Black Ant

Tied by Earle Gross, egross@granite.mv.net

PATTERN:

Hook: Standard Dry Fly
Thread: # 8/0, Black
Rear Body: Black Dubbing
Hackle: Black
Front Body: Black Dubbing

1. Attach thread just behind the eye. Work back to end of shank before the start of the bend, building a smooth thread base. Dub the rear of the body, trying to achieive a roughly oval shape. This should come to not quite the halfway point on the shank.

2. At front end of rear body, tie in the black hackle, winding the thread forward only about a sixteenth of an inch. Wrap hackle around shank 4-6 times keeping the wraps close together. Tie off hackle at this point and trim excess. Dub the front body in roughly the same shape as the rear but a little smaller. The front body should end right about where you wrapped in your thread.

3. Whip finish and your fly is done. Note that the whip finish should be minimal and as close together as you can make your wraps. You are not trying to build up any sort of head here.

Tying and Fishing Comments:

To acheive a nice smooth look to both parts of the body, you will want to use the finest dubbing you can find. I use Hareline's Superfine brand dubbing for all my dry fly bodies. I haven't had the opportunity to try Partridge's SLF dubbing but I understand it is of similar quality and texture.

This fly is usually fished upstream and along the bank (where you might expect to find an ant) and allowed to drift with the current.

Some small amount of movement to indicate a struggling ant may help. If the fish don't seem to be taking the fly, try trimming the hackle on the bottom of the fly more even with the bottom of the rear body of the ant.

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