle and Tiemco hooks.
At
Umpqua we offer everything the angler needs to a have a first class
fishing experience. (Everything that is, but the water and the fish.)"
Umpqua on Dennis Black and the “Obvious Quest”
“The
idea first took shape in the hands of our founder, Dennis Black, back
in 1972. As a fast and facile professional fly tyer, Dennis was known
for his skill and speed at producing hundreds of dozens of flies each
year for the larger mail order houses. But he was also quick to realize
how fast the demand for excellent flies would outstrip the abilities of
cottage industry types like him.
The Obvious Quest: To create
excellent flies in sufficient supply – without sinking his standards.
In response, Dennis developed (with characteristic care) a methodical
plan: First, he enlisted the tying expertise of the likes of Dave
Whitlock, Jack Dennis, Andy Puyans and others, to help him set the
standard of excellence for Umpqua flies.
Next, Dennis
established the first of what would eventually be five separate
fly-tying “factories,” first in India, then in Sri Lanka, and finally
in Thailand. The primary focus at each of these factories was on
producing the very best fishing flies possible, constructed of the very
best materials available. From the beginning, the quantity of flies
produced was secondary to the quality and excellence of each fly
pattern. These high standards were assured by the personal involvement
of the fly designers themselves, and by the ever-increasing skill,
imagination and creativity of the Umpqua production fly tiers. Today,
you will find no flies more skillfully tied than those available from
Umpqua Feather Merchants.
Finally, Dennis created a system of
royalty payments, to reward professional tyers like Whitlock, Lefty
Kreh, Randall Kaufman, Larry Dahlberg, and Bob Popovics for uniquely
good patterns.
The Result: Today, Umpqua produces umpteen
thousand dozen flies, from micro-scopic midge imitations to the huge
patterns favored by marlin and sailfish. And the "Umpquality" – you’ll
see for yourself.”