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This is a booby version of my very successful articulated swimmer fly.

I have modified the articulated swimmer by replacing the dumbbell eyes with large booby eyes to ensure that the fly is marginally buoyant, and will sit in the surface and not on the surface but with the hook hanging down behind the fly, and by adding an upward facing bib that adds resistance to the fly so it can be kept in the zone longer and on any forward movement will causes the fly to rides up a little and to roll from side to side mimicking a swimming action and creating a natural looking wake.

Fished on a floating line I like to put a good cast into the target area and to allow the fly to settle for a few seconds before doing tiny twitches of the rod tip to cause some rings on the surface suggesting it's a natural struggling and then if that doesn't induce a strike to commence either a slow roly poly retrieve, or a series of stop start strips, back to the boat or bank. Whatever the retrieve the occasional pause followed by some twitches of the rod tip area good idea.

Building an articulated fly is basically a two part process with the first step being the tying of the trailing hook fly.This particular fly is destined for my barra box and is tied on a #3/0 hook. For smaller or larger versions adjust the dressing content and sizes.

Materials for trailing hook

Process

A	Wind the thread in touching turns to the bend of the hook.

I build my marabou tail for these flies in three stages.

B	The first stage is to tie in the under-tail. The target length of tail should be the same length as the length of the hook which in the case of the 3/0 hook being used here is 45 mm plus the length of the articulated shank which is 25 mm giving a total tail length of 70 mm.

C	The second stage is tying in the tail flash. I don't like the krystal flash tied in on the outside of the marabou and prefer it partially hidden in the tail. To achieve that tie 3 or 4 strands of your sparkle flash toward the top of each side of the under-tail.

D	The final part of the tail is tying in the over-tail which can now be tied in on top of the under-tail hiding some of the krystal flash and completing the tail.

E	If there is any unevenness along the top of the hook shank tie a little scrap wool in to make the under-body even. Take the thread forward far enough to be able to tie in a length of jelly chenille. Tie a length of jelly chenille and lock it in along the top of the hook shank all the way down to the bend of the hook. Take the thread forward to just behind the eye of the hook.

F	Wind the jelly chenille forward in tight touching turns. Jelly chenille ties in better if you wet it and stroke the fibres back between each wrap of the jelly chenille. Tie the jelly chenille off directly behind the eye of the hook and trim away the excess. Whip finish the fly body and trim the excess thread away. I generally put just a little UV epoxy over the whip finish to complete the trailing hook component of this fly. Slide an articulated shank through the eye of the hook. Fish Skull shanks have an offset eye. Because you will be adding a flylipp on top of the articulated shank make sure that when you slide the shank onto the hook that you position the offset eye so that the off set eye of the shank will be facing down.

The second part for building an articulated fly is to attach the articulated shank and to dress that to represent the thorax and head of the fly.

Materials for articulated head

G	Lock the rear eye of the articulated shank into the vice. At this stage I find it useful to tame the trailing hook by locking it to the side of the vice with a rubber band.

H	Start behind the front eye of the shank wind the thread in tight turns back toward the rear eye of the shank. I like to do a couple of half hitches as I proceed through this step just to be sure that the shank sides are locked together.

I	Tie in a length of palmer chenille along the of the shank all the way back to the rear eye of the shank taking care not to go so far back that you inhibit the movement of the trailing hook.

J	Wind the palmer chenille forward taking 6 tight touching turns. Tie the palmer chenille off and trim the excess away with a sharp blade. With wet fingers stroke the palmer chenille back with your thumb and forefingers forming a skirt that disguises the join of the hook and the shank and lock that in with firm wraps of thread. Take the thread forward to just behind the front eye of the articulated shank.

K	Tie a bib in so that it is flat along the top of the shank and it leaves enough access to the down turned eye of the shank to be able to tie the fly onto your leader. Take a half hitch in the thread just to be sure that the bib wont move.

L	For the same reason put a coat of super glue along the tie in of the bib. Take the thread forward about 80% of the way up the articulated shank.

M	Tie the booby eyes in as far forward as you can on top of the bib.

N	Wind the jelly chenille forward in tight touching turns to directly behind the booby eyes. This process will be more effective if after each wrap of the thread you stroke the fibres of the last wrap of jelly chenille backward with wet fingers so they don't get tied down by the next wrap of jelly chenille. Tie the jelly chenille off and take a couple of tight precautionary half hitches. Trim away the excess jelly with a sharp blade. Take the thread forward under the booby eyes and take a couple of wraps of thread around the eye of the articulated shank. Whip finish the thread, trim away the excess and applya coat of varnish to the whip finish. The final step is to paint an eye on each side of the booby eyes with coloured nail varnish or an alternative.

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