Ant patterns

[tracker12]

I need to tie up some cinnamon ants. From what I see I need some hackle. What kind of hackle do I need for them. I also need a place to get some since there are no shops in my immediate area. I guess I do not need much to tie up a dozen or so.

 

[NCPAtrtbum]

Drop sandfly a PM, he'll hook you up.

 

[ryguyfi]

lash foam to a hook... done.

Hackle is optional. Add cdc if you have it.

another pattern is just 2 small balls of dubbing. Let it sink just a bit.


My advise when it comes to tying flies (especially if you're just starting out) Keep it simple. You'll end up remortgaging your house if you buy everything you "need" to start tying. Go to a craft store and buy a few different colors of foam sheets. Cut a small strip, and put it on a hook. Try black, brown, red and ORANGE (shhh it's a secret on paflyfish)


Ryan

 

[Fishidiot]

Tracker,
For hackle, you might look to buy one of those little packs or boxes with a few hackles - any reddish brown color will suffice. I tie virtually all my (surface) terrestrials with foam now as Ryguy suggests. However, as you get further down into smaller sizes, generally #20 and smaller, you'll get diminishing returns with foam and for the very small cinnamon ants, I use fur body rather than foam. One good aspect of fur body ants is they can be fished wet. I actually tie some of my wet ants with bead heads to sink 'em. Don't underestimate ant flies fished wet - have plenty of these and tie 'em on as a dropper when you're nymph fishing.

 

[bam]

I've done well my last few times out on hard bodied black ants in larger sizes... 10s and 12s fished wet. If you see them on the forest floor, chances are trout know what they are too. I actually used small black rubber legs instead of hackle for legs

 

[beadhead2]

You can use deer hair,crystal flash,rubber leg material etc instead of hackle

 

[gfen]

Only ant I generally tie is just a simple size 14 parachute. White or orange post, two balls of black dubbing on either side of it, and heavily wound with a stiff grizzly hackle.

 

[Lonewolve]

I totally agree wit Gfen, i have McMurray ant bodies up the kazoo,since they wont be made any more i dont tie those,my favorite is a parachute with white,hot orange, chartreuse,hot red,or Black/white combo wing posts one of any of these colors when you use the black and white combo it shows up great at the silver hour..you know when you are fishing and the angle of light off the water literally makes you lose the fly..works like a charm. only thing i do is clip small v fore and aft to help the fly sit lower in the film just like a real ant.tied in sizes#12-#22 in black body,cinnamon body, and i also tie the black/red combo.
I wonder does anyone tie the transparent ant that Harrison Steeves popularized using thread and epoxy.i hear they work damn good
Tight Wraps & Tight lines
Rick Wallace

 

[tracker12]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am heading up to the Gunpowder tomorrow afternoon so plan on dunking a few ants and beetles. I tied up a few brown and black in size 18 using dubbing and a few hackles I got from the Orvis store. The fish on the GP are very finicky so we will see if these work.

 

[RowJimmy]

Big sloppy indicator dry with the ant tied about 3 ft off the bend with a tiny piece shot killed it for me yesterday on a highly pressured tailwater. I got about 19 million refusals before I sunk it. Once it went under they killed it.

 

[BelAirSteve]

RowJimmy wrote:
I got about 19 million refusals before I sunk it. Once it went under they killed it.

Jimmy, we've told you a billion times to stop exaggerating ;-)

 

[PaulG]

tracker12 wrote:
Thanks for the suggestions. I am heading up to the Gunpowder tomorrow afternoon so plan on dunking a few ants and beetles. I tied up a few brown and black in size 18 using dubbing and a few hackles I got from the Orvis store. The fish on the GP are very finicky so we will see if these work.

Tracker

The trout on the GP love the orange ant, I caught a lot of trout with it. Try them sometime you'll like the results.

PaulG

 

[tracker12]

Fished the Gunpowder last Friday and had a pretty good day for me. I ended up catching two of my fish on brown ants and had a few missed hits.

Paul
What are the tying details on the orange ants..

By the way those little buggers are hard to see on a drift.

 

[Wulff]

I'm a dubbed body ant guy. Two turns of hackle in between. Nice and simple, very effective. Cheap as hell.

 

[tracker12]

Paul
Thanks for the Pattern. Hope to tie a few up this week and ginve them a try as soon as this heat wave breaks.

 

[1WHIZ]

Where abouts is the Gunpowder?

 

[gutcutter]

i have McMurray ant bodies up the kazoo,since they wont be made any more i dont tie those
Tight Wraps & Tight lines
Rick Wallace

Why not?
They have worked for me for over 30 years.

If you are afraid that you will run out of bodies and don't want to tie on them, then I'll take them - but first you'll have to wash them, 'cause they're up your kazoo

Or are you waiting for the salons to start putting them into ladies hairdo's so the price goes up before you sell them? :lol:

A foam "post" tied in the center of the shank of a dry fly hook and then wrapped with two turns of hackle is an exact replica of a McMurray ant.
And they still work great!

 

[tracker12]

So what do I need to tie the McMurry Ant? More of what type size of saddle for the hackle. Can I use red foam?

Also where is the best source for foam. I thouight there was a good source frpom a doistributor in PA somewhere.

 

[beadhead2]

Here are some ant patterns I have tied

 

[gutcutter]

tracker12 wrote:
So what do I need to tie the McMurry Ant? More of what type size of saddle for the hackle. Can I use red foam?
.

Any "post" or cylinder of foam works. Match the diameter to the desired ant size
Red is a great color.
Use it as is or color it with a sharpie leaving a contrasting tip.

Simple tie:
1-Start thread in center of the hook shank.
2-Attach foam cylinder with TIGHT wraps to accentuate the ant's "waist".
3-no more than 3 turns of hackle the same sizing as standard dry fly
4-clip cylinder to length fore and aft
5-clip hackle from the underside.
Done
Catch fish