Sloshed Ant: Jigged Sunken Ant Pattern for Keyed in Trout Late in the Summer

As summer drones on and comes to a close, terrestrials become more important than ever, and their importance does not stop on the surface. Sunken terrestrials are a fantastic searching fly this time of year. Until things really cool off, aquatic insect hatches are sparse and terrestrials are picking up the slack. Sunken ants are a staple in a trouts diet in the late summer. They are even more important on spring creeks, smaller tributaries, and in burn scars with younger vegetation.

This fly utilizes a new dubbing from our friends at Fulling Mill: Peacock Flash Dub. This dub acts as a substitute to natural Peacock Herl and dyed peacock herls. It has subtle iridescent properties that are present on many insects, especially terrestrials like beetles and ants. This dub is fully synthetic and can be used for both nymphs and dry flies, just like natural Peacock Herl.

My favorite way to fish this fly is as a dropper below a beetle or hopper. Its dark tungsten bead acts like the head of the ant, with the rear dubbing representing the insect’s abdomen. A mix of Starling Hackle and Krystal Flash represent legs. The more stiff Krystal flash holds up in the current giving the appearance of legs jetting out from the body, while the starling collapses and pulsates with the water looking like a struggling insect. With both of these, anglers really have the best of both worlds. Tie some up and find that big trout that is keyed in on clumsy ants.

-Simon