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| Fly recipe Hook: Light Wire Dry Fly Hook (Dai Riki # 300) Thread: Black 6/0 Uni Thread Body: Black Superfine Dubbing Post: Pink or white Poly Yarn Hackle: Grizzly Hackle Tying instructions: Step 1: Insert the hook into the vise and attach the thread to the hook in the middle of the hook shank. Step 2: Advance your thread forward to the front third of the hook shank. This is where we will make the parachute post on the fly. Step 3: Cut a small piece of poly yarn and tie it on using a fiqure eight style wrap to secure the poly yarn to the top of the hook. Once the poly yarn is secure to the hook twist it around so that it lays on the bottom side of the hook shank. Once the Poly yarn is on the bottom end of the hook shank pull both ends up and around the hook shank. Form a small ramp of thread in front of and behind the poly yarn so that it stands straight up in the air. Now wrap your thread off the hook shank and around the poly yarn to form a post to wrap the hackle around the parachute. This is a standard way of making a parachute post, if you have questions please refer to a tyers manual for instructions. Step 4: Once the Parachute Post is made wrap your thread to the rear of the hook. Step 5: Grab a clump of the Black Super fine dubbing and form a dubbing noodle on the thread. Wrap the dubbing noodle around the hook shank to form the rear portion of the ant body. The body should be a small ball of dubbing that takes up about a third of the hook shank. Step 6: Now that the rear portion of the ant is formed remove any excess dubbing and advance your thread forward covering all of the hook shank with black thread. You will want to leave a space between the rear and front segment of the body. Step 7: Once you are close to the parachute post select a nice grizzly hackle of the approriate size and strip some of the fibers from the base of the hackle. I personally like to stip off about a half inch of the fibers. Step 8: Grab your prepared hackle and attach it right next to the parachute post you formed earlier. You will want the hackle to ride up the post as you add your dubbing to form the front half of the ant body. Step 9: With the hackle in place grab some more superfine dubbing and form another dubbing noodle on your thread. Wrap the dubbing in front of and behind the parachute post to form another small ball which will represent the front of the ant. Step 10: At this point you should have your thread, without any more dubbing on it, right at the front of the hook next to the eye. Step 11: Once you have a nice flat base for the head of the fly grab your hackle fibers and wrap them on the parachute post. I prefer to get the hackle to the top of the post right away and then make each subseguent wrap under the previous one. Work the hackle to the base of the head and then pull the fibers forward against the eye of the hook and tie off the hackle with your thread. Step 12: After you have tied off the hackles trim off the excess material and pull any of the hackle fibers out of the way. Make a clean head on the fly and whip finish to secure the last portion of the fly. Trim off the thread and apply a drop of head cement to make a durable fly. Notes: This is a very simple and basic ant pattern. I use this fly through out most of the fall and have had great success with it on the spring creeks, Yellowstone, Missouri, Gallatin, Madison and many others. You can add materials such as antron for a wing to represent flying ants or you can change the dubbing color. There are many variations that you can make from this simple and effective fly. Have fun with it and fish it hard throughout the fall. |
