Ants!

Personally, I fish ants all the time. The fish see them on a daily basis as they fall in the river off trees and/or hit the water by accident when flying ants are around. You don't have to wait for a "hatch" either. Fishing ants close to the bank, or undercut is a very productive technique. I used to think that using foam to produce the flies was "cheating", but now as I am older and have less patience, foam ants are what I tie.
 
kmudgn said:
Personally, I fish ants all the time. The fish see them on a daily basis as they fall in the river off trees and/or hit the water by accident when flying ants are around. You don't have to wait for a "hatch" either. Fishing ants close to the bank, or undercut is a very productive technique. I used to think that using foam to produce the flies was "cheating", but now as I am older and have less patience, foam ants are what I tie.
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I fish ants wet/drowned… 😉
 
Brute said:
Zak, when you fish this, does it actually sink or float in the film near the top?…its my next ant tie…
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It floats in the film (or sinks very slowly) if fished by itself on a floating line.

When I want to fish it deeper, I hang it off the back of a weighted nymph. Though I suppose you could tie it a heavy wire hook to make it sink.
 
I always carry flying ants in my lake dry fly box. I need them about once every 5 years but when there's an ant fall the dry fly fishing is spectacular. The pattern I use comes from a Michael Fong article in Outdoor Life in May 1970. The article was titled A Fly For All Seasons. You pull black deer hair over black dubbing to make the rear hump. Brown hackle sparse in the middle and then you dub the front hump and tie on hackle tip wings.

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Anyone else remember the article. It made an impression on me.

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Steve Raymond has a much simpler pattern consisting of two humps of poly pro dubbing with 20-30 strands of deer hair tied a the head over the body. It floats low in the water. Both patterns work.
 
HauntedByWaters said:
When I was young fishing small streams in Western Washington, I used to carry an Elk Hair Caddis and a Drowned Ant. I’m no expert but those always worked anywhere.
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Those two go great together, with the ant as a dropper. I often fish the drowned ant as a dropper in the film behind a caddis or small muddler.
 
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I call this my mountain ant. Sz. 16. Tuft of black dubbing in back, turn of brown hackle, small tuft cinnamon up front. It was deadly this morning. I don't see the flying ones when I'm out.
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ants and beetles my absolute fave way of fishing at a fave lake from mid summer until the weather changes.
Under electric power I'll nudge along about 40' or so from the shoreline and land a bug wherever a bush is overhanging and deeper water is just yards from the shoreline...the takes are explosive and as much fun as a divorcee on vacation down in Cabo after her 4th shot of tequila...
 
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SurfnFish said:
ants and beetles my absolute fave way of fishing at a fave lake from mid summer until the weather changes.
Under electric power I'll nudge along about 40' or so from the shoreline and land a bug wherever a bush is overhanging and deeper water is just yards from the shoreline...the takes are explosive and as much fun as a divorcee on vacation down in Cabo after her 4th shot of tequila...
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I’ll take a whole lot of that Cabo action!!
 
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