Beadhead Ant - Step-by-Step

[ShaunF]

Awesome Grant!

Hope we can get the whole Step by Step thing to take off on Flytalk. I'll try do one or 2 on the weekend or next week if I have some time.

[chris williams]

I think we ALL will!

Maybe we can tie some step-by-step flies on our trip as I don't know how to transfer pics from my camera to the computer..

[dizzy]

Nice Grant.
Looks like this pattern will be good for Sterkies too?

I'm gonna tie me a bunch of them also, EC Bells - Rhodes, should work nicely!

[Pheasant Tail Nymph]

Very Very Very Nice fly Grant. I would think of tying them for the March Fly Swap, but I'll rather let you or someone else tie this one. Looking forwarded to seeing it in my flybox though.

Once again, well done. (Your humility concerning the photos was certainly unfounded, but a blessing nontheless.)

Regards,
PTN

[fish]

Hi Grant,

Great fly, I can't see a fish refuse this pattern. Interesting is how fish go bananas over ants. We had two flying ant falls at Eikendal within the last year. The ants were about a #16. The fish would feed with far greater vigour then on any other hatches coming off, within the year I've been there.

These were flying ants, winged and black in colour. Don't know, fish just seem to like the taste and realize the nutritional value.

Cheers,

Philip

[chris williams]

They do come in weird shapes, sizes and colours.

Maybe like Jimi H. (Monterrey for the oldies - remember??) who was into acid, the fish may also be, but only formic acid!

[Herman Jooste]

I have a buddy who collects flying ants whenever they emerge and freezes "em. It is the only bait he will use on SM yellows in the streams.
I don't think that it is so much the "form" but rather the "smell".
( Take a flying ant and roll it gently between thumb and forefinger, the smell released is noticable.)

In my baitie days flying ants were numero uno for all Tilapia as well as Barbel.

[chris williams]

In my old Malawi honeymoon times, we used to gently fry termites a.k.a. 'flying ants' in luke-warm chocolate. No wonder I got malaria despite a regime of four litres of MGT's a day to combat malaria and other incidental diseases..

[Herman Jooste]

In my old Malawi honeymoon times, we used to gently fry termites a.k.a. 'flying ants' in luke-warm chocolate. No wonder I got malaria despite a regime of four litres of MGT's a day to combat malaria and other incidental diseases..

Eeeiiishhh, can't teach you anything can we .
To combat Malaria you need to drink copious amounts of G & T's, The quinnine in the tonic water is the answer. ( Much easier to drink the G during the day and then mix it with the tonic as the sun is approaching the western horizon.0

Flying Ants are at their best raw. Pinch off the wings and pop into the mouth. Tastes like "crunchy" peanut butter.

If squeemy fry for 30 seconds in butter.

[gkieser]

Hi Grant,

Great fly, I can't see a fish refuse this pattern. Interesting is how fish go bananas over ants. We had two flying ant falls at Eikendal within the last year. The ants were about a #16. The fish would feed with far greater vigour then on any other hatches coming off, within the year I've been there.

These were flying ants, winged and black in colour. Don't know, fish just seem to like the taste and realize the nutritional value.

Cheers,

Philip

Shot Dudes. These pics were taken with shaky hand - need to get a tripod or something to get more consitent pics.

Philip, those ant falls are hectic! We experienced this one day last winter at lakies. The fish were going berserk. Hehe - I remember Liam rowing across the whole of lakies to come fetch one of these ant patterns. Even though the fish were taking the flies off the surface (across the entire dam!), the sunken ant just under the surface did just as much damage.