Fly Fishing Forum banner

The Boob Tube

7K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  kush 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, here it is... long rumoured and seldom seen - though I now hear Sinktip has a copy and one of the raffle boxes at the Bellvue Show contains a sample.

The Boob Tube evolved from a British trout pattern known as the Boobie. It was tied in relatively small sizes with a long marabou tail and fished with a 2-3' leader on a Hi-D sinking line for large trout in lakes. It was so deadly that it was banned from many British lakes. I tried it in the Kamloops lakes - it is deadly!

I then decided to adapt it as a steelhead waker. Tied on a Wilson hook it caught its first steehead less than 15 minutes into its maiden voyage on the Bulkley River. After I got into tube flies it struck me that it would be easy to adapt the concept to the tube.

There are two advantages to the Boob Tube, first it allows for a large hook gap - a problem with many deer hair wakers - solid hook-ups result. Secondly, I further enhanced the already considerable waking ability by using a trick from Europe to wake tubes - that is to pierce the underside of the plastic tube with a hot needle. I then use the hole to pass the leader into the tube from the bottom, then out throughthe rear of the tube to be tied to the short shank hook which is then set into the rear of the tube. The beauty of this is that the fly is cocked upward and will wake in absolutely any water conditions!

The recipe is very simple:

Tube - black truck air brake line (auto supply shop)

Boobs - foam sticks sold in flyshops - the same ones that are cut
lengthways to make Soveral's Foamers. Tie a short
piece across the top of the tube with figure 8 wraps
cinch it down hard and then cement. After it is dry
(I usually prepare 4 or 5 at a time) clip it into the familiar
and pleasing shape that gives the fly its name.

Wing - Deer hair, stacked and tied not to spin, but to flair (it is
same as an elk hair caddis - except ther are a couple of
foam boobs in front of it! trim the butts even with the
top of the boobs and cement it well.

I use a heated bodkin needle to form the hole. Start a ways back from the end of the tube and push it forward at a 45 degree angle. Tie it on heave it out there and watch the sucker wake!
 
See less See more
#3 · (Edited)
Kush

I like the new logo ? Admiral Jet Sled was a bit too intimidating to some. Have not seen the dreaded Jet Sled thread emerge yet this winter like last either.

Bet that Boobie floats like a veritable cork. I have seen the "Boobie" pattern in the english fly fishing magazines which I periodically pick up a the book store.

Hal


PM Out
 
#5 ·
SInktip,

Yes, I picked up some purple deer hair the other day. Of course I got it for my Intruder addiction, but I will admit that I noted that there would be a few Purple Boobies in my fly box ( maybe they should be called "Purple Hermans"?).
 
#11 ·
boob tubes

I tied up some of these things and boy to they throw up a wake.
Only trouble I've had with them is, I guess do to my agggressive casting, I sometimes manage to do a macectomy on one side. And then it doesn't skate so well after that. Anyone else had that problem?

><///('>
JD
 
#12 ·
JD,

The simple fix to the masectomy I found is to put a hitch behind the boobies but pull it tight on the bottom of the hook (if using low-water hooks like I do) causing the leader to come off the bottom of the fly. This actually enhances the waking of the fly.
 
#15 ·
behind the boobies

If you burn the hole behind the boobies, you are burning through the thread wraps that hold the Elk hair. And since it is an extra step in the tying process and a bit of a bitch sometime to thread the leader in through the bottom, maybe a simpler solution would be just to thread the leader straight through the tube and then throw a couple of half hitches behind the boobies? I'll try that and report back.

Thanks,
><///('>
JD
 
#16 ·
JD,

That may work; but because you lack a hook eye with the tube, I suspect the masectomy problem will surface again. Make the hole in the tube before you tie the fly. Then tie on the boobies and tie off the thtread. After this, tie the thread on behind the hole in the tube and finish the fly. This slight variation in tying sequence would fix the problem and take very little extra time (an extra second or two at most).
 
#17 ·
stabilizing the hook

Are you fellas using anything to stabilize the hook inside the brake tubing...? On some of the tube sizes I am using, the hook is somewhat loose inside the tube, and it occurs to me that I might want to use a short piece of smaller tubing, , say 1/4 in long, pushed over the hook above the bend, in order to keep the hook from free-twisting inside the tube...do you fellas worry about that on these drys , or do you just let the hook go where ever it wishes inside the reaR OF THE tube? I realize the leader will hold it somewhat in place, just wondering if you take another step to stabilize it ?de
 
#18 ·
Bee,

I think that it is especially important with waking flies that the hook be stable. First it acts as a keel and secondly the nature of most takes on wakers makess it imperitive that the hook point is exposed and in the best position for a hook-up.

When I designed the fly, the tubing I used was the 1/8 brake line which made a very tight squeeze for the Nordic Single hook I prefer. If you are using hook eyes that don't fit snuggly, by all means employ some sort of hook keeper - I have used very small diameter surgical tubing on many of my flies. I buy mine at a model shop where it is sold as fuel line for gas powered models.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top