In this week’s episode of Tying Tuesdays, watch as Dave ties the Beadhead Water Boatman!
The Water Boatman is a staple for every lake angler fishing for trout. Not only is it overlooked and often forgot about by many anglers, but it can be tied in an almost infinite number of productive variations. Typically I like making them in earthy colors, but I also tie them with flash and fluorescent colors to make them an attractor fly. Tying them with a small tungsten bead can place the fly a little deeper whereas tying them with no extra weight can create a deadly fly for shallow water or fishing above the submerged vegetation. Strip at a moderate speed and hold on!
Ingredients & Recipe
- Hook – Firehole 317 (Size 14)
- Bead – Countersunk Tungsten (1/8 Black Nickel)
- Thread – Semperfli Nano Silk (50D Black)
- Backing – Wapsi Mottled Thin Skin (Bustard Olive)
- Legs – Life Flex (Brown)
- Body – Whitlock SLF Dubbing (Nearnuff Crayfish Sandy Gray)
- Resin – Loon UV Clear Fly Finish (Flow)
This is a useless pattern as water boatman give off a noxious substance that is offensive to trout. Forget about it and tie much more useful patterns.
Kevin, thanks for the comment, I haven’t heard that before. I guess nobody told the trout that we catch using water boatman patterns that they aren’t supposed to like them…