Zebra Midge and Griffith Gnat: Project Healing Waters

It has been a slow summer for Project Healing Waters across the country, but we are hoping to be back out with the veterans very soon.  In the meantime, here is a throwback to earlier this year and our online tying seminars. During this session, Don Fine took us through tying the Zebra Midge & Griffith Gnat. Both patterns are relatively easy to tie and are extremely effective.

The zebra midge represents the early midge life cycle and can be fished anytime of year but is the most effective in later fall to winter. This fly is typically works best on small to midsized rivers and as the dropper in a tandem rig. The key here is to let the fly drift on its’ own. We started with a size 14 Caddis Pupae hook and added a bead head, black wire, silver wire, black thread, and finished off with a tiny amount of dubbing right behind the bead. You can add a tail, green or red as well.

The gnat, on the other hand, describes flying insects (diptera, or two wings). Same as the house fly, sometimes called a lake fly. Gnat patterns mimic the midge when it is ready to fly off the water.  It can also represent a group of dead gnats that have clumped together.  Winter is a great time for this pattern. You will find midges around ponds and streams in the late afternoon or evenings (look like clouds of insects). We started with a size 12 wide gap hook and added pheasant feather (sized accordingly) and peacock hurl (always snip the thin end so it doesn’t break on you).

Hopefully we will all be out on the water soon, putting all of the flies we tied to good use and I can write about all the fish we are catching.

If you have any questions or would like to participate in any of our upcoming fly tying sessions at Fort Detrick, please reach out to me at any time at andrewfrutiger@yahoo.com or go to our Facebook page at Project Healing Waters — Frederick Chapter.

By Andrew Frutiger

Help Wanted

Our Project Healing Waters team is looking for help. We are always looking for volunteers — and more so now as we get back to having in-person monthly meetings.

We have an immediate need for help with inputting data into Project Healing Water’s CRM system. This helps us log and track who is attending our meetings and outings. This is great way to get involved and is perfect for someone to do at home.

If you are interested or would like to learn more about helping, contact us.