This summer is great for washing black ants into the trout stream, so how do we take advantage of the situation?
The first thing you will notice about the Perfect Fly Black Ant, is that they have three (3) body sections like real ants do. Moat all commercial patterns have two (2) with the legs tied in the center. Now, we know trout can't count but we also know they can see and an ant with two body parts don't like real ants with three body parts.
If you don't believe the fly needs to look like a real ant, just cut out a hunk of foam and stick a hook in it. Don't waste your money on anyone's flies. The end result is that you will find the more realistic the ant, the more trout and other fish you'll catch.
The Perfect Fly Black Ant is made to sink, not float, so don't go greasing it up. Pick up a real ant and toss it in the water. Does it float or sink? You will quickly see why we have a sinking imitation of the black ant.
The Black Ant fly can be fished a number of different ways. If you don't like watching your line, fish it as a dropper a foot or two below a hopper or another terrestrial insect imitation. This usually works well but the best way is to fish it without a top fly or a strike indicator. Strike indicators can be used effectively where you have water with a fairly level bottom or depths of water that remains fairly constant.
The best time to fish our Black Ant Sinking fly is during the summer and early fall when ants are plentiful. Be sure to fish it just after a hard rain. Heavy rains wash colonies of ants into the water. The best place to fish the fly after a rain is in the where water is flowing back into the stream from areas outside the normal stream banks. The heavier the rain, the better the ant will work as long as the water isn't too stained. Even then, the black ant will still catch trout.
You can add split shot a few inches above the fly to help get it down deeper but the best way is to let it sink slowly. That's when the trout usually take the fly. Mending your fly line helps get the fly down. The more slack line you give it, the deeper it will sink. Of course, the speed of the current is a big factor in this.