1st Annual N.G.T.O. Fly Swap

Fly photos courtesy of Michael Lim.

Bubba's Ant

from the vise of Steve Hudson

Here in the South, ants are a key part of the Summertime diet of trout and panfish, and this is a pattern I developed to allow quick tying of flies to replace the ones that I left in streamside vegetation. You know the saying - if your not losing flies, your not casting close enough to the cover! The heart of it is a small piece of craft foam about 1/16" to 1/8" wide, cut to the approximate length of whatever hook you're using. Cut a strip of foam, then chop it up into lots of bodies. Then start tying. Here's how:

Step 1: Mount hook in vise and start thread, covering the center third or so of the shank. Wind thread back to a point halfway between the point and the eye.

Step 2: Position a pre-cut foam body flat against the hook, then begin tying it to the hook with stacked wraps. As you do, the body will rotate around into proper position atop the hook.

Step 3: Add criss-cross wraps in front of and behind tie-in point, as required, to stabilize body.

Step 4: Tie in three strands of black crystal flash between the segments and on the top of the hook. Alternatives include a turn or two of hackle, trimmed to float flat (more trouble but effective) or even black deer hair (good looking but less durable).

Step 5: Finish thread in front of body and go fishing!

After you've tied a couple of these, you'll find you can knock one out in just a couple of minutes. These ants float very well. If you find basic black is too hard to see, you may want to add a tuft of bright yarn or a dot of bright paint to aid visibility.

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