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I’ve come to think of the
large black carpenter ant as one of the most important trout stream insects of
late spring & early summer, as it is certainly true in the forested region
I fish. The first ant flights of the season occur during the warmest days of
May & continue into July – & altogether there may be a dozen major
swarms during the course of the May-July hatch season.
The large, clumsy ants are
weak flyers & a great many end up in the water on both lakes & streams,
bringing up the largest trout to feed. The wings break away easily, &
during the struggle on the water the ants often shed their wings, hence, in my
own experience, a winged imitation is not necessary for fishing the water (though
I do carry winged floaters during ‘hatches’ when a lot of ants are present on
the water & fish are actively feeding on them – I’ll take dryfly action
whenever it presents itself). If you’ve ever squashed one, you may have noticed
that carpenter ants are juicy, & they must taste good too, because trout
take the imitation readily through the hatch season.
(Smart trout feeding on tiny
mayflies can sometimes be diverted to a well-presented #8 black ant.)
Carpenter ants in my
neighborhood are a healthy ¾ of an inch long, they are heavy & don’t float
for long, drown, & are tumbled throughout the water column. I’ve found that
a wet version of the ant fishes at least as good as a dry in any circumstance,
but for fishing the water when no surface activity is apparent, the simple
thread-body version tied with a turn of soft hackle is still my favorite.
Black Carpenter Ant
Hook: #8 TMC
2312
Body: Black
UNI 3/0 tying thread – build up thread to shape, beginning at the abdomen &
working forward
