Archive for June, 2008

Hook: Any standard dry fly hook in sizes #14-20.
Thread: 6/0 Black or rust brown (cinnamon).
Body: Black or Rust Brown (cinnamon) Superfine Dry Fly Dubbing.
Wings: Midge flash or Hy-Vis material, tied in between ant body segments.
Hackle post: Poly fibers. (I use poly in white, chartreuse and florescent orange.) Tied in the middle of ant body segment closest to the eye.
Hackle: 1 brown hackle or grizzly hackle.

When the weather turns hot and there’s not many insects hatching, this is a great “go to” pattern. It’s like ice cream or candy to the trout. It’s an especially good fly pattern on the Farmington River. At times on the “Farmy” there are so many ants in the air it mimics a mayfly hatch. Trout love ants.

More protein than any comparably sized mayfly. During the summer, I fish along river embankments, especially those with brush and tree overhangs, and love tossing terrestrials at fish. Tie your ants up in a variety of sizes, black and cinnamon.

I’ve also experimented with orange ants which work quite well. That’s the fun in fly tying. If you don’t want to use a parachute post, wrap hackle like a traditional dry fly between the two body segments. I like using the Hy-Vis wings. For me, ants with wings on them tend to be more productive. Also try using closed cell foam instead of dubbing for the body segments.