Who Knows About The Boss

[Brook]

Several years back somebody published a pattern called The Boss. It was basically a crayfish/nymph/creepie-crawly that used flattened out dumbell eyes, and a bent upwards hook shank. Among other things, it was one of the most weekless flies I've ever fished with.

I've been tying half-vast versions of it, using the style. But somehow lost the actual pattern.

If anyone knows it, and is willing to share.....


Brook
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[macfly55]

Brook,

Is this what you are looking for??


[url "http://www.rackelhanen.se/eng/10323.htm"]Boss Fly[/url]

MacFly [cool]
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[Brook]

Thanks for the effort, Mac. But that's not what I'm looking for.

What you found is a tube fly. Tubes were originally tied for Atlantic salmon. They never caught on much on our Atlantic Salmon streams, because treble hooks (which they use) are illegal. But they've found some popularity among steelhead and Pacific salmon fishers; thus the bright colors of the one you found.

The Boss I'm looking for is a deep-water, warm-water fly. What you do is flaten a pair of dumbbell eyes, which get tied in on the underside of the hook. This causes the fly to stand upright (the "eyes" form a flat platform, you see), in a hook-up position. To help it stand even taller, the hook shank is bent in a slightly upturned arc. This also helps make the fly weedless; or close to it.

Now, cover the hook with what amounts to a heavily dressed wooly bugger. There are some significant differences, but that's as close as I can describe it without a photo.

Sometimes we include rattles in the dressing as well.

You fish it right on the bottom, crawling it along and raising a fuss. Smallmouth can't seem to resist it. George Mead and I once used these on Dale Hollow Lake (home of the world-record smallmouth) to show-up a guide who insisted we couldn't flyfish that kind of water. We matched him fish for fish (he was using casting gear and plastic baits), and top dog went to George, who landed a beautiful fish running more than four pounds---which took the fly in 20 feet of water.

It works in streams, too, where we fish it the same way as a crystal grub.

Brook
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[macfly55]

I had a feeling the fly I found on line and the one you were looking for were not one in the same..

.. did this fly go by any other name?? who was the original tyer of the fly..

MacFly
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[Brook]

I have no idea, Mac, if it went by any other name.

It originally appeared under that name in a copy of the late, lamented Warm Water Flyfishing. The name of the originator, along with the pattern, were on an index card that I can no longer seem to find. That's why I'm hoping somebody else is familiar with it.


Brook
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[macfly55]

I know the questions answer not....

MacFly [cool]
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