The trout of summer eat ants as readily as children eat candy — or as adults like me eat chocolate. I still have weak moments, even now in my fifties. Unlike me, however, trout tend to eat only what is good for them — with the exception of a well-presented fly. Fish never tire of eating fat ants that lose their footing during the warm winds of summer and fall onto the water. There are many patterns for imitating this trout candy. My favorite is an easy to tie black size 12 winged imitation, which I like to dead drift on the lazy stretches of a stream.
Start by inserting a size 12 2X-long light-wire hook into your vise. Attach 6/0 black thread behind the eye and wind it down to the end of the shank, stopping just around the bend. Next dub the thread with black Antron dubbing and wrap a ball, representing the ant’s round abdomen, stopping at a point above the barb. For the wings, choose two dun-colored hackle tips about the length of the hook shank. Tie them in by the base of the stem just in front of the dubbed ball. One should angle to the left, the other to the right.
Next, select a size brown 12 hackle and tie the base of the stem to the hook. Advance the thread to where you will tie off the hackle, leaving room to create a smaller dubbed ball representing the ant’s head. Next, grab the tip of the hackle with your hackle pliers and wrap it forward eight or ten turns, stopping a bit before where you will dub the head. The last step is to again dub the thread with black Antron and wind a ball that’s smaller than the rear ball. Tie off, whip finish, and you are done. Add a little head cement at the tie-off point to keep the fly from unraveling.
Give this pattern a try on your favorite water. I never fish during the summer months without this pattern in my box. Leery trout cannot resist temptation when this fly is dead drifted on slow, meandering portions of the stream. You will have sweet success. It works so well that it’s like offering candy to a child — or chocolate to a middle-aged fishing guide.
— Andy Guibord
