When to fish for boobies
Booby fishing, or boobies, can finally be practised all year round. This technique involves using flies that float or rise to the surface thanks to foam eyes placed on a sinking to very sinking line, generally S5/S7 or even S3 in some cases.
In winter and summer, trout seek the depths to find a layer of water with the right temperature. That is, neither too hot nor too cold.
However, it is more often used in the middle of winter when fish are apathetic and stuck to the bottom.
How booby fishing works
The principle of booby fishing is to have flies that will work in the opposite direction to any other fly which, with its weight, will tend to sink to the bottom.
Because of its lightness and floating eyes, the booby will rise to the surface more or less quickly depending on various parameters (line density, tip diameter, number of flies, eye size, leader length).
The boobies will therefore be pulled down to the bottom during animation by pulling, knitting, strips or other means, and will rise again during breaks. This is very attractive to fish. It also provides a slow fishing action well suited to cold-water fishing. You'll need to be very concentrated to detect the slightest anomaly, and analyse when the strike occurs so as to reproduce the same animations or pause times.
The booby or train of boobies can also be animated in fast strip or rolly poly without waiting for the line to sink to the bottom. The aim is to make the flies move quickly through the water column to trigger the trout's attack. A less common technique.
Which jigs to use for booby fishing?
There are many possibilities for booby fishing.
You can mount 1, 2 or 3 boobies on a leader depending on the conditions and what you want to do.
It's also possible to mount a FAB (Foam Arse blob), which is a blob with a foam butt and works a bit like a booby, but also to insert a blob between two boobies or another light fly, like a chiro. The possibilities are endless!
The tip boody will be the most buoyant, i.e. with larger eyes that will allow the whole assembly to rise, but also not to unbalance it.
Leader length and fly spacing when using 2 or 3 boobies will depend on conditions, fish activity and your strategy.
Several boobies allow you to fish at different water heights and also to present different colors and sizes of flies.
2-boobie set-up
1- S5/S7 plunging silk
2- Water surface
3- Background
4- Depth âeuros from 2 mètres and more
5- 18/20° leader from 0.50 to 1 m or more
6- Leaders from 0.20 to 0.50 m in 18/20°
7- Surgical node
8- Stem in 18/20° from 10 to 15 cm
In this case, the use of two boobies allows for more discreet fishing while having two different models (size, color) that will fish at two different water heights
3-boobie set-up
1- S5/S7 plunging silk
2- Water surface
3- Background
4- Depth âeuros from 2 mètres and more
5- 18/20° leader from 0.50 to 1 m or more
6- Leader from 0.20 to 0.50 m in 18/20°
7- Surgical node
8- Stem in 18/20° from 10 to 15 cm
This three-fly rig features 1 FAB (Foam Arse Blob) and 2 boobies that will fish at different water heights. This allows you to find the colors and shapes that appeal to you, as well as whether the fish are glued to the bottom or a little more lifted.
