Griffith Gnat

The Griffith's Gnat is the go-to pattern when trout are sipping tiny midges and nothing else will work. Its peacock herl body and palmered grizzly hackle suggest a single adult midge or a small cluster of them caught in the surface film. It rides low, stays visible better than most micro-drys, and fools selective fish on slow, flat water.

The pattern was created by George Griffith, one of the founders of Trout Unlimited. It is a year-round essential for the Truckee, the Little Truckee, and any tailwater with steady midge hatches, and it is especially useful on calm winter afternoons.