Fishing the blob or boobie

[Piers Hugh Smith]

Hi

Soon I am going down to farmoor reservoir for some rainbows and I plan to use the blob or boobie. As I have never fished with these before please could I have some guidlines.

Thanks

Best fished on the "point" or end of the leader, with one or two nymphs on droppers further up the line (depending on how easily you can cast with more than 1 fly).

If you're fishing the booby as opposed to the blob then fish it on a slow sinking line. Alternate your retrieve for each cast and then hold on tight as takes tend to be fairly savage, especially if the fish hit the point fly.

Most importantly though, check that the fishery allows them as some don't.

The blob [img]/forum/smilies/surprised_smiley.gif[/img], is fished like any other lure type fly - on a slow sinking or floating line with a steady figure-of-eight or roly poly retrieve. Or you can try pulling it in jerks. It works best when fish are feeding on daphnia, hence the "orange blob", but they take the green blob as well.From now on is not the ideal time to fish blobs as daphnia activity becomes less in cold water.

Daphnia are very sensitive to light and on bright days will be deep down, the reverse on dull days.

Boobys - where allowed -can be fished in two basic ways.

Deep using a very fast sinking line with a short leader. Put the booby on the point and a dark coloured nymph or even a bloodworm imitation on the dropper. The leader can vary from 12 inches up to 4 feet in length. The retrieve is done very slow and takes are felt as plucks or twitches. Strike immediately or the trout will swallow the booby. If you mean to keep your fish this hardly matters. This is why boobys are banned on many catch and release waters.

Another deadly way of fishing the booby is whatI call "hanging out the washing". Put a booby on the point of a long leader and a couple or even three (where allowed) nymphs or wet flies on droppers up the leader. The booby will float of course and when pulled will cause a lovely wake which will attract trout , who will take the booby, or more likely take one of the other flies.

Can be deadly on a summer's evening.