Bodkin / Patterns

Red-ass Ant

Terrestrial · Trout · Panfish · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook Standard dry, 14-20
  • Thread Black 8/0 (70 denier)

Materials

  • Dubbing Rust/red dubbing (rear gaster)
  • Dubbing Black dubbing (head)
  • Dry hackle Black hackle (1 feather)

How to tie it

  1. Start thread mid-shank.
  2. At the bend, dub a tight, shiny rust-red lump for the rear gaster. The 'red ass' - about a third of the shank, keeping it round.
  3. Take the thread bare to the mid-shank waist, the pinch between the two body segments.
  4. Take 2-3 turns of a black hackle at the waist for legs, then trim any fibers off the top and bottom to leave a sparse fringe.
  5. Dub a smaller black lump for the head over the front third.
  6. Whip finish behind the eye, cement, and add a drop of head cement on the red gaster to gloss it.

Tying videos

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