Tying Ant Fly Fishing Flies, Including our favorite Tanked Ant

Throughout August and through the first big freeze, fish will readily take terrestrials. Dave Whitlock said it best: "[trout] get very excited and boldly aggressive whenever a terrestrial plops on the surface." Even tailwater fish know the silhouette and plop of a plump cricket or ant.
The most obvious way to fish a terrestrial is tight to the banks, which simulates the bug falling, jumping, or being blown onto the water. A less obvious way is to fish a sunken terrestrial as a drowned insect. While these bugs might spend their opening moments on the surface, they do get swept away and then tumble through the water and get eaten "subsurface the same way a mayfly nymph would be eaten." This is why terrestrials can be fished very successfully as a trailing fly behind a more buoyant large foam fly like a Chubby, Llano Bug, or Hippie Stomper.

We like this pattern because it can be tied as a tanked ant or hi viz ant with only a few changes.

Here’s how we tie a foam ant, either tanked or hi viz:

• Hook: TMC 2302, sizes 14-18. This is a cool terrestrial hook. If you can’t find it, a Firehole 718 (https://www.discountflies.com/product...) or Kona BDF (https://www.discountflies.com/product...) are both great substitutes.
• Bead (for Sunken version): 2.3mm bead or smaller, dark color. We like to use a slotted bead because countersunk beads have one side that bored out…we find that slotted beads tie in easier for this purpose. https://www.discountflies.com/product...
• Thread: SemperFli Nano Silk 18/0, Black. https://www.discountflies.com/product...
• Body: 2mm foam, Black. https://www.discountflies.com/product...
• Underwing: Rainbow Midge Flash, Pearl. https://www.discountflies.com/product...
• Wing: CDC Tuft, White or Natural. https://www.discountflies.com/product...
• Hi Viz Post (for Hi Viz version): 2mm foam, Color of Choice. https://www.discountflies.com/product...
• Legs: Insect Legs, Small Black. https://www.discountflies.com/product...
• Underbody: UV Resin, Ultra Thin Black. https://www.discountflies.com/product...

Hi Viz Foam Ant Fishing Fly

Tanked Ant Foam Fishing Fly