Booby, heavy nymph, floating line

[Loren Williams]

I have been hearing about a "new" (to me at least) presentation using a floating line, long leader and a booby on point with a heavy middle dropper and a nymph on top.

Can anyone explain why (or when) you would present your flies in that manner versus a fast Di line with a booby on the point and two unweighted flies?

[Todd Oishi]

I use the washing line technique (as it is called) at times when rising fish are spotted and at times when trout are feeding and cruising higher in the water column during hatches. My preferred method involves a Rio MidgeTip (floating line with a three foot intermediate sink-tip) or a floating line with a clear Poly Leader, and fluorocarbon leader material (depending on the pattern, I use 10 - 12 inch dropper tags).

The sinking properties of the MidgeTip and fluorocarbon draws the leader and flies below the surface when the flies sit static or as the retrieve is slowed to a crawl. The buoyancy of the point fly (in this case a Booby or large dry fly) will keep the middle and top dropper suspended - while it serves as a strike indicator for any takes on the dropper flies. The nymphs begin to rise toward the surface (which imitates an emergence) as the speed of the retrieve increases (as illustrated in diagram C and D).

[Loren Williams]

Thanks Todd,

This, as I understand it, is a presentation fished on the bottom but with a floating line.  I guess it's a WL but the intent (I guess) is for the heavy middle nymph to be on, or near the bottom, and the point booby and top fly to be up off the bottom.

I have always fished a WL with the bouyant fly on point and unweighted flies on the droppers to do as you described (and decribed very well--thanks!).  This one is new to me and I am having trouble figuring the logic....

[Mark Hanes]

So the idea is to use a heavy enough nymph to pull the booby to the bottom?  I bet this would work over shallow flats where you have some cruising trout.  

A heavy Crayfish pattern might do the trick.  I think I understand the idea but making it work has me baffled as well.

[Loren Williams]

I suspect, after mulling this over, is that the benefit is one point of contact on the bottom-the heavy mid drop. When fishing with a short leader or a WL with a long leader and sunk lines, the line lays on the bottom and can really dampen strike detection. 

I can see how rigging this way can give a similar presentation and be much more sensitive.  I would guess it's better for a shore postition or very little wind.

Will try!

[Ronnie Christie]

Guys,

I think some of you are confused as to what Todd is saying.  This method when fished on the floater is to catch fish feeding in the top few feet of water.  The Booby is a sacrificial fly and then buzzers and nymphs are fished above it.  Weighted nymphs are not really suited as they cause unnatural hang.  Simply go down a line density until you get the feeding depth and this is what is key to the method.  If you find the right depth then your flies will fish straight through  that zone for the whole cast.  We always tie small cormorants, damsels  etc as boobies and they often catch as many if not more than the Nymphs.

This is probably the most effective  way to catch lake trout in Britain.  And was reasonably successful for us in Canada but we didn't really get enough time to practise it properly.

Ronnie

[Aaron Laing]

This is probably the most effective  way to catch lake trout in Britain.  And was reasonably successful for us in Canada but we didn't really get enough time to practise it properly.

Worked like hell for the perch in East Goose, mind you the little bastards kept swallowing the boobie.

Aaron

[Dejon Hamann]

Simply go down a line density until you get the feeding depth and this is what is key to the method.  If you find the right depth then your flies will fish straight through  that zone for the whole cast.  We always tie small cormorants, damsels  etc as boobies and they often catch as many if not more than the Nymphs.

This is probably the most effective  way to catch lake trout in Britain. 
Ronnie

My question is how many line switches and how often do you normally switch in say a 4 hour fishing period? Would you start with a floater and then to a DI1, then 2, or skip 2, 4, 6, etc?

[Ronnie Christie]

Dejon,

I change my line after 30 Mins if i have had nothing I.e. a follow pull etc.  We normally practise on the venue before a match so we will now what patterns are working.  You then need to go through the water table to find th right depth for that day.

Ronnie

[Shane Ohara]

Guys,

This is probably the most effective  way to catch lake trout in Britain.  And was reasonably successful for us in Canada but we didn't really get enough time to practise it properly.

Ronnie

Ronnie,

Can you elaborate on your feelings on the use of the boobie in the lakes that were fished in this years Canadian Nationals?

In light of them being such successful flies in so many places, not too many of us Manitobans fish them on the lakes here. Not really sure if its a case of ignorance or lack of success, for me its a case of having other patterns that begin to produce before I ever make it to the boobies I have in the box... but I always assumed they would have been a decent pattern to fish here, weather on a fast sinking line or a WL rig. I am very interested to get you take on those flies in these lakes.

[Jeremiah Hamilton]

Here is my two cents on boobies, in the words of John Horsey "you can't be a serous comp angler with out the use of things like boobies and blobs", in Manitoba our top fly at Tokaryk was a shimmy and small red and black Booby.  Boobies are great disturbance pattern, in practice The Unabomber put on a big booby on the top dropper with a leech following it, and pulled it along the surface like a popper and had a big brown chase it and take the leech on the second cast at it on west goose. Now on spear he did the same thing and was the only one to catch a fish on that lake. Chris Pfohl and I where chatting with this lady that was in our group from one of the local teams, she blanked in the first to session and was down on her self, I gave a booby and chris explained how to fish it and she pull two browns on Patterson. I chatted alot with the Palmers and after the comp I got to see there flys and boobies where part of there strategy. We dialled in Pybus in practice, Tom one of our team mates found that if you had an orange blob or boobie on the top dropper and with Todds Vampire leech on point, it was a killer combo, I really mean KILLER. So yes boobies work any where in the world and you should learn to use them.

Ronnie,

Can you elaborate on your feelings on the use of the boobie in the lakes that were fished in this years Canadian Nationals?

In light of them being such successful flies in so many places, not too many of us Manitobans fish them on the lakes here. Not really sure if its a case of ignorance or lack of success, for me its a case of having other patterns that begin to produce before I ever make it to the boobies I have in the box... but I always assumed they would have been a decent pattern to fish here, weather on a fast sinking line or a WL rig. I am very interested to get you take on those flies in these lakes.

[Shane Ohara]

Yes, I agree, boobies are great flies. I have used them in the past and caught some fish, just don’t fish them that much. Will have to give a few of those colour combos a try next spring. See what happens.

I recall Graham L. mentioning that he wasn’t having as much success as he thought he might on the boobies in Man. His box was packed with them, was easy to see that he had a lot of confidence in the pattern, blobs as well.

Being that Ronnie mentioned that he didn’t have enough time to practice it properly, just wondering what he might have done differently if they had the time.

[Janos Boda]

For sure, my boat partner got a nice walleye on a booby fly on East Goose Lake after the session was cancelled and we were fishing just for fun. His other fly had a perch on it at the same time (not sure if it was a Booby or not) . In addition, I believe Booby fishing could be one of the most successful techniques on Spear Lake at the boat lunch, in deeper waters to catch walleye during the Nationals, I was ready to give it a try.

However in my experience at the Parkland lakes I have more success with flies that are imitating Mother Nature (scuds, boatman, minnows, leech, dragon fly nymph, etc) than with "attractor" flies.