{{+1}}Bearded booby{{-1}}

One of the best search flies in slow moving or still deeper water using a sinking line and a booby. If fishing from a fixed position cast it out, let the line sink to the desired depth, and then retrieve the line using a constant stripping motion, a pumping retrieve or a combination of both. The stripping speed should be varied. If lock style fishing as you lift the fly pause the retrieve as the Booby surfaces and dibble it across the surface. The hit can be at any time but often fish follow the Booby up and leave their take until the last moment.

As an alternative Boobies can also be fished as a semi-dry fly on the surface. They work particularly well on Bass when fished on a floating line. Cast the Booby into structure and let it sit on the surface film for 5 to 10 seconds if the is no response twitch the fly and let it sit again. Repeat this process until, your out of the structure then pick up and cast into a new position.

Materials

Hook	Eyes	Thread	Tail	Beard	Body
Hanak 900BL #4 to #8	Closed cell foam booby eyes	To suit body	Marabou	Hackle fibres	Estaz Chenille

Process

A	If I am am going to tie a booby I prefer closed cell foam eyes as the float better than both foam eyes and floozy eyes. There is an economy of numbers when you make up a few sets so I tend to make up a number at a time and keep them asided in their unpainted form for when I need them. Making bean bag bead booby eyes There is also an economy of numbers when it comes to painting closed cell foam booby eyes so I tend to paint 3 or 4 sets at a time.

B	Tie your thread back in behind the booby eyes and wind it in touching turns to the bend of the hook. Understanding hooks Tie in a woolly bugger type tail of marabou. You can include the little bit of flash but as the eyes are already pretty obvious I tend not to. Woolly bugger type tails

C	Take your thread forward and tie in the beard under the hook with the beard fibres facing forward. You could tie the beard in toward the end of the tie but it can be difficult to trim the butt ends without trimming some of the estaz chenille body material. I have just rotated the vice to show you where I have tied the brad in.

D	Tie in a length of estaz chenille along the top of the hook shank right down to the bend of the hook.

E	Wind the estaz chenille forward to directly behind the booby eyes. Tie the estaz chenille off with 3 or 4 firm wraps of thread. Trim the excess estaz chenille.

F	Pull the beard back to its final resting place and take two sets of quad hitches behind the booby eyes to lock everything in place. You can brake the thread off at that stage but I prefer to take it over the top and between the booby eyes to behind the eye of the hook where I do a further whip finish of the thread. DON'T use any varnish or head cement on this fly as the solvent will eat away your poly styrene bean bag balls either straight away or over time Half hitches and multiple hitches Tip - keep you bean bag eye boobies separate from all your other flies as the solvent in varnish and head cement on the eyes of other flies is released as a vapor on hot days and it will over time eat away any bean bag booby eyes in the same fly box.

Pull the beard back to its final resting place and take two sets of quad hitches behind the booby eyes to lock everything in place.
You can brake the thread off at that stage but I prefer to take it over the top and between the booby eyes to behind the eye of the hook where I do a further whip finish of the thread.
DON'T use any varnish or head cement on this fly as the solvent will eat away your poly styrene bean bag balls either straight away or over time

Half hitches and multiple hitches

Tip - keep you bean bag eye boobies separate from all your other flies as the solvent in varnish and head cement on the eyes of other flies is released as a vapor on hot days and it will over time eat away any bean bag booby eyes in the same fly box.