Downed trees line the edges of virtually all trout-filled tailwaters, the trees having been toppled by rising and falling waters. The same ever-changing water levels flood the deadfalls frequently, each time sending a fresh dose of misplaced ants, beetles, termites and other land-based insects floating downstream.
Tailwater trout, not surprisingly, spend a lot of time lingering near river banks, watching the surface for passing morsels. Drift a Rebel Big Ant overhead, and you are apt to draw a smashing reaction.
Don’t limit Big Ant fishing to tailwaters, though. Trout in many rivers and lakes get much of their food from misdirected shoreline insects during summer and fall and will be quick to nab a Big Ant that drifts or dances into range.
Fly-fishermen understand the importance of terrestrial insects. Many long-rod veterans rarely fish anything other than ‘hopper and ant patterns from mid-summer well into the fall. A Big Ant offers all the appeal of a terrestrial fly, plus sound and action to get the trout’s attention.
Trout rarely sip Big Ants from the surface, as they often do with delicate dry flies. Instead they hit violently, sometimes knocking the little plugs out of the water and slurping them down when they land again.
A Big Ant offers several appeals to trout. First, the profile matches that of a magnified ant, and the six colors provide everything from a classic black ant look to fire tiger for stained water. As importantly, the Big Ant’s ultra-wide wobble and loud rattles create a lot of commotion, which might partly explain the intensity of many strikes.
Big Ants can be fished a lot of different ways, and it’s important to experiment. The fish’s preferences are apt to change daily, even with no obvious changes in conditions.
Many days, a pure dead drift is tough to top. Cast upstream or toward the bank and let the bait do all the work. It will drift motionless for the most part, but may wobble a bit when currents catch the line. Often, that little swag is just enough motion to prompt strikes.
Other days you’ll want to work a Big Ant very actively, whether with a steady crank that keeps it wobbling hard or with quick rod twitches, which make it dance across the top. Also crank the bait enough to make it dive from time to time. Often trout will follow a Big Ant as the bait dances across the top and nab it when it darts under.
Aim many casts toward the banks, especially around deadfalls or grassy areas. Also cast to the heads of swift runs and let the bait drift into the tail-outs. While a Big Ant’s broad wobble is apt to draw trout to the top anywhere in a river, the fish are most apt to respond in those areas where they are used to seeing terrestrial insects drifting overhead.
Fish a Rebel Big Ant on 3- to 5-pound-test Silver Thread Trout and ultra-light spinning tackle and be ready for big fun.