Boobies – Snails that Float

I sometimes catch rainbow trout with a cache of snail shells in their stomachs. It’s been said that you could use these trout to join a band and if you handle the fish, you sometimes can hear a sound of the shells shifting inside. I’m not sure why some trout target snails with their non-digesting shells, but it does happen and so, fly patterns have been developed to imitate said snail.

The Kamloops Booby Fly: Snail Pattern Click here for the tying instructions and pattern background.
Hook: Mustad C49S #12
Thread: black 210 denier
Tail: red stretch floss
Body: peacock herl
Rib: silver or gold wire
Thorax: peacock herl or none
Head: white glass bead
Boobies: dark gray foam cut

~ by Darren M on April 1, 2008.