Dry FlyintermediateRocky Mountain West
Griffith's Gnat
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Rocky Mountain Fly Design
Matched on Rocky Mountain West, dry flies, trout. Colorado tier and shop lead for Rocky Mountain trout, bass, and predator patterns.
Taos Fly Shop
Matched on Rocky Mountain West, dry flies, trout. New Mexico/Southwest trout shop lead for Rio Grande, San Juan, Pecos, and high desert water.
Fly Fish Food
Matched on dry flies, trout, midge. Strong technical tying and trout catalog coverage, especially nymphs, dries, and stillwater flies.
Orvis Fly Catalog
Matched on dry flies, trout, midge. Broad retail catalog for standard trout, warmwater, salmon/steelhead, and saltwater patterns.
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George Griffith, founder of Trout Unlimited, created a fly so small you need reading glasses to tie it on and faith to believe it is floating. The Griffith's Gnat imitates a cluster of midges on the surface -- because even trout understand that individually, midges are barely worth the effort. Fished in sizes that make your tippet look like a bridge cable, it is the fly that separates the patient from the frustrated.
Quick Facts
Where to Fish It
South Platte River
CO · Tailwater
Big Horn River
MT · Tailwater
San Juan River
NM · Tailwater
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Related Reading
hatch guide
The Complete Guide to Mayfly Hatches
Mayflies are the foundation of trout-stream entomology. This guide covers every major hatch — BWOs, PMDs, Green Drakes, Sulphurs, Tricos, and Hendricksons — with the biology, timing, and fly selections you need to fish them effectively across the country.
hatch guide
Midge Fishing: The Tiny Flies That Save the Day
When every other hatch has shut down, midges keep trout feeding. From winter tailwaters to high-altitude stillwaters, Chironomidae are the most abundant insects in freshwater ecosystems. Learning to fish these tiny patterns unlocks twelve months of dry-fly and nymphing opportunities.
technique
Water Temperature: The Master Variable
Water temperature controls everything. Metabolism, feeding intensity, insect emergence, dissolved oxygen, where fish hold, and whether they'll eat your fly. Understanding thermal dynamics across freshwater and saltwater systems is the single most reliable way to predict fishing quality before you even leave the truck.
seasonal playbook
The Winter Guide: Cold Water, Warm Hands, Willing Fish
Winter separates the dedicated from the fair-weather crowd. The rivers are empty, the hatches are tiny, and the fish feed in slow motion. But they do feed — they have to. And the angler who understands cold-water metabolism, midge biology, and the art of slowing down will find winter fishing not just productive but deeply rewarding.
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