In this week’s “How to Tie” feature, Cheech with Fly Fish Food ties his new secret weapon for targeting summer trout, the Medusa Ant.
Learn How to Tie This Fly:
Difficulty: Intermediate
Summer trout fishing can offer some of the best and worst conditions all year. Although you will still see hatches and willing fish, finding water that is cool enough to safely target them is another story. It’s very important as anglers to adventure outside your comfort zone in these hot, dry months, to give heat exhausted trout a break and the chance to survive. My personal favorite alternatives to my typical trout water are small mountain streams and high altitude lakes that remain cool all summer long . Thankfully, Cheech with Fly Fish Food has blessed us with a new creation that you can confidently bring to new waters you explore this summer, the Medusa Ant.
Taking your talents to higher elevation will not only give you opportunities to fish for less pressured trout, but also the satisfaction of knowing they have less likelihood of sustaining permanent damage. Ant patterns are often times simple and easy to tie, with this one being a slight exception. This fly has a custom blended wing that offers visibility, floatation, and durability, and may be difficult for tyers of any experience level to create. Do not lose sleep over this step if you find yourself unwilling to spend the time there, as the profile with normal parachute post material on the Medusa Ant will still catch trout.
For creating your own custom post, using the tools displayed in the video will help conserve time and efficiency on the vise. Time is important for everyone and it is worth experimenting with your own tools and leveraging them to assist where your skills may fall short. At the end of the day, tying may reduce some cost in fly fishing but only when making the most out of your resources. The Medusa Ant may not be the easiest ant fly to tie on the market, but it surely will become one of your most used patterns in your summer fly box and is worth every minute of preparation.
Ingredients:
- Hook: Gamakatsu C12 Scud Hook — 12
- Thread: Veevus GSP — 100 Denier / Black #11
- Body: Fulling Mill Ultra Dry Dub — Onyx
- Body: Fulling Mill Ultra Dry Dub — Brown
- Wing: Sculpin Wool — Cream
- Wing: Ice Dub — Gunmetal Grey
- Wing: Ripple Ice Hair – 4 inch — Mother of Pearl
- Hackle: Swiss CDC Ultra Select XL Grade — Black
- Hackle (Alternate): Swiss CDC Super Select Grade — Black
- Tools Used: Kuchelmeister MultiClamp Tool, Hareline 1.5″ Material Clamp Set, Feather Prepper, Stonfo CDC Feather Folding Block, C&F Design Top Twister, Smhaen Master Dubbing Twister, Smhaen Thread Splitter, Stonfo Thread Splitter, Stonfo Pinza Elite Hackle Pliers — Standard, Stonfo Pinza Elite Hackle Pliers — Micro
Now you know how to tie the Medusa Ant!
Video courtesy of Fly Fish Food.
Last Updated on August 3, 2026 by Max Inchausti
