Dry FliesWinged Ant
Hans Weilenmann's winged ant uses black Yorkshire Fly-body fur for both the abdomen and thorax, pinched with crinkled moose body hair legs that kick out at an angle like a natural ant's. A light silver Z-lon wing doubles as a sighter, making the fly easy to track on the water during a flying ant fall.
Spring, Summer, Fall
Intermediate
Trout
Feb 2026
Overview
The crinkled moose hair legs are the detail that sells this as an ant rather than a generic black dry, since their natural kink holds an angled, leggy silhouette that straight hair fibers don't. Z-lon at the wing is functional as much as imitative, visible enough to serve as a strike indicator for the angler while still reading as a wing to the fish. Weilenmann built it for the summer flying ant falls that draw trout to the surface on both rivers and stillwaters, often when no other hatch is showing.
Where to Buy This Fly
We only link to fly shops we trust. Some links are referral links, which may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Materials
- Hook:
- Partridge SUD #14
- Thread:
- Benecchi 12/0, black
- Abdomen:
- Yorkshire Fly-body fur, black (or substitute, such as Wapsi SLF)
- Thorax:
- Yorkshire Fly-body fur, black (or substitute)
- Legs:
- Moose body hair, crinkled
- Wing/sighter:
- Z-lon, light silver
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Flying ants land on water surfaces during mating flights with wings spread flat, struggling unsuccessfully to achieve flight while trapped in the surface tension. During mass flights, hundreds of winged ants accumulate on productive stretches, creating feeding frenzies as trout gorge on the abundant terrestrial windfall.
Where Trout Eat It: Flush in the surface film near vegetation edges and bank structure, with trout rising steadily along grassy banks where terrestrial falls concentrate during warm afternoon swarms.
How to Fish It: Upstream dead drift with minimal disturbance, maintaining the flush-floating profile matching natural winged ants trapped in surface tension during mass terrestrial falls along vegetated banks.
Best Water: Grassy banks and meadow sections during ant flights, undercut banks beneath vegetation, and foam lines concentrating windblown ants after afternoon thunderstorms trigger mass swarms.
Strike Type: Confident deliberate rises as trout methodically sip winged ants from the film, often establishing steady feeding rhythms during mass terrestrial falls along productive banks.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Use a 10-12 foot leader with 5X or 6X tippet for delicate presentations. Apply light floatant only to keep the pattern riding low.
Seasonal Timing: Prime time runs from June through September during ant mating flights, with exceptional results on warm, humid days when flying ants swarm.
Pro Tips: During mass ant falls, trout become highly selective to the winged profile. Match the natural's flush-floating posture for best results.
Entomology
During warm summer months, winged reproductive ants take flight from terrestrial colonies and are often blown onto water surfaces where they land with their wings spread flat, struggling to become airborne again. Fish eagerly consume these protein-rich terrestrials because ant flights represent predictable feeding opportunities when hundreds or thousands of individuals may fall onto the water during nuptial swarms, creating a bonanza that trout remember and anticipate.
- Order
- Hymenoptera
- Family
- Formicidae
- Common Name
- Ant
- Organism Type
- terrestrial
- Life Stage
- adult
