Single booby reservoir fly fishing technique

A year-round technique

Booby fishing, or boobies, can finally be practised all year round. The technique involves moving flies close to the bottom, usually with a sinking line and a short leader. However, this is not obligatory. If a longer leader is used, the fly will rise higher in the water column. The advantage of this set-up is that you can fish more slowly, and have your fly rise on the breaks, instead of dropping like a streamer fishing with a floating, intermediate or S3 line.

But of course, you'll need to find the right layer of water to know how long a leader to use. It can be very short for bottom fishing, or much longer, up to almost 3 metres if necessary.

Trout that may be accustomed to seeing flies descend during breaks will be less wary with a single booby rig and the fly rising slowly. An option to keep in mind when bites are less regular with a multi-fly rig.

A simple and sometimes more time-consuming set-up

When trout have seen a little too much booby tying with 2 or 3 flies, it's sometimes a good idea to use just one to thwart their suspicion and be more discreet. Trout are often wary of chasing trains of flies. A single fly may attract their attention, be more suitable and catch fish that would not have taken on a train of flies.

You'll need to find the right size and color, but if you've fished with several flies before, or if you know which colors are most effective on the reservoir you're on, you'll quickly be able to put on the most effective fly.

Then, as always, animation will play a decisive role.

Even in midsummer, if the water is very warm, trout can be found at the bottom of your favorite reservoir, where the water is coolest. In this case, fishing with a booby may surprise you! And at this time of year, the action can be much faster than in mid-winter, of course.

This rig also makes it possible to fish over weed zones and keep the fly in this layer of water or depth, while animating slowly, which will not be the case with other line densities. And once again, the fly will have that upward animation that other set-ups with lighter silks don't have.

The booby can also be replaced by a blobby (a blob fitted with booby eyes) or a FAB (a blob with a foam butt) which, because of their shape, may be more appreciated by trout if they are overfished with traditional boobies. Blobs also push out more water and don't move in the same way as a booby, so they'll arouse trout interest.

Which jigs to use for single-booby fishing?

Set-up is very simple. You'll need to adapt the line density to the depth of the fishing spot. An S3 may be sufficient if the spot you're interested in is not that deep (less than 2 m). S5 and S7 are suitable for deeper spots.

You'll also need to consider the length of the tip. You can start with a 3 m leader, then shorten it regularly to find the water layer where the trout are. If you already have information on their presence, you can immediately use a shorter tip. But don't think you have to fish flush with the bottom. Analyze the conditions and the results.

The diameter of your tippet will also affect your fly's ascent speed, which will also depend on the size and density of its foam eyes. You should use 14° as a minimum, and go up to 20° depending on the size of the fish in the lake.

Experiment with different colors, sizes and animations to find what works best. Change regularly if there are no buttons or if they become more widely spaced.

Don't hesitate to move around the tank to attract more fish.

Single booby assembly

Legends

1. Plunging silk S3/S5/S7
2. Water surface
3. Background
4. Depth
5. 14° to 20° leader from 0.50 (or less) to 3 m or more

Mounted on a booby to pass over seagrass beds

Legends

1. Plunging silk S3/S5/S7
2. Water surface
3. Background
4. Depth âeuros from 2 mètres and more
5. 14 to 18° leader from 1 m to 3 m depending on the seagrass and water layer below
6. 7 Herbiers