Ask Andy- Griffith’s Gnat

Andrew

The Griffith’s Gnat is one of my favorite Midge dry patterns. The fly is easy to tie and one that I use all season long. Midges are a staple food of trout. These insects exist in large numbers in most trout streams and lakes and provide much needed caloric intake year round. As I understand it, the pattern represents a cluster of emerging or adult midge’s.
The standard pattern consists of peacock herl wrapped around the hook shank followed by a grizzly hackle palmered through the herl to finish off the fly. I use this fly in size 18-20.

Griffith's Gnat- Standard

A few years ago I switched to what I call the Griffith’s Polar Gnat. This pattern incorporates a product called Polarflash.

Polarflash is a material made by Hedron Inc., the same company that makes Flashabou. Polarflash consists of tiny micro nylon filaments tightly wrapped around each strand of Flashabou. I believe this combination of flash and filament more closely resembles the wings and legs of emerging or adult midges. The pattern is deadly and in my opinion out fishes the standard pattern. The addition of  Polarflash as a tail, in this case(color #2001 pearl) adds one more step in the tying of the fly but also adds a spark that the standard pattern is missing. Use 1 or 2 strands of the Polar flash and pull or break the filaments prior to tying them in. This leaves the material a bit twisted. You may also strife the material with a scissors after tying the Polarflash in, but it is more difficult on this pattern because of its size.

Griffith's Polar Gnat

GRIFFITH’S POLAR GNAT

HOOK: (pictured)TMC 2488 2x wide 3x short.or any dry fly hook  18-22

TAIL: Polarflash #2001 pearl, pulled and broken to twist

BODY: peacock herl

HACKLE: Grizzly, sized slightly larger than gape and palmered

Hedron Inc. is the manufacturer of a majority of flash products on the fly tying market today. There are few, if any, fly tiers who do not have Hedrons products as staples in their fly tying kit. The incredible fact is that most fly shops only carry a fraction of the available colors and products that they offer. The short list includes the Original Flashabou in, Glow in the Dark, Holographic, Accent, Weave , Dubbing, Polarflash, Wing and Flash, and my favorite, Flashabou Mirage. The Griffith’s Polar Gnat is the first instalment in a list of many of the “Best Kept Secret” custom fly patterns never seen by fly anglers in any shop. The variations may be slight from the original patterns but the results may make you think twice about adding these products to your inventory.  Look for the Gray Goat to bring you more recipes for these patterns as well as the products from Hedron you need to create flies that trigger strikes……. when others won’t.

If any of you have a pattern using a Headron Inc. product that you would like to share. Send me the info.