While this fly was originally created to represent the “Salmon fly” stonefly common to the western U.S., its also very effective on smallmouth bass and bluegill. The original pattern is black over orange which is a proven killer. As smallmouth seem to have a preference for yellow, I’ve found that the orange over yellow combination is a great choice for smallies. A friend took a number or Silver Salmon in Alaska on a size 6 Chernobyl Ant. This versatile fly is destined to become a new classic.
As these flies are constructed of closed cell foam they float forever, making them an excellent choice to use as an indicator over a nymph dropper. I leave the legs long so that the angler can trim them to size if necessary, however, bass love the added wiggle. A great trout variation on this fly for trout is the Red-Legged Chernobyl Ant.
The size 6 is a rather large fly with a fair amount of wind resistance so a 5 weight rod, or heavier, using a slowed, deliberate casting stroke is desirable. As an aside, I hooked a very large carp at night on a size 6 black over orange Chernobyl Ant. Tied on a Daiichi 1720 barbed, or a Tiemco 5263BL barbless, 3x long chemically sharpened hook.
