How to Tie a Griffith’s Gnat

Producer: Tim Flagler

     Griffith’s Gnat
     Hook: Standard dry-fly hook (here a Dai-Riki 305), sizes 14-24.
     Thread: Black, 70-denier or 8/0.
     Body: Peacock herl.
     Hackle: Grizzly hackle.
     Head: Tying thread.

In this great video, Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions shows how to tie a classic Griffith’s Gnat fly, which is pretty easy. The way he prepares the hackle feather is one of the keys to making sure everything faces the right way and stays in place. This is a great pattern to practice tying on tiny hooks.

George Griffith, one of the founding members of Trout Unlimited, created the Griffith’s Gnat in the 1940s while fishing Michigan’s Au Sable River. He designing the pattern to imitate the clustering behavior of mating midges. What made the Griffith’s Gnat revolutionary was its stark simplicity—consisting primarily of peacock herl and grizzly hackle wrapped on a small hook—combined with its remarkable effectiveness. Despite its modest origins as a regional pattern in the Midwest, the Griffith’s Gnat quickly gained national recognition and became a staple in fly boxes across America, especially among dry-fly anglers, who appreciated its versatility in matching various small insects beyond just midges, including dark caddisflies and tiny mayflies.

Fish a Griffith’s Gnat during midge hatches or spinnerfalls, especially in slower-moving waters where insects tend to cluster. A dead-drift presentation usually works best. A 12- to 15-foot leader in 6x or 7x tippet will allow you to make delicate presentations, which is essential for such a small pattern. Because the Griffith’s Gnat can be difficult to see on the water, especially during overcast days, so try dropping it off a slightly larger pattern as part of a tandem rig.