Griffith's Gnat

Tying steps

1. Start the thread one eye-length behind the hook eye and lay a smooth foundation back to the bend.
2. Strip the webby fibers from the base of a grizzly hackle sized about one hook gap. Tie it in at the bend by the bare stem with the shiny (convex) side facing forward, tip pointing off the back of the hook.
3. Select 2-3 fine peacock herls, break off the fragile tips, and tie them in by the tips at the bend on top of the hackle stem. If you added a wire rib, tie it in here too.
4. Advance the thread forward to one eye-length behind the eye.
5. Wrap the herl forward in touching turns to the hanging thread, tie it off, and trim the excess. For a tougher body, twist the herls around your tying thread first and wrap the resulting chenille.
6. Palmer the hackle forward through the body in 4-5 evenly spaced open turns. Tie it off behind the eye and trim the tip.
7. If using wire, counter-wrap it forward through the hackle, wiggling it so it does not trap fibers, and tie off.
8. Build a small thread head, whip finish, and add a tiny drop of head cement. Optionally trim the bottom hackle flush so the fly sits lower in the film.