Ants
By Gianluca Nocentini

Though ants are a marginal food in the fish diet, when time of arrival of these insects, every flyfisher must have those imitations in the flybox.

The time of the ants is, in general, in Summer and Autumn, when winged ants are making their flights to new territories, and in warm windy days when little ants fall in the river from the surrounding vegetation and the banks.

When it happens, trout and grayling  became almost addicted to these, it may be because that they taste good.

Ants are in general in two colours (black, the prevalent colour, and cinnamon-brown), the size is from hook 14-22, winged in size 14-18 and wingless in size 16-22 and also smaller.

Ants have a body that repels water, so they float on the surface film, half in and half out the water. The most significant peculiarity is a big abdomen and a small bump (the head) these two bumps are divided from each other with a very slender thorax.

You must consider this shape and make the two bumps separated from each other with a long and slender thorax, this is the most important step in tying the imitations of these insects.

Black ant
Hook: Tiemco 103BL size 15-17-19-21
Thread: Black 8/0
Abdomen: Black peacock Ice dub
Head: Black peacock Ice dub
Hackle: Black, clipped on the bottom

Diabolo
Hook: Daiichi 1100 16-18-20
Thread: Black 8/0
Hackle: Black

Winged ant
Hook: Daiichi 1100 16-18 20
Thread: Black 8/0
Abdomen: Black fur
Head: Black fur
Legs: Fibers of black moose
Hackle: Black
Wing: Grey goose section

Foam ant
Hook: Tiemco 103BL 15-17-19
Thread: Black 8/0
Body: (abdomen and head) rounded black foam
Hackle: Black seal fur twisted into a dubbing rope
Indicator: White open cell foam.

By Gianluca Nocentini 2007 ©