Drowned Ant

Drowned Ant — Soft Hackle Wet Fly

Ant falls are one of the most underrated and explosive feeding events on trout streams — and when they happen, fish key on drowned ants with single-minded intensity. The Drowned Ant is a soft hackle wet fly that perfectly imitates a terrestrial ant that's been swept into the current and is tumbling helplessly below the surface. The soft hackle collar breathes and pulses with every micro-current, giving it a lifelike, struggling quality that trout find irresistible. Dead-drift it through runs and seams, or swing it across the current to cover more water.

Pattern Details

• Style: Soft hackle wet fly / terrestrial imitation
• Imitates: Drowned ant trapped in the current
• Hackle: Soft hackle collar — pulses and breathes with every micro-current
• Best during: Ant falls, warm summer afternoons, and whenever trout are refusing dry flies
• Sizes available: 14, 16

Dead-drift it through a seam, swing it across a run, or fish it just below the surface film — the Drowned Ant is a sleeper pattern that produces when nothing else is working.