** NOTE** Video for the Perfect Parachute Ant appears below.
Terrestrial season has been my favorite time to throw dry flies for as long as I can remember. Because once the major mayfly hatches are over, trout are looking for the next easy meal. They want something both prevalent and easy to catch. Ants and beetles fit the bill. Add in the lower, clearer water of summertime, and the table is set for good terrestrial fishing — just prospecting likely water with a good ant pattern — all the way through the middle of October in most years.
Hoppers and crickets can be a great choice as well, but only where they are prevalent in enough numbers to keep trout searching for them. Where the bigger form of a hopper is not common, wild trout rarely eat a fly that size. The humble ant, however, is the most prevalent insect on earth. Ants are common around every trout water I’ve ever visited. Trout take notice, and they seem to have an affinity for them.
Trout like ants, so we fish them.
A few years ago, I wrote an article that featured my favorite ant pattern. It’s what I call the Perfect Parachute Ant, and you can find that article here:
READ: Troutbitten | Troutbitten Flybox: The Perfect Parachute Ant
Now, one of my favorite fly patterns has a companion video. This short film walks through the reasoning why the pattern works so well. The film also references the origins of this fly — Ralph Cutters Perfect Ant — and highlights why a few changes have been made.
After the fly is tied, there’s a short discussion about how to fish the Perfect Parachute Ant. It fishes well with a splat or fluttered down, but how it lands has a lot to do with casting and leader design. All of this, along with a discussion on locations to fish the ant and even what floatant to use makes its way into this film.
So here it is. Take a look at the video below, then scroll below to find the recipe, along with links to all the materials used to create the Perfect Parachute Ant.
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Recipe: The Perfect Parachute Ant
Hook: Daiichi 1180, or standard dry fly. #10-18
Thread: Black 8/0 Uni-Thread or Veevus 8/0
Shell: Black Deer Hair
Abdomen: Black Wapsi Antron Sparkle Dub
Post: White Macrame Yarn or Hareline Para Post Wing
Hackle: Brown Rooster Hackle. 3-10 wraps (varied for desired buoyancy)
Head: Black Wapsi Antron Sparkle Dub
Fish It
The Perfect Parachute Ant is so effective and so versatile for me, that it’s the only terrestrial I carry in my box, most days. This is a good one. Tie up a few and get out on the water.
Fish hard, friends.
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Enjoy the day.
Domenick Swentosky
T R O U T B I T T E N
domenick@troutbitten.com
Troutbitten,
I remember Parachute flys back in the 60:70s as introduce by Lee Wulff in a magazine article. Before this unsinkable fly appears in every one’s flybox. Welcome fished a simplistic fly called a “skater”. Have you ever experienced these ? Two opposing hackles wrapped on a hook. Quite successful, for dryfly on the fly ( often tied on the stream side) .
Jim keller
Great looking ant pattern. Appreciated all the detailed tying tips, especially working with difficult Antron dubbing and deer hair – I thought it was just me
Right on. Definitely hard materials to get used to.
Where do you purchase your macrame yarn?
Hi Pat,
The macrame yarn source is listed in the fly recipe above. I never leave you hanging. 🙂 Every text in orange, across the Troutbitten website is a clickable link taking you to a resource. The link above leads to Carol’s Rugs. She has a page for what she calls fly fishing cord, and I’ve been buying there for many years.
Cheers.
Dom
Thank you Dom.
This great pattern has become one of my confidence flies.
To make the fly more durable, consider substituting black macrame yarn for the “shell” instead of black deer hair.
Using Rain-X is brilliant.
Cheers.
Thanks for the rain x tip. I am definitely going to try that.
Parachute ants have been my go-to for many, many years. They will often attract an eat during selective feeding when I can’t figure out what bug is for dinner. I read many years ago that trout are junkies for the formic acid in the bodies of ants. By the way they eat them, the theory makes sense.
I agree it’s hard to beat a black parachute ant during terrestrial season. It’s been my go to late Spring thru Fall dry fly whenever trout are looking up and there’s no significant hatch to match.
On another note I picked up a 4 pack of New Trails Troutbitten IPA and my buddy, Matt and I agree it’s a winner. Cheers!
Alright!
Great video! Excited to give this one a try. When you use the rain-x on your dries, are you soaking the whole fly or just the post? I’m also thinking of flies like a Klinkhammer where I’d like the body in the surface film.
Dominick, can I purchase the Perfect Ant Parachute from You? If no, can you recommend who I should reach out to? Thank You
Brian
Hi Brian. Thanks for asking, but I don’t sell flies. Maybe someday! Your best bet is to reach out to a custom fly tyer.
Thanks again.
Dom