By Ben Romans

Last winter we passed out a few fly-tying kits and had ourselves a little competition here on Generation Wild to help get through the winter doldrums. For part of the contest, I posted some short video clips of how to tie some easy patterns. Hopefully, some of you out there tied a few more since last season to keep your skills sharp, because I’m going to throw some more video clips your way in the next few weeks.

I thought we’d start off easy with a variation of the Chernobyl Ant. This pattern only uses two materials—foam and rubber legs—and it’s a great pattern for trout, bass, and panfish. In fact, if you’re new to fly fishing, this is a great one to use on a farm pond because it’s durable and it really looks buggy to the fish. The key is to use a long-shank hook, like a #6-8 Mustad 9672 or a #6 Tiemco 5212. You’ll certainly run out of space on a smaller, short-shank hook.

Watch the video, give it a try, and post any questions or feedback below—I’ll respond as quickly as possible. —Ben