Griffith's Gnat

Well, I finally broke down and tried out my fly tying vise for the first time last night. It's great to have some down time at work to mess around with my stuff. It's kind of pathetic but I picked something really easy to tie with the crap feathers I have inherited over the years. I spent a little while trying to master that Matarelli whip finisher. Overall, it came out good and looked a lot like the picture in my recipe book. Now on to some bigger and better things.



Getting organized...



Off to a good start?



I'd eat that....

Now, that's good lookin G-Gnat!!

There you go. How does it do in the glass test?

A Griffiths gnat is a must have fly in your box on tailwater and any place else that has midge hatches. I have a row in my tailwater box. Big fish will eat a midge. I usually tie em in size 20 and 22. Use Frogs Fanny to dress em.

Remember they imitate a midge cluster not just a single insect.

I like to put a little 2mm foam under the peacock herl to aid in floatation. You don't need a lot, just a little sliver...

Ok, explain "the glass test". Sounds interesting.

I bought some Frog's Fanny but I never use it and I don't really understand how to apply it or use it. Should this fly be fished like an emerger or a surface dry fly?

Buffalo,

The "glass test" is this. Fill a drinking glass with water about 3/4 up. drop in the fly and see from the side how it rides in the water.

To dress a fly with Froggs Fanny you just tie your fly on, drop it in the bottle, shake it a bit, then pull it out by the tippet. You can pre dress them with other products when you tie them but Froggs Fanny is for on the water. I like to use Gink for most flies but ones that are realy "puffy" like CDC, Froggs Fanny is best.

p.s. when its realy cold out, Froggs Fanny is better the oils like Gink get realy thick and are hard to squeeze out.

Ok, I figured that's what the glass test was. I just needed a shove in the right direction.

I have tried to apply the Frog's Fanny once or twice but it never seemed to adhere to the fly very well. Even when I followed the directions. I do like the Gink. Sometimes I think I glob too much on at times and make my fly a gummy mess.

The Froggs Fanny works more like a drying agent than a flotant. As far as the Gink is concerned here is the best way to do it. Sqeeze out just a bit on your finger, then rub your thumb and finger togeather, then just lightly rub the fly, be sure to push up on anything like elk or deer hair wings to get the underside. Also, make sure you flip the fly and dress the underside, as this is what is most often touching the water. When your tying flies, somethimes the materials you choose can help you out. For instance, I like to use deer hair on my caddis's because it is hollow and aids in keeping the fly up through multiple hits.

Also, I like to pre-treat my dry fly materials with watershed. Dubbing, hackles, hairs, whatever. Just remember, you need to let it cure for @ 24hrs before you fish it. The stuff works wonders on dry materials.