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Fly Tying
TedderX

Griffith's Gnat

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... In the past, I have added a little spike of orange indicator material to the middle of the fly to add a speck of orange to aid in visibility. It helps, and the fish don't seem to mind.

 

I try a lot of flies during a midge hatch. Griffith's Gnat is high on the rotation. Like TheCream, I add an orange post/wing which helps a lot with visibility. Sometimes, it seems like the trout are attracted by the post.

 

I also use a GG variation called Hill's Stillborn Midge which adds a muskrat fur shuck. Roger Hill created the Stillborn Midge after watching trout continue to hit a chewed up muskrat nymph with only shreds of muskrat hanging off the hook.

 

Here's Ed Engle tying a Stillborn Midge:

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in that size its probably a "soldier palmer" or wooly bugger

 

probably where the griffiths gnat varied from in the beginning

 

Both of those have tails, though. It's just a big Griffith's Gnat. Lots of legs, buggy, floats well, and who knows what they take it for, but they take it. :)

 

Some variations of the GN that I've had luck with is adding a couple of strands of krystal flash tail, and different colors of poly yarn as a sort of wing in the middle as a sighter. Red is good, so is orange. Yellow really can't be seen as well as you'd think for some reason. I tied up a dozen with a yellow sighter earlier this summer that I couldn't see for beans. LOL Another variation that I do well with at times is just an orange thread body instead of the peacock, then it's an Orange Asher I guess, but that works well also with and without the krystal flash tail/trailing shuck.

 

Another gnat pattern that is quite productive is the Matt's Gnat. That's tied with snowshoe hare foot touch dubbed to thread and the thread twists with and reinforces the herl. Quite a bit tougher than the GN and as a result can survive a few more fish.

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I learned a new way to tie the GG that protects the herl and hackle on YouTube. Probably from a post on this forum. It's simple, fast and looks good. Similar to many herl reinforcements, but adds the hackle in one wrap. I like it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_N9mmB9aYk

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