Michigan Flies

Flies / Terrestrial

Flying Ant

A

Brown flying ants #16 to #22 fall on the Muskegon from mid August to mid September on hot afternoons, and RiverReports notes black and cinnamon flying ants on the Au Sable during late-summer mating flights. Trout key on them hard; carry winged ants on 6X for the two-week window.

#14–22BlackCinnamon/brownclear waterafternoon
What the pattern looks like
Reference photos of the Flying Ant tied by others, shared by their photographers. Not our flies; our own product photos replace these as they are shot.

Photo © Quinn for Fly Deal Flies, used with permission · Flying Ant Black

  • Photo © Quinn for Fly Deal Flies, used with permission · Flying Ant Red

Season
Months this pattern is in play across Michigan, derived from what it imitates.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Imitates

Forage

  • Ant (including flying ants)
Fish it for
Brown troutBrook troutRainbow trout (resident)

Setups

  • Dry fly
How it's tied
A
A two-humped ant with a swept-back wing for the late-summer mating swarms that put every trout in the river on top; black is the standard, cinnamon for the big August flights. Our own write-up of the standard tie, checked against the sources below. Recipe by Orvis Learning Center / Tightline Productions.

Materials

Hook
Standard dry-fly hook (Dai-Riki 305, TMC 100), sizes 14-22
Thread
Black 8/0 or 70 denier (burnt orange or red for the cinnamon ant)
Body
Two dubbed humps of black or cinnamon Superfine or Antron, the rear one largerFlagler's quick version uses a small orange or black soft-foam cylinder
Wing
White poly yarn, or two dun hackle tips, laid back over the rear hump
Legs
Black or brown dry-fly hackle, two or three turns at the waist, trimmed flat underneath

Steps

  1. 1.Start the thread behind the eye and lay a base to the bend.
  2. 2.Dub a tight noodle and build a plump rear hump over the back third of the shank, leaving a distinct waist in front of it.
  3. 3.At the waist tie in a short bunch of white poly yarn (or a pair of dun hackle tips) so it lies back over the rear hump, tips reaching about the hook bend; trim the butts.
  4. 4.Tie in a black or brown hackle at the waist by its butt.
  5. 5.Make two or three turns of hackle, tie it off and trim the tip.
  6. 6.Dub a smaller front hump between the hackle and the eye, leaving room for a head.
  7. 7.Whip finish and, if you want the fly to sit flush, trim the hackle flat on the underside.
  8. 8.For the foam version: bind a soft foam cylinder along the shank, leaving the rear segment about twice the length of the front, add the yarn wing and hackle at the gap between segments, and finish behind the eye; darken the underside with a brown marker if the orange looks too bright.

From the tier

  • Ralph Scherder: flying-ant swarms come on humid, warm, windless days in July and August; fish shallow water under overhanging trees and along banks.
  • Tim Flagler's foam cinnamon ant floats well, is easy to see, and is a go-to from May through September; change the body color to black or dark brown for common ants.
  • Arrick Swanson ties it in black, cinnamon and a two-tone chestnut-and-ginger and says the late-August flights on the Madison gave him some of his best fishing ever.

Dry Flies - Cinnamon Flying Ant Steps summarize Scherder's dubbed fur-ant-with-wings method as the base tie and the Orvis foam sequence as the quick variant. Also checked against Phil Monahan / Tim Flagler, Orvis News (2023), Video: How to Tie the Cinnamon Flying Ant, Ralph Scherder, Dark Skies Fly Fishing (2024), How to Fish and Tie Flying Ant and Fur Ant Patterns - and When to Fish Them!, Arrick Swanson, Arrick's Fly Shop (2018), How to: Black and Cinnamon Flying Ant and Greg Stohrer, Flylords (2021), How to Tie: The Cinnamon Flying Ant.

Materials to buy
Everything one Flying Ant takes, each item once: 5 items, plus 1 optional. Quantities are for a single fly. We do not sell components yet; when we do, these will link to them.

Hook and hardware

  • Standard dry-fly hooks1 per fly

    sizes 14-22

    Hook

Feathers and fur

  • Superfine or Antron dubbing1 packet each

    black and cinnamon

    Body

  • Black and brown dry-fly cape1 cape each (dun hackle tips can double as wings)

    LegsWing

Synthetics, flash and legs

  • Soft foam cylindersoptional1 pack

    small, orange or black

    Body

    Foam version

  • White poly yarn1 card

    white

    Wing

Thread and finish

  • Tying thread1 spool each

    black and burnt orange, 70 denier

    Thread

Sources