Chernobyl Ant - The Best Foam Fly? - McFly Angler Fly Tying Tutorial

Chernobyl ants are probably one of the most popular foam flies around if not the most popular. They are basically unsinkable, are relatively easy to tie, have lots of movement with the legs, and the color combos are endless. These can be tied very large, but its possible to get them quite small as well. In fact I like tying these for small sunfish which have very tiny mouths. I usually tie them down to a size 16 even. Many people will fish these much larger for Trout and even larger yet for Bass. I have seen some in the size range of 2-4 even. Quite large. Of course at that size you would want to use a thicker foam more than likely like the 3-4mm size. When tying down to size 16, occasionally I will use the 1mm size foam for the top piece to keep from bulking the fly up too much. Either way, adjust things for your local waters. Tie them in whatever size or color you want. They are fun to tie, and when you get the hang of it, you can pump them out pretty quickly.
Being a foam fly, especially one with so much foam on it, you can imagine they float very well. Also they are very visible on top of the water and there is no issue with trying to find them no matter how far you cast, or how choppy the water is. In fact, I think of them more like an Indicator with a hook on in. Many times out fishing for trout, I notice they will occasionally hit my indicator. If the river permits it, I will use the Chernobyl as my indicator and then sink a tunsten nymph behind it. This allows me to have a hook connected to my "indicator" and those frustrating indicator bites can become a bent rod.
To be honest I dont really see this as an ant imitation unless tied in one of the very small sizes (like 14-16). A world where ants are 3" long is not a place I want to live. However they do seem to be more of a generalized pattern. They can mimic hoppers, stoneflies, or just about anything else that floats on the top of the water. Many times trout will sip up things that aren't food mistaking it for something. More of a reaction bite. So I believe thats what this is, a reaction bite fly. Something bright, easy to see, that the trout says, hey there is something. Then takes a bite without inspecting it first.
As you all know, I work closely withwww.risenfly.com and they have offered every one of my subscribers a discount. So go to their shop, and type in "McFly" at checkout for 15% off of anything you buy on their site.
Make sure you check out my Patreon for there are some great perks that I think you would like. For as little as $1 a month you can sign up and start supporting this channel. Depending on the tier you sign up for, you can get early access to all my videos, 1 on 1 support and question answering from me, participation in my live streams, fly video suggestions, and even discounts on my hand tied flies. There are many more perks as well so go to www.patreon.com/McFlyAngler to sign up today.
Materials
_____________
Hook: Risen 9231 (size 12) - www.risenfly.com/collections/...
Thread: Veevus 10/0 (brown) - www.avidmax.com/veevus-thread...
Under-body: Micro Ultra Chenille (tan) - amzn.to/3SxT2Sf
Body: 2mm Eva Foam (brown and yellow) - amzn.to/3oVcfjh
Glue: Loctite Brush On - amzn.to/3byXpvG
Legs: Centipede Legs (small, speckled yellow) - amzn.to/3xquMba
Tools
________
Vise: Renzetti Traveler - amzn.to/2t2FFmo
Bobbin: Stonfo Bobtec - amzn.to/2YWOf39
Scissors: Risen Spring Assist - www.risenfly.com/collections/...
Whip finisher: Dr. Slick brass - amzn.to/2tGYwDW
Foam Cutters: River Road Cutters (Chernobyl-style, tapered end, XS) - www.riverroadcreations.com/fo...
Fly Tying Bench: Oasis Walnut Compact Bench - www.oasisbenches.com/oasis-be...
UV Light: Solarez UV Cure (high output) - www.solarez.com/product/uv-cu...
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ My Shirts and other Merchandise! ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
T-Shirts/Jackets/Stickers/iphone cases and more: teespring.com/stores/mcfly-an...
Patreon: / mcflyangler
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Follow Me on Social! ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Facebook: / mcflytier
Instagram: / mcflyangler

[@MoTrapper]

Tried this this morning about 11 am caught a 1.15lb small mouth 4 wt. Could see the fish coming from the depths to get it was so excited. Missouri creeks!

[@McFlyAngler]

Awesome man! Glad it worked for ya

[@Hen_4546]

Everyday I wake up and check my notifications and I am so exited when I see that blue dot

[@McFlyAngler]

Hey thanks! Glad you enjoy the videos.

[@glaw4165]

Bro I love this pattern for bass and such and ever for trout I just got I to tying and love the tutorials you give it turned out perfectly love to the the in-depth tuts tsym!

[@McFlyAngler]

Thank you, I’m glad they help. And yes this is a great fly for bass and sunfish as well.

[@anotheroutdoorchannel...893]

I like this; super simple with great explanation as always! Thanks!

[@McFlyAngler]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed

[@brianfeeney9493]

A True Winner !!!!! Black with Purple, Black with Red, and Purple with Red ……. Also ….. Go Tiny for Amazing Results !!!! Great Content …. Thank You 😊 Blessings 🙏🏻 Brian ✨🎣💫

[@McFlyAngler]

God bless Brian! For sure, so many color combos for this. And super small does work as well, I like tying these down to size 16.

[@brianfeeney9493]

I enjoyed Your Clean Tie of this Universal Trout Taker !!!!! Blessings for this New Day !!!!!

[@barbaraemerich1921]

Wow! Can’t wait to go Ty this guy up! Great video

[@McFlyAngler]

Thank you, glad you like it

[@brunomarquezan]

Just had a great experience with this tipe of flies here in Brazil... I think is a must have for sure.

[@McFlyAngler]

Thanks, glad to hear of your success

[@downwindsalmon]

great video as always

[@McFlyAngler]

Thank you

[@Thebreadedfurflinger]

Awesome video,like a prince nymph,woolly bugger or pats rubber leg,should be a staple in staple in everyone's box,color combos are left to the imagination or tier,great hopper/dropper fly or by itself size # 8 to 14,I prefer a # 12 or 14 in a rootbeer over tan with pumpkin silly legs,great local hopper imitation,tight lines & bent rods 🤙

[@McFlyAngler]

Thanks, yeah for sure that’s a good set of staples

[@leerichy6489]

Nice work. Big northern grayling eat these things no problem.

[@McFlyAngler]

Thanks! Yeah these are quite effective for a number of different fish species

[@jeffjackson5331]

Neat fly

[@McFlyAngler]

These are pretty cool

[@theminnowmaster7816]

Thanks for showing this awesome fly! I wanted to ask you a question. What kind of flies would you use for fish such as carp?

[@McFlyAngler]

Carp eat small crayfish, and other small creatures on the bottom. So small crayfish flies, leeches, and worm type flies. They all should work. However Carp are tricky. They spook easy and don’t always readily eat a fly.

[@theminnowmaster7816]

@@McFlyAngler Alrighty, thank you!! I'll have to tie some up!👍

[@ericlin0122]

Black with orange.

[@McFlyAngler]

Yes that’s a great color combo.

[@creatorsimcreatorsim2711]

hello I kindly ask you what is the name of the tool to wind and use the thread by running it like this, thank you

[@McFlyAngler]

Sure, it’s called a bobbin holder. I have a link to the one I use in the description section of the video if you want to check it out.

[@creatorsimcreatorsim2711]

@@McFlyAngler which link please?

[@McFlyAngler]

amzn.to/2YWOf39

[@soulcapturecreations3107]

Hey is there any fly shops in San Antonio

[@McFlyAngler]

There is one, but it’s not super big when it comes to fly tying materials. One called living waters fly shop in Austin is larger and has a lot of materials.

[@soulcapturecreations3107]

@@McFlyAngler what’s the name of the one in San Antonio.

[@McFlyAngler]

I forgot.. lol. Just look up fly shop on maps or something I’m sure it will come up