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January Fly Salon- Marabunta

3K views 25 replies 8 participants last post by  Polar Shrimp 
#1 ·
Ok, for those of you not familiar with 1954's "The Naked Jungle" we are talking ants here.

Thirty years of fly fishing and I can honestly say I don't have a "go to" ant pattern. Kind of frustrating, since aside from a beetle, they are probably the most effective terrestrial and are present a good 9 months out of the year. Placed behind a hopper, Craig Mathews claims you'll get four to five fish on the ant for every one on the hopper. Anyone who has stumbled upon a swarm of flying ants on the water knows how important it is to have a good pattern.

My main issue with ants is they are hard to see. When I try to improve visibility on a pattern, it stops resembling an ant. I suppose a visible wing may be the best solution. I primarily use ants as a second fly behind something more visible. When I come to a swirling pool of foam with trout heads popping up, my first thought is an ant, but I always go with a more visible beetle.

Any time there are a gazillion options, it usually means there isn't a perfect solution. I've tied ants consisting of two balls of fuzz with a hackle, deer hair bodies, foam, CDC, etc. There are chernobyl ants, Amy's ant, Ant Acid and a plethora of known ant patterns out there. In my quest for the perfect ant pattern, I'd like to see what you've come up with as your go to pattern. I'll be interested in seeing what you use for bodies, legs, wings, posts, etc.

Be warned that this is an ant thread:

"Liking" anyone's post or fly puts you at risk of being called a sycophant.
Including ant balls as a hotspot probably makes you a deviant.
Remember, ants are gender confused creatures because even their uncles are ants.
And when a young couple decides to run off to Vegas....antelope.

Sorry, enough of this banter. Show me your ants!
 
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#2 ·
Hmmm, after the anemic response to last month's BWO Fly Salon, I thought simple ant patterns would be a no brainer to get a variety of patterns.

Recognizing the "Fly Salon" is in need of CPR, I will inject one last bit of life here before letting it fade into the WFF graveyard (dead ant, dead ant....)

CDC RED ANT: Dubbed orange antron wrapped with orange CDC ala Hans CDC & Elk body, wing of Gadwall feather loop with McFlyon teased on either side of the loop, black antron dubbing overwrapped with black CDC in split thread.
 
#6 ·
Recognizing the "Fly Salon" is in need of CPR, I will inject one last bit of life here before letting it fade into the WFF graveyard (dead ant, dead ant....)
Much like in high school/college, I like to wait until the last minute to turn in my work. There's still a fair bit of January left for me to procrastinate! Also, neat fly, I'd fish that.
 
#5 ·
Any time the Salon get's too detailed/specific, it gets 'thin' in regards to responses. I think a generic 'terrestrials' challenge would have gone over a bit better. Just my $.02

It's hard to find a topic that everyone can groove on here, some guys fish all, some just salt, anadramous, still waters, or trout...
I'm keen to participate, but don't really angle for trout, and definitely don't tie for them...yet :).
 
#9 ·
The one on the bottom I used to make with painted balsa wood on monofilament.
Interesting stuff, basla wood. What better place than an ant Salon to learn some interesting facts about tying materials?

The balsa wood tree, scientifically named Ochroma lagopus, is a relatively fast growing plant found primarily in Central and South America. These trees grow best under the conditions found in rainforests, ideally in mountainous terrain between rivers. The country of Ecuador is perhaps the largest exporter of the wood, although many local farmers consider the plant to be little more than a weed.

Balsa is one of the lightest varieties of wood available, but not the absolute lightest. It is remarkably strong for its weight, however. Originally, the US military sought out balsa wood as a substitute for cork during World War I, but it soon proved more useful as a lightweight construction material for gliders and shipping containers. Hobbyists also began to work with it because it could be carved easily with standard woodworking tools and bent into a number of shapes without sacrificing strength.
Unlike some "crop woods" such as pine, balsa traditionally has not been grown in large groves or stands. The trees propagate much like dandelions - seeds are attached to soft tufts and carried off by the wind. If the seed lands in an area without direct sunlight, such as the dark canopy of the deep forest, it simply won't grow. A few lucky seeds may land in a sunlit patch or field and germinate, often to the chagrin of the farmer who owns the property. Balsa trees grow rapidly during their first five years, providing some shade to other plants with their oversized leaves.

The ideal balsa wood tree for harvesting is between six and ten years old. After ten years, the inner core of the tree begins to rot and the outer layers become useless. The tree is naturally fortified by water stored in large cells.

There may only be one or two balsa trees in an entire acre (0.4 hectares) of land, so harvesting is usually performed by one or two native workers with axes and carving knives for bark removal. The hewn trees are carried to the river and bundled for easier water transport to the processing plant. Barges carry the trees all the way to ports in the United States.

Raw balsa wood has a high moisture content, so it must be dried in a kiln for at least two weeks before it can be used commercially. The drying process creates an ultralight wood that is usually cut into sheets or round dowels. It does have a grain, so consumers should be aware of what type of cut they need for a specific project. Some is cut across the grain, which makes it suitable for carving but not for weight-bearing struts. Many people may remember the toy balsa airplanes sold in stores, so it is easy to imagine how fragile this wood can be.
 
#12 ·
Does it have to be a floating ant or are sinking ants OK?

Of course your c,ant see a sinking ant either but you can put them on a dropper

J
Sinking would be fine, they work better drowned anyway. I'll take anything the way this Salon is going. I was about to post a picture of my aunt Marilyn.

Here's some interesting observations and Ralph Cutter's approach to ants:
http://www.flyline.com/entomology/ants/
 
#17 ·
Fin, those are awesome, simply can't be beat.



I think I put that on a size 14. According to Cutter's write up, however, size doesn't matter ;) since ants present themselves in all sorts or contorted forms. He does claim that most people fish an ant that is too small.
 
#22 ·
Looks great Gary! I can just imagine a giant trout rising to that.

Thanks also to Jack for reaching back to the 1930s for a pattern!

I attended a lecture by Bill Clinton this past week and the discussion turned to ants. He mentioned that the biomass of ants is greater than the biomass of all human beings. That's a lot of fish food and I think worthy of some great patterns.
 
#23 ·
Special thanks to Jack and Gary for keeping this Salon from being a total disaster, but I think I gotta go with FinLuver's "LIkeable" as my pick for January. You just can't argue with the success of a well eaten pattern that was still catching fish.

FinLuver, pick something more appealing than ants!
 
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