Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 23

Terrestrial fly patterns often work well into
the fall. The author caught this fish in early
October. (Photo by Jack Ballard)

at midstream and loop hoppers toward the
banks than vice versa. My rule of thumb with
all terrestrial patterns is to fish them close to
streambanks, especially near undercuts or
where vegetation droops toward the water,
locations where it seems likely a careless bug
might take an accidental dip. The same principle holds true on lakes. I prefer casting flies
from a float tube, kayak or canoe toward the
shoreline, but even when fishing from terra
firma, my goal is to keep the fly fairly close to
shore. Dropping terrestrials over submerged
rubble, along ledges or above other underwater structures near the shoreline is the best
way to utilize them on lakes.
Ants inhabit seemingly every square foot
of soil in the country, particularly spots
where a couple might spread a blanket on
the ground for a picnic. Veteran fly fishers
reach for ant patterns when fish are rising
but don't seem to be keying on a certain
type of hatching aquatic insect. They'll also
fish them in combination with other dry fly
patterns - such as hoppers or crickets - as
part of a two-fly rig. The ant pattern may
be difficult to see on the water, especially
in low-light conditions. When paired with

a larger dry fly, it's easier to keep tabs on a
tiny brown or black fly, the colors most popularly used. Many seasoned anglers fish ants
beneath the surface as well as on top, since
it seems these tiny terrestrials are better at
biting ankles than swimming. Thus, if the ant
end of your tandem rig becomes waterlogged
and submerges, there's really no need to fuss
over its floatation.
Grasshoppers and ants are the most commonly mimicked terrestrial insects for fly
anglers. But don't overlook the others. The
largest rainbow trout I've landed on a dry
fly came a number of years ago from Luce
Lake north of Cody. A foam-bodied cricket
seduced the silvery-sided behemoth. I fished
a rod's length from shore via a canoe I lugged
to the walk-in reservoir. Last month my college-aged daughter and I fished for bluegills
on a large pond. We caught many of them
on worms under a bobber, but I had a ball
landing the plucky panfish on a small, highly
visible cricket pattern near beds of reeds jutting from the shoreline. I've caught brown
trout on a ladybug pattern and largemouth
bass with one of those "sort-of-looks-like-aterrestrial" flies on a warm-water canal.

The terrestrial extra of late summer and
midautumn is a boon for anglers. There's less
pressure to "match the hatch," a fascinating
array of flies to choose and all manner of fish
species ready to gulp a bug whose proper
place is really on land. The poets among
us just might conclude going terrestrial is
certainly celestial.
- Jack Ballard is the author of hundreds of articles
on hunting and wildlife. See more of his work at www.
JackBallard.com.

Flies mimicking tiny terrestrials, like this black
ant dry fly, are effective on many waters.
(Photo by Parker Loew/WGFD)

Wyoming Wildlife | 23

http://www.JackBallard.com

Wyoming Wildlife magazine

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