Fly Fisherman Discovers the Power of the Black Ant Fly
Keith Lusher 06.21.24
Terry Aucoin from Denham Springs, LA, recalls a memorable fishing experience as vividly as if it were yesterday. He was kayaking on Gray’s Creek in Prairieville, LA, when he began hearing popping noises on the water’s surface. “I knew it was bream feeding on something, but I wasn’t sure what,” he said. Aucoin paddled closer to the cypress-laden shallows where the commotion originated and spotted a cypress tree trunk teeming with black ants. “I watched those ants closely; whenever one ventured close to the water, a bluegill would leap up and knock it into the water,” he recounted.
An avid fly fisherman with over a decade of experience in tying his own flies, Aucoin’s mind started racing after witnessing this natural spectacle. Later that week, he purchased supplies and tied a new fly pattern inspired by the ants. “I aimed to replicate those black ants falling into the water because I knew the bluegills were eagerly feeding on them,” Aucoin explained.
Starting with a material called Fettucini Foam, which he ordered online, he threaded a small ant-sized piece onto a #12 hook and carefully wrapped black thread around the foam. Just before finishing the fly, he added a few strands of red thread around a piece of red foam. “The red dot helps me track the fly when it’s on the water’s surface,” he noted.
After crafting several of these flies, he headed back to the creek to test them out. “I cast my first ant, and it didn’t take long before I heard that familiar popping sound,” he said. “A bluegill slurped my fly down, and I set the hook.” Throughout the day, Aucoin caught over 50 fish, predominantly bluegills, by casting near every cypress tree and observing surface activity.
Impressed by the fly’s effectiveness, Aucoin continued tying the black ant pattern throughout the summer. It quickly became his favorite fly for catching bream. “I’ve been eagerly awaiting summer to use the black ant fly again,” he enthused.
