Winter dry flies? Try this High Viz Griffith's Gnat
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- The Griffith's Gnat has long been one of the most effective winter dry fly patterns. It's a great imitation of a midge or midge cluster and even with an indicator is a simple pattern to tie.
Hook: #18-24 dry fly
Thread: Black
Indicator: Anything bright, tied sparse and clipped short
Hackle: Grizzly palmered
Body: Peacock herl
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Matt, another source for unlimited sheeps wool or goats hair, check with your local High School that have a FFA program, their teachers will help you any way they can, These students (boys and girls) show their animals many times a year at fairs, local and out of state competitions, which means they wash and groom their animals, so you can get quite a lot of clean material for yourself and your fellow Tyers, as well as donating any extra material you don't need to your local Fly Tying clubs. These FFA kids take great care and pride in raising and caring for their animals, ever year they sacrifice their free time from Junior thru Senior High School, they are our future.
Great idea Phil! I talk some of these outstanding young FFA folks at our county fair every year. And you're right... I'm sure they would be more than happy to donate some of their shaved wool.
Another great looking fly Matt. Since you favor dry Flies, if you know anyone that has a Siberian Husky, have them save you the undercoat fur when they shed or brush them out, it's very similar to wool and the fur is already waterproof, and you can get a lifetime of dubbing material in just a short time. If you try it, let us know what you think.
Thanks Phil! And that definitely makes sense. These dogs bred for the cold and snow are bound to have a lot of wool-like underfur. If I find anyone with a Husky, I'll be asking them for some fur. :-)
Just trying to catch up on the last month and a half but in the hospital for a while hope everyone's doing well
Thanks Marty! Welcome back, and I hope you're doing well my friend. :-)
Love these Gnat’s!!Thanks Matt! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Thanks Barbara! You too my friend. :-) And don't forget, we've got a Thanksgiving streamer on Tuesday!
Reminds me of a local guy I used to encounter daily. He'd be midstream in January/February tossing Griffith's Gnats. My fingers and joints hurt just watching!
Hahaha! I was out this weekend, with it 27 degrees at sunrise. Chilly for a couple of hours but it almost hit 40 by lunchtime. :-)
👍👍
The Griffith’s Gnat was created by George Griffith, one of the co-founders of Trout Unlimited. Griffith organized the first meeting of TU at his cottage, “The Barbless Hook,” and was a lifelong conservationist. He died in 1998 at 97.
Great note; thank you for the history!
👍💪
Thank God! I just tied 4 of these puppies on a 20 wondering how I was ever gonna see them 😂
Good morning Matt. ☕️. Happy Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to enjoying some milder temps this winter. Tying small flies is a challenge for me. I don’t have trouble seeing at 30’ but at my bench my arms aren’t long enough 🙄. Might even get to try one of these in a couple of weeks. Mid winter fishing in our country involves the use of an ice auger so dry fly fishing would be a little tough. Have a great weekend Matt. Time for another ☕️.
Love your response, what weight auger do you have? 🤣🤣🤣
Hahaha! I hear you John. My wife will try to show me something on her phone and hold it about a foot from my face. Oh no honey... I need to hold that thing at arm's distance! But my cheater eyeglasses work at the bench. :-)
Love the older video, Matt! The rainbows that are stocked in my home stream go berserk over the Griffith’s Gnat! Tight lines my friend. 😎🎣
A must for any dry fly box Matt, if you haven't already tie a few with a few strands of krystal flash as a tail, it turns a deadly fly into a serial killer. Have you tried the smhaen dubbing spinner for these yet ? I haven't but it looks super fast and more robust than the standard way, there's a good video online 👍
Graham, it works great, makes adding dubbing material to your loop so easy, just pinch open and closed an let it hang, you can clip the end of the dubbing material in the loop, open your smahen spinner and add a second dubbing material and then spin up your bi-material dubbing loop and wrap your hook, it's a good tool for your bench or traveling pouch.
Thanks Graham! I haven't tried any of these with flash, but man, I'm about to now. As for the Smhaen spinner... thanks for reminding me. I bought one a couple of months ago and keep forgetting about it. I'm going to have to break it out as, like Phil said here, it looks like it's a great tool. Thanks for the note!
Thanks matt..Happy Thanksgiving enjoy..see ya joe
Another great tie Matt thank you
Appreciate it Jamie! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Griffth’s Gnat has been a great flie for sure. I’ve not tied one with an indicator and not sure why but that’ll change. Thx Matt! Have a fabulous weekend.
Go for it Clyde! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
I also need an indicator to make a fishable fly.
Dry dropper year round. Keep up the great work
This is a great fly.. Thanks Matt.
Great Idea about adding some flash to the Gnat, Thanks!! Could you use buck tail for the indicator?
Thanks! I'd say you might be able to use bucktail but it might end up being too bulky. But the only way to know is to give it a try. :-)
Thank you Matt. Great fly many times of the year. Happy Thanksgiving
Appreciate it Mark! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Oh man, an 18 or 20! I'm going to have enough trouble with a 14 or 16. 😬 Happy Thanksgiving🦃
Hahaha! Appreciate it Bruce! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
A Griffith’s Gnat with an indicator for fall & winter fishing? To quote Robert Parker’s character, Spencer, “ We’d be fools not to.” We used up to size 12 or 14 to imitate the very large midge clusters on the Swift River November to February. The Swift is fed by bottom release from Quabbin Reservoir in the middle of MA, so it’s a pretty constant 50 degrees F for the first couple of miles below the dam. Great choice for this time of year.
Thanks Bob! I'm heading out to the farm for Thanksgiving so will definitely be fishing a few of these on the Savage next weekend. :-)
Nice Matt! Like you I'm a dry fly and streamer guy.
Was wondering if you might consider some weighted flys that would be effective for ice fishing. I realize you don't get ice there but imagination is a great thing. Lol.
Thanks Frank! I've never been ice fishing but I did a little research last year and tied up one that should do well for ice fishermen. Check this one out and read some of the comments. There might be some that could help you. th-cam.com/video/raUzroxtVIA/w-d-xo.html
Yeah, getting older can suck! Nice fly!
Hahaha! I don't know how some of these 80-year-old gents are still tying and fishing. I just hope I will be too. :-)
I really like this one. May try some modifications for largemouth bass. Any suggestions is greatly appreciated. I sure miss fly fishing in the mid Atlantic area.
Oh, there are tons of patterns on TH-cam for bass flies. I've even tied a few. One of my favorites is the Stealth Bomber. (I'm not sure many bass are going to key on these tiny midges though.) :-)
Matt that was one ugly piece of peacock hurl but the grizzly hackle saved the day! I really like how the dyed calf tail shows up ....off to tie up a few of those...thanks again for the video.
Hahaha! Yes it was my friend! I actually thought about saying "cut," stopping the video and trying another piece of herl. But I usually leave all my flaws in my videos. :-)
Another nice one Matt I thought about doing that to some of my salmon/steelhead flies. Thanks for sharing my friend have a blessed day.
Appreciate it! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Never realized how hard a size 20 Griffiths gnat is to see, until I fished one a small brook trout stream. It was a chore to see 10 to 12 feet away . I'll be tying some of these.
Go for it Jason! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
Man that's s little teeny fly, good thing I found some bifocal sun glasses a few years ago or I'd never get that thing tied on. Nice very simple fly Matt. Keep the good stuff coming.
Hahaha! I appreciate it Dave. It's getting harder and harder for me to tie a #20 onto my tippet too. :-)
Thank you for the tying video, I too understand the eyesight getting a bit worse. Have a great thanksgiving!
Appreciate it Mike! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
I tie a lot of gnats never thought of putting a indicator on it that's awesome thanks
Appreciate it Pat! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
Oh man I has so much luck with Gnats and Stimulators.
Awesome to hear Sam! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
🤣🤣🤣looking back on winter bugs👍
Yeah man we've got a couple more months of winter! I just finished Friday's pattern. Scott Sanchez's Speed Stimulator. It's probably more of a spring/summer fly but was still a fun one. Heading to the farm Saturday for a long weekend. Looking forward to a few days off. Hope you had a safe trip back!
Vary nice 👌 thank you for your time sir
Appreciate it Charlie! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Roger that on the challenges to our eyesight as we age Matt.
Hahaha! Yes indeed Gordon. I hesitate to think what size magnification I'm going to need ten years from now. :-)
As Always, Bravo Zulu Matt.
Appreciate it Arthur! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Great idea. Well done Matt.
Appreciate it warren! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
Nice one Matt, looks like a keeper.
Appreciate it Nina! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
Great little midge matt
Appreciate it Burt! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Matt, great fly, and suggestion on the indicator. We are going into winter and I am really excited to review all your old patterns and try the new ones. Happy Thanksgiving.
beauty
Appreciate it Michael! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Just got home and had a burger, did not move any fish but learned a lot again. And I love this bug👍
Well you already know how I did this weekend! But I'm on leave this week and may see if I can sneak out Tuesday. Of course it's going to be below freezing again. Uggh. I might stay home and watch TV. :-)
@@SavageFlies 🤣🤣🤣
Great job! When it gets smaller than 16 it's way out of my skills! Bravo!!
Hahaha! I'm good down to about a #20. Anything smaller, and ehh... I can barely pull it off. And fishing with flies that small is even harder for me!
I've always been successful with a Griffith's Gnat version I tie. I look forward to tying it with an indicator. To everyone, have a great Thanksgiving. 👍
Thanks Jon! And you too my friend. And BTW, make sure to tune in Tuesday for the Thanksgiving name-the-streamer tie. Hopefully I'll come up with a fun one. :-)
Great looking fly Sir. Watching you tie this makes me say yes to winter fishing. Then I take Jordan out for a walk, that makes me say no to winter fishing 😂. Seriously this looks like it would be pretty productive. Sure looks enjoyable to tie. Have a great weekend my friend. Thank you for the video.
Hahaha! I hear you Jeff. I was out this weekend and it was 27 degrees at sunrise. That's not unbearable, but another ten degrees colder and I'll think twice about heading out. :-)
Great little fly. I also use a sight indicator, unusually pick or florescent orange. Thanks Matt for sharing and have a fantastic weekend.
Appreciate it Layton! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Nice tie Matt! I like the idea of parachute style for color. I've fished this fly many times, and it is very hard to see it. Thanks for sharing Matt. Have a great weekend. Tight lines. 👍
Appreciate it Jim! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Morning Matt. Again you bring us some useful things and make it so easy to apply. Have a great weekend
Thank you Nich! Hope you had a great weekend too my friend. :-)
Great variation Matt. Anything to make your fly more visible is great.
Appreciate it John! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
This is an awesome pattern for a simple dry fly. I may have to try this one out.
Go for it! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Neat fly Matt
Appreciate it Jeff! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
@@SavageFlies you're welcome
Definitely one of my favorite flies to fish and tie
Thanks for the video and have a great weekend
Appreciate it Dave! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
A nice looking fly that is easy to tie. Thanks Matt for all the time .
Appreciate it Butch! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
Nice tie Matt. Yeah, every year my eyesight changes just a little, so I need a new Rx every two years. Good idea to incorporate some "hi viz". I don't fish dry flies a lot, when I do I use a foam indicator (Palsa) on the leader. Once winter hits... forget about it 🥶 Have a good w/e Matt. 👍
Thanks Joe! I'm a once-a-year new prescription guy. That's why I have about six pairs of glasses I rotate through. :-) As for a good weekend... today was good. Yesterday was 27 degrees at sunrise, and me getting skunked on the Gunpowder. But it's almost Thanksgiving, and that means a few days at the farm, and a day on the Savage. Woohoo!
@@SavageFlies 27 here too with WIND. Glad I don't live in Buffalo area, 6.5 feet of snow. Need a High Viz hat!
@@joeduca8582 Haha! You wouldn't see me in 6 1/2 feet of snow. Literally... that's way over my head. 🙂
@@SavageFlies Me too, even this hat & flag wouldn't help 🎩 🚩
I was tying some Griffith Gnats a few days ago, wish I had seen this then, but gives me a chance to tie some more but in your modified version. Another great fly Matt.
Appreciate it! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)
Yep ya right pretty simple pattern Thanks Tight lines!
Appreciate it Richard! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)