{{+1}}Fat boy – Chatto’s original{{-1}}

There are plenty of "Blobs" around but many of them look very much as the name suggests - just a blob of fur and feather. This is a "blob with attitude" and because it actually looks like a fly I find it a little easier to tie on than its very basic second cousins. It has a place in my fly box because from time to time, and particularly in competition fly fishing, you find yourself fishing in the most unpleasant conditions. If the wind is blowing at 30 kilometres an hour the waves are at the gunnels and your having to strip as fast as you can just to keep the team of flies in front of the boat and the fish are down then you do have to ask yourself will they see my team of flies. In situations like that a blob with attitude may save the day. I tie it in as my middle dropper in those circumstances and fish all the likely water that I can. I have been amazed with the pulling power of this fly. It doesn't get many takes itself but it does lead fish to your other more more traditional flies.

Materials

Hook	Thread	Tail	Rib	Butt	Body	Hackle
10 to 12 Knapek Lure	Black	Marabou	Silver wire	Red seals fur	Estaz chenille	Dyed grizzly hackle

Process

A	Wind the thread in touching turns to the bend of the hook. Understanding hooks Tie in a tail of marabou fibres. The finished tail should only be about as long as the shank of the hook. On the rear 20% of the hook shank dub a butt section of red squirrel fur. I like this butt section to be about as thick as it is long. Tails on flies Tie in a length of silver wire directly in front of the butt of red squirrel fur.

B	Tie in a length of Estaz chenille also directly in front of the butt of red squirrel fur.

C	Wind the estaz chenille forward in touching turns to the 95% position. Lock it in place with a couple of wraps of thread and trim the excess.

D	Tie a hackle in by is butt at the 95% position. Wet fly hackles Take two wrap in front of the tie in position and then palmer the hackle down to the butt section taking just three wraps of the hackle. Whilst holding the hackle in position with the left hand pick up the silver wire with the right hand and wind it forward to the eye of the hook locking the hackle into position and creating 3 or 4 segments along the body of the fly. Worry the wire off at the eye of the hook.