The Winged Ants, which are the newly hatched insects, appear about the middle of July. The time at which they appear, however, varies very much. They appear in swarms, and when one of these swarms gets near or on the water, the fish feed greedily upon them. They have four wings, the anterior pair being somewhat longer than the body. These wings, when at rest, do not fold neatly over each other, and as the insect is clumsy in its flight, even a slight breeze is sufficient to drive many of them out to the water.

The Ant I have seen most frequently on the water is a large Red Ant, but smaller Red Ants and winged Black Ants are also frequently seen. The position of the wings in relation to the body easiest to imitate is shown in the illustration of the imitation of the Willow-fly, which has four wings.

The Red Ant is frequently used early in June, though the natural insect is not seen so early. The imitation, however, frequently meets with success, though it is improbable that the trout takes the imitation for the natural insect, especially as the wings are always put on in a vertical position.

The bodies of all the Ants should be made fat towards the bend of the hook, and carried well on to the bend.

As the body of the Ant is very shiny, parts of it, when the light falls upon it, have a very brilliant appearance; therefore I have recommended the use of tinsel.

Red Ant—

Body. Red-brown (burnt sienna) silk, thin on the shank and fat towards and on the bend of the hook, ribbed with gold tinsel.

Hackle. Red.

Wings. Transparent part of a starling’s quill feather.

Hook. 0—2.

Black Ant—

Body. Black silk, ribbed with silver tinsel.

Hackle. Black.

Wings. As Red Ant.

Hook. 0—1.