Hex Mayflies
Hexagenia limbata
The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.
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Insect Family Formicidae (Ants)
Ants are one of the best-known terrestrial food sources for trout. Wingless ants often stumble by accident into the water, making them a very common "occasional" item on the trout's menu. Imitations of these unlucky critters make excellent searching patterns in mid- to late summer.
The real fun with ants, however, comes from the mating swarms of winged species. They are spotty and hard to predict, but when they happen to fall over the water they can draw more trout activity than all but the best hatches of huge mayflies.
The real fun with ants, however, comes from the mating swarms of winged species. They are spotty and hard to predict, but when they happen to fall over the water they can draw more trout activity than all but the best hatches of huge mayflies.
Formicidae Fly Fishing Tips
Ant imitations are effective above and below the surface.A heavy fall of ants will make trout extremely selective to their distinct form, and smoothly tapered mayfly imitations in the correct size and color are likely to be rejected on account of their shape.
Specimens of Ants:
1 Male Adult
2 Female Adults
This specimen began with wings, but they were lost during handling. The reddish abdomen was semi-translucent and almost seemed to glow in the sunlight, and big brown trout were going crazy for them.
6 Adults
This seems to be what a lot of anglers call a "Cinnamon Ant," caught floating down the Henry's Fork.
I collected this flying ant from the surface of a popular Catskill trout stream, where its species prompted steady rising from selective trout for several late-morning hours. It was mixed with smaller ants of a different color, and I photographed one of them too.
This tiny size 24 flying ant was mixed with a larger variety (see this specimen) falling on the surface of a Catskill river. The trout seemed to respond well to ants of both sizes.
These are very large carpenter and a common terrestrial insect along mountain trout streams
5 Streamside Pictures of Ants:
This winged ant was on a mossy rock in the middle of a small stream.
In this picture: Insect Family Formicidae (Ant).
An ant struggles to escape the surface of a Catskill stream. The black dot on the right is the ant's shadow on a rock on the bottom. I can see how this would appeal to a trout. Even I kind of want to eat the thing.
In this picture: Insect Family Formicidae (Ant).
Given their home on a mossy stump in the stream bed, these light orange ants probably end up in the stream from time to time.
In this picture: Insect Family Formicidae (Ant).
Flying ants were falling very thick on the water during a beautiful Montana evening in August. They were collected in great numbers in this eddy, which made it difficult to entice a trout with a fly amidst all the naturals, but a few nice browns were fooled.
In this picture: Insect Family Formicidae (Ant).
Start a Discussion of Formicidae
References
- Schwiebert, Ernest G. 1955. Matching the Hatch. MacMillan Publishing Company.
- Swisher, Doug and Carl Richards. 2000. Selective Trout. The Lyons Press.