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!
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!