One of my favorite places to fly fish is the Green River in Utah, right below Flaming Gorge Dam. This is a very special place. Gin clear water, beautiful scenery, and lots of big hungry fish. Unlike other tail waters, the fish get big here, not by sipping micro-nymphs, but by eatting three squares a day. The primary diet for a Green River trout in the summer months are terrestials (grasshoppers, crickets, ants, and cicadas). The fish pound these insects with near wreckless abandon, and you really shouldn't be on the river without a fly box full of patterns with foam bodies and big rubber legs.Like the trout of many great rivers, the fish that call the Green their home are well educated, and see a LOT of big terrestial flies. I think there are a few keys to success when fishing terrestials on this river:
- Tie your own flies. Make your flies look a little different from what everyone else is using.
- Leave your fly on the water for a LONG time. While it is possible to fish portions of this river from the bank, most fishermen access this river from a drift boat. Due to the rate of flow, most fishermen in drift boats can only leave the fly on the water for a short period of time before they need to recast their fly. The fish know this. If you are able, cast your fly near the bank, and LEAVE IT BE. Count to 10. Count to 10 again. You'll be surprised who comes calling for dinner.
- Don't be afraid to fish the shallow water. Most terrestial insects live in the trees and grasses near the bank. The trout that are looking for a big meal will often hug the shore, waiting for something to fall in. I often cast my fly so that it lands just inches from the bank. If you cast your fly with a big "plop", the fish will come over to check it out.
Let's get tying...
- I typically tie this fly with a size 12 TMC 100 hook. This make an ant that is much bigger than nature ever intended, but not so big that a hungry hawg won't give it a go. You can tie them larger if you want, but the size 12 allows you to make the legs super-sized, without the fly looking like a 4-course meal.
- Dub some bright flashy material to the hook. Try dark colors (purple, black, green). This dubbing sits under the fly and reflects light.
- Tie on a pre-made foam body. I've tried making these myself, and let me tell you - it just isn't worth the effort. You can buy foam bodies at any fly-tying shop, and they'll save you loads of time. You can try bodies in many different colors, but black and brown seem to work well. I like the bodies that have a center of red foam in between black.
- Tie on the back legs - I use black flexi floss. This is great material for tying ant legs. Leave them long! Long legs will add some life-like action to the fly.
- Tie on the front legs. If you've been paying attention, you'll notice that your ant has a few more legs than a natural. Don't worry - the fish don't often count the legs. If the enormous size of your fly doesn't bother them, a few extra legs aren't going to ruin the meal either.
- Finally, be sure to tie on a small piece of bright yellow or green foam to the back of the fly, so you can see it on the river! If you fail to do this, chances are you won't be able to see your fly. I think florescent green works best - yellow seems to blend in a bit more.
Well, there you have it. Now that you know how to tie it, don't stop at just one. Tie up a small army!
Posts
