Dry FlyintermediateSouthwest & California
$4.00
Named after the founder of Trout Unlimited, this fly catches fish that appear to be eating nothing. Spoiler: they're eating midges. They're always eating midges.
Hot Creek
CA · Spring Creek
Lees Ferry
AZ · Tailwater
San Juan River
NM · Tailwater
Map unavailable. Locations for Griffith's Gnat: Hot Creek, CA; Lees Ferry, AZ; San Juan River, NM
region guide
In the arid vastness of the American Southwest, cold water is currency and the rivers that carry it hold world-class fly fishing. From the legendary tailwaters below desert dams to alkaline stillwaters teeming with massive trout, the Southwest defies every expectation.
hatch guide
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.
Dry FlyadvancedSouthwest & California
14-20
An elk-hair variation fine-tuned for California's legendary Hot Creek. Sparse, low-riding, and designed for the educated trout that have seen every fly in the book.
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout
Dry FlybeginnerSouthwest & California
12-22
The universal dry fly in its parachute configuration. The white post is visible to anglers while the low-riding body sits in the film where trout expect insects to be.
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout · Brook Trout
Dry FlybeginnerSouthwest & California
12-18
Al Troth's iconic caddis imitation. The buoyant elk hair wing and palmered hackle ride high on turbulent water, imitating adult caddisflies across every western river.
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout
Dry FlybeginnerSouthwest & California
8-16
Randall Kaufmann's versatile attractor dry fly that suggests stoneflies, caddis, and hoppers. The buoyant body and oversized hackle float it through heavy water where selective fish become aggressive.
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Brook Trout
Dry FlyintermediateSouthwest & California
8-12
A large caddis imitation (Dicosmoecus) for the fall emergence. Size #8-10 in burnt orange — these big bugs bring up fish that have been hiding all summer.
Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout
Dry FlybeginnerMidwest & Driftless
#16 - #22
Tiny peacock herl and grizzly hackle pattern imitating midge clusters. Essential when nothing visible is hatching but trout are rising.
Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Rainbow Trout