BOOBY NYMPHS
Booby fly-fishing flies have revolutionized many aspects of deep water trout fishing. I have found this great fly pattern deadly on large and small still waters. Booby flies have a unique action all of their own when retrieved in short, sharp movements. Use a retrieve, pause, retrieve pause method. On the retrieve the booby fly sinks but on the pause it floats up. It is an action that is lethally attractive to rainbow trout. Fish them on a fast-sinking line and an ultra short leader. In this way the Booby nymph fly can be presented just above the bottom, where the fish are often lying during early season. All boobies have buoyant eyes of closed-cell foam. This buoyancy and the fluid marabou tail give it a tremendous enticing action.

In the 1970's Gordon Fraser, created the Booby nymph fly pattern for use on Eyebrook Reservoir in Leicestershire, central England. They were named after the fly’s resemblance to a woman's breast. It took some time before other anglers grasped the tremendous potential that this buoyant headed nymph has to offer. Originally Gordon used polystyrene balls attached to the hook by trapping them in pieces of white nylon mesh from a pair of ladies panty-hose (tights). The mesh was tied to the hook. they were secure but suffered from crushing in the trout's mouth which reduced buoyancy. The answer came with the introduction of Ethafoam, a tough closed cell plastic foam that is far less prone to damage. The Booby fly pattern has been used to good effect at all levels of the water column. In fact Gordon Fraser originally used his booby nymph on both floating and sinking lines. A booby also works great as a disturbance pattern. I skate Booby nymphs across the water surface just as you would a deerhair Muddler minnow. I cast it out in front of a rising fish. I give the line a couple of pulls so the Booby makes a distinct plop sound on the surface. The movement and sound often attracts a trout's attention

THE WASHING LINE RIG
When part of a team of flies booby nymph’s buoyancy can be used to allow other flies of little buoyancy to fish just above the loch, or lake bed. This is arrangement is referred to as a washing line rig. I like using this set up of buzzers on droppers when other tactics are not working. Rather than have the point fly at the end of your leader, the largest and heaviest fly to help the leader sink, I tie on a very buoyant booby nymph. This keeps the end of the leader up near the surface. I then tie on three emerger buzzers nymphs like Gold Ribbed Hares Ears nymph or Pheasant Tail Nymphs, each on a dropper. They dangle down in the water, off the horizontal leader, just like clothing hanging down from a washing line. It simulates emerging insect buzzers that are nearing the surface just before they reach the top and emerge into adult mayfly or caddis. I tie the leader onto an intermediate or slow sinking fishing line.

In August during a heatwave I went to a local fishery in Southern England. Talking to a few of the anglers on the lake they said that the fishing was slow, just as I had expected. They were all fishing deep with three emerger insect buzzers on droppers tied to a long leader. If I did the same I would get the same results. It was too early for a hatch but I believed that the nymphs might be getting ready for the hatch and moving up through the water. I tied on a 'washing line rig' and sent out my first cast. I caught four times the amount of fish as the other fly-fishermen. It is a great successful productive rig. Try it on your next flyfishing trip.

BOOBY TIPS
Start by fishing your booby nymph fly deep and slow in the morning. Than as the day warms up start to fish your booby higher on the water column. If you are catching weed use a longer leader to keep the booby fly higher in the water. Try two different boobies on the same cast. I have found that on one day the point fly will work but on others days the dropper booby nymph catches the fish. Do not use a soft rod as you will be unable to set the hook at a distance. Use a non or low stretch backing to help set the hook when fishing at distance. This will help your catch rate by converting more takes into landed fish. Striking sideways will produce a faster direct contact rather than the traditional upward strike. Leave your line sinking for 30 seconds when flyfishing deep. Give one big strip to create a disturbance before starting a slow figure of eight retrieve. In winter the main diet of trout will be fry, baby juvenile fish or small black may-fly nymph buzzers. Use a white or dark colored booby instead of a bright orange colored one.

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