terrestrial
Egan's Bionic Ant 2.0
An oversized foam ant with a Trigger Point white wing, Uni Flex legs, and a Coachman-brown hackle. Buoyant enough to hold a dropper, visible to the angler, irresistible to trout.
Originated by Lance Egan
Recipe
- HookTMC 100 — size 12 · Tiemco
- ThreadSemperfli Nano Silk 8/0 — Black · Semperfli
- BodyWapsi Foam Ant Bodies — XL Black · Wapsi
- LegsWapsi Uni Flex — Black
- WingEP Trigger Point Fibers — White
- HackleCoachman Brown hackle
History
Lance Egan's favorite summer-time fishing is floating rivers and casting ants to bank-hugging trout. For years he overlooked ants — fishing cicadas in early summer and hoppers late — but once he learned how reliable ants are as a summer food, they became his go-to dry fly for non-hatch periods. The trick with the Bionic is *size*: where most tiers fish size 16 and smaller, Lance fishes size 10 and 12 ants. Combined with a buoyant foam body, white-foam top, Trigger Point wing for visibility, and a Coachman-brown center hackle, the Bionic Ant 2.0 is the rare dry that is buoyant, easy to see, and fish-approved.
Fishing tips
Fish aggressively — cast to the bank, twitch if you need to. Black is the default; purple and brown are useful alternatives.