I bought some foam black ants at Sportsman's Warehouse, and yesterday 2 of them were ruined after one fish...the wraps holding down the foam unraveled after releasing the trout -- toothy browns.

My home-tied traditional thread-bodied ants survived a couple trout just fine. I whip finish both the butt and the head. They ride lower in the water than the foam ones but still seem to work fine.

Did I just buy low-quality foam ants, or is this typical? Call me old-fashioned, but foam bodies have not impressed me so far on any fly -- they seem to shred easily.

DAN