Hook: Size #14 to #20 hook. Diachii 1530 or hook of choice.
Tying thread: 6/0 black, cinnamon brown, or orange
thread.
Body: Formed by two bumps of thread. The rear bump slightly larger than the front
bump.
Finish: UV Resin of choice. Both bumps are coated and cured with UV
Resin.
Legs/Hackle: Black neck hackle.
If
you fly fish the Housatonic, or especially if you fish the Farmington, you want
to have some ant patterns in your box.
In late August into September, keep on the ‘look out’ for massive ant
hatches. It usually happens right after
a rain storm. Although most fly guys fish
floating ant patterns, I love fishing this “Drowned Ant”. It is a very easy tie, in fact it’s probably
the easiest fly to tie that I’ve ever posted.
Start
your thread and create a small cylindrical bump behind the eye of the
hook. If you divide the hook into
thirds, the front bump will occupy the 1st third of the hook shank. Next move your thread to the rear third of
the fly and create a bump slightly bigger than the front one. This bump will occupy the rear third of the
hook shank. Tie and clip off your
thread. In between the two bumps there
should be a slim layer of thread to be used as a base for your
legs/hackle. Now coat both bumps of the
fly with UV Resin. Cure the resin with
your UV light. Finally, in the middle
third of the fly tie in your black hackle for the legs. Take only one or two wraps. Tie and clip off your hackle and whip finish
your ant.
I
know other ant patterns use dubbing to form the body of the fly. I like this one because the thread and UV
finish has less buoyancy. The ant sinks
better. Remember, ants come in a few
colors. I tie some black ants, cinnamon
brown ants, and orange ants. I also mix
and match colors. I might tie an ant
with a black front bump, and tie the rear of the ant in brown or orange. My favorite way to fish it is in tandem with
a nymph. The ant is almost always my top
fly.
Jim Misiura
has an excellent instructional video on how to tie a drowned ant below:
One thing he does different than me is apply
UV Resin as each segment of the ant is completed. I find it faster to apply it before tying in
my legs. It also helps to avoid getting resin
on my hackle if I apply it after my ant bumps are completed.
If
you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of the
Month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or at pdinice@frontier.com .
