Cutter’s Perfect Ant

Cutter’s Perfect Ant

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Tying Instructions

1. Clip 15-20 deer hairs and even the butts. Attach the deer hair to the top of the shank about two eyelengths behind the eye. Holding the deer hair in your left hand wrap evenly to the bend of the hook with tight wraps.

2. Attach some Antron dubbing at the bend of the hook. After attaching the dubbing, I like to twist the dubbing around the thread to get a tightly and evenly dubbed section to wrap.

3. Dub a round ball around the shank no more than one third the shank length.

4. Bring the Deer Hair over the dubbed abdomen and secure with thread wraps directly in front of the dubbed ball. Holding the Deer Hair above the shank, tightly wrap the hair to the midpoint of the shank. Lift up on the hair and give a couple of wraps in front.

5. Prepare a wingpost by wrapping thread around the base of the upright deer hairs. Bring the thread wraps up to about the height of your dubbed abdomen and then wrap them down again. Apply a few more wraps in front and behind the wingpost to strenghten it’s base. Finally, wrap up to just behind the eye with thread wraps.

6. Apply some Antron dubbing for the thorax. Again, attach a number of fibers and then twist the material around the thread for a tight dubbed suction to wrap.

7. Wrap a thorax. This dubbed ball should not be larger than the abdomen. Dub just the first 1/3 of the hook shank with a tight ball. The thread should finish in front of your wingpost.

8. Attach the hackle by the butt directly in front of the wingpost. Wrap to cover the butt ends.

9. Wrap the hackle no more than three times and secure with thread wraps in front of the wingpost.

10. Whip finish in front of the wing post taking care not to capture any of the hackles. Trim off the thread. Also trim the extended hairs of the wingpost. A shorter wingpost will be less topheavy but a longer wingpost will allow you to see the fly better. Apply some head cement to the trimmed wingpost to help secure the wrapped hackles.

Materials to Order Material, click the link
Hook	TMC 9300 #12-16
Thread	Danville Black 6/0
Body	Antron, Black or Rust
Thorax	Antron, Black or Rust
Shell	Deer hair, black or red
Legs	Brown Hackle

Ralph and Lisa Cutter

Cutter’s Perfect Ant

Cutter’s Perfect Ant is designed by Ralph Cutter, of Nevada City, CA. Ralph and Lisa Cutter were proprietors of California School of Fly Fishing, now retired.

Ants in the Sierra

Ants will provide a steady meal for trout throughout the Sierra. Born with weak wings, they leave their colonies for new habitat. Wind will blow them into streams and small ponds. Our Sierran Ants are generally a large size so using a size 12-14 is the most common. They get caught in thermal updrafts and become a food source within the higher elevations of the Sierra. The most common period to use this fly in the Sierra is June through September.

Materials Used

Ralph’s pattern is particularly useful in that it utilizes Antron fibers for the loosely dubbed body. The Antron will trap air bubbles giving the fly a silvery sheen. This is very close to what the actuals look to the trout from underwater. The use of deer hair provides a wingpost for the hackle but also provides additional floatation as a shell over the top half of the body. The parahackle provides stability within the surface film and provides the same dentations in the film as the natural would with legs.

Fishing the Ant

Cast upstream with a drag-free drift. If the pattern sinks, that’s okay! Often, trout will key upon the drowned ants, not the live ones. If not having success as a dry, add some split shot and fish it as a nymph with a tight line.