Ants for Brown Trout

[joshmel]

I have heard stories about people have allot of success with ants to catch brown trout. Can anyone suggest why this might be?

 

[jayL]

They are protein filled, can't swim, and fall from the trees all summer long.

An ant is my go-to prospecting fly for most freestone streams all summer long.

 

[tomgamber]

Kick a streamside bush on a warm day...somethings gonna fall out of it...If you got that in your box, you good to go...

 

[MKern]

Josh, you ever eat chocolate covered ants? They're tasty! :lol:

Just kiddin, Jay pretty much nailed it. They can't get away.

I just want to add that never under estimate the fishing catching ability of a drowned ant. Ants are only stuck on the surface for a few minutes before they are swept to the middle of the stream's current and sink to the middle of the water column.

However, I prefer the parachute dry version, but when fishing ants I'm sure to have winged ants in black and tiny red (because every late summer, when the new queens emerge they fly onto the water's surface like a "hatch" -- it's cause they are attacted to shiny surfaces).

 

[jayL]

it's cause they are attacted to shiny surfaces.

I totally feel their pain.

 

[David]

Also, you can find ants anywhere you find trout. And they are available to the trout just about anytime it is above freezing. The trout get to know the ants just from the ants being consistently presented almost year 'round...even if not en mass like a hatch. kinda like strawberries to us (or chocolate covered ants?)...you know they're good, so when you see them available, ya eat them.

One of my favorite tricks is right after a rain...as the run-off starts to hit the stream, but before the stream gets discolored...is to pound the banks with ants or bumble bees. I've gotten some heavy browns that way.

Hey, maybe I'll get my wife some chocolate covered ants for Vday...thanks for the idea

 

[flybop]

Here is about a million reasons. This ant hill was just a few yards from a trout stream, the Smith River in Montana.

Once fishing the Yellow Breeches black birds kept landing in the bushes overhanging the water. Every time one landed it knocked some ants into the water. The trout and I caught on fast. All I had to do was wait for a black bird, and time my cast. It was almost too easy.

 

[tomgamber]

man, those are nasty...look almost like termites...

 

[JeffK]

You will find large carpenter ants crawling all over every streamside tree in the Northeast. Large (12 or even 10) sinking ants can be deadly some days. Bigger foam ants can catch tricky fish too.

When flying ants swarm in the late summer a bunch of ants hitting the water will really get the browns feeding. Unfortunately, those guys are pretty small and it is more like trico fishing where your fly is hard to follow.

 

[jayL]

By the way, my go to pattern:

Size 16-22 dry fly hook.

Cut a strip of black foam about as long as the hook shank. Play around with various widths.

Lash the foam down at the 1/3 and 2/3 points along the shank.

Done. It catches plenty of fish. If you wish, put some orange yarn or poly in at the front tie down point.

 

[Padraic]

Definately carry ants whenever you go out. Even when trout are rising to hatch or swarm of aquatic insects, you can get trout on ants. It can make a day when the trout are too fussy to get with traditional "match the hatch" fishing.

 

[scotto]

use a foam body ant and drop a "drowned" ant 18" behind. Killer summer/fall combo

 

[pete41]

The Letort style of spun fur ant from 18 to 28 in black,cinnamon and tan is a great go to fly in PA. and out West as it will suffice to get some takes when ever trout are midging on even really tough streams like Armstrongs in Montana,Slate run,Youngwomans,Penn and other popular Pa. streams.Great on ponds in the evening with a little twitch and of course deadly for terr.fishing.
It may not be THE best fly when they are midging but seldom will you get skunked and you don't have to carry dozens of patterns.

Don't over dress the spun fur and just one or one and a half turns of hackle about the length of 1/2 the body.Sparse is good.
Better fly for young eyes .lol

 

[Acristickid]

I too believe in the ant. Great for in between hatches.

Next time I head to MT I will be looking you up flybop!

Paul

 

[jerseygeorge]

Size 16-22 dry fly hook.
Cut a strip of black foam about as long as the hook shank. Play around with various widths.
Lash the foam down at the 1/3 and 2/3 points along the shank.

Jay-

No hackle, wing or feet? Just a strip of foam?

JG

 

[jayL]

jerseygeorge wrote:

Jay-

No hackle, wing or feet? Just a strip of foam?

JG

Yep.

Just a little foam ant body lashed to a hook. It works like a damn charm.

I've tied them with deer hair legs, and occasionally, I'll put some hackle either parachute or traditional style around the tie in points. I've honestly found it to be unnecessary though. I can tie two dozen in a half hour and I'm good for the season.

 

[MKern]

Just a little foam ant body lashed to a hook. It works like a damn charm.

It's probably getting those reaction type stikes. When the fly hits the water, the shock wave it send attracts some fish, follwed by and explosive strike.

 

[troutbert]

Ants are good for brown trout. And brook trout, and rainbow trout, and cutthroat trout...

 

[jayL]

MKern wrote:

Just a little foam ant body lashed to a hook. It works like a damn charm.

It's probably getting those reaction type stikes. When the fly hits the water, the shock wave it send attracts some fish, follwed by and explosive strike.

It gets almost undetectable sips too. I maintain that the legs don't do much to convince the fish. It rides lower in the film without them, and I think that is a plus. I hardly ever tie it in anything smaller than 18 or 20. I'd probably use a bit more realistic pattern in a larger size. I don't like to fish complicated flies... the other fishermen already do too much to educate the damn fish.

It's like this without the legs, and a bit fatter body.

 

[flybop]

.

tomgamber wrote:
man, those are nasty...look almost like termites...

Four guys in our group pitched their big tent and right before dark they realized that they had the tent almost on an ant hill. The inside of the tent was crawling with the ants. They were lucky in that they did not have their sleeping bads in the tent yet. They were also lucky that it did not rain.