An Introduction to Ants
Ants are a common meal for trout during the late summertime and early fall when hatching aquatic insects are less active. They end up in the water by unlucky chance following heavy rains, small landslides, and by their sometimes-clumsy movements. Flying ants fall into the water from overhanging vegetation or heavy winds.
Anglers fishing during the last summer in should always have a basic fly box selection of ant fly patterns on hand when flyfishing in Montana.
Characteristics of Ants
- They are usually an inch-long or smaller and range from brown, black, red, or even yellow.
- Ants (Hymenoptera) have large heads with elbowed antennae, and their two sets of jaws allow them to both carry objects and dig as well as eat.
- They have slender, oval abdomens and six legs.
Overview of the Ant Lifecycle
- The queen ant lays the eggs, which hatch in 1-2 weeks.
- The larva grows through several molts and resemble tiny maggots.
- Once molting is complete, they’ll move to the pupal stage, which lasts 9-30 days before they completely change and become adults.
- Ants are social insects, and the colony is dependent on this community to function.
- They are categorized as queens, males, and workers, which typically live for 8-10 weeks.
Montana Fishing Highlights : Fly Fishing With Ant Patterns
Wary, feeding trout will often readily rise to a well presented ant pattern after rejecting other fly imitations on Depuy's spring creek and Montana rivers.
Swarms of flying ants in between Varney Bridge and Ennis, Montana drive opportunistic feeding trout to the surface when little else will in late summer on the upper Madison River.
Our Bozeman fly fishing guides will often have clients use a small ant imitation behind a slightly larger, highly visible attractor dry fly on upper Yellowstone River guide trips in August and September.
5 Essential Ant Dry Fly Patterns for Fly Fishing in Montana
