BOO5.  The Light Brown Booby Nymph Fly

BOOBY NYMPHS
Using a Booby Nymph fly pattern I have successfully fished a two fly rig when hunting for the correct feeding level of rainbow trout in the column of water. I tie a Booby to the end of the leader on a floating line. It hovers subsurface. I then tie a length of line on to the bend of the booby fly’s hook. At the end of this leader I will fish an epoxy buzzer nymph, a Gold Ribbed Hares Ear GRHE nymph or Pheasant Tail nymph. They will sink. If I do not get success I will experiment by changing the length of the leader to search a different height in the water for feeding Rainbow or Brown trout. This method is referred to as 'top-down' nymphing.

The Washing-line technique uses a Booby nymph at the tippet of a long leader. A team of small midge pupae, epoxy buzzers, Pheasant Tails or Gold Ribbed Hares Ear nymphs are fished on droppers off the main line. They are cast on either a sinking or floating line depending on what depth the trout are feeding. The buoyant boobie keeps the leader floating horizonally under the water with the droppers dangling enticingly under it, just like washing hanging on the line. If you vary the length of the dropper you are able to fish at different levels in the water. It takes a bit of skill to be able to cast this rig. It takes practice but is worth it once you get the knack.

You can e-mail us at fly.fishing@blueyonder.co.uk

The English Fly Fishing Shop, Estate and Country Sports Equipment Ltd,
5 Woodland Way, Morden, Surrey SM4 4DS, England (Established 1978)