I’ll admit, it took me a little while to come around to the Blob and its close cousin the Boobie. Afterall, so much of fly fishing focuses on matching the hatch, showing trout that special fly that bears resemblance to whatever insect or organism appears on the day’s menu. The Blob looks very little like anything a trout might encounter in nature. Sure, it might look a little like an egg or a cluster of daphnia under the right circumstances, but mostly just sticks out like a sore thumb. We have to remember that fish don’t just take a fly out of hunger, but oftentimes eat out of curiosity.
Without the luxury of hands to examine a foreign object, they rely on their mouths to determine if something is food or not, just like a rambunctious puppy.
I found that once I set aside my preconceptions about what a good trout fly ought to look like, the Blob became one of my best friends, especially at times when the fish prove difficult to catch on a number of other patterns. I think sometimes the Blob simply draws attention from afar. It is the flare on the distant horizon that beckons trout to come investigate. They may check it out and then go for the leech or bloodworm or tiny chironomid pattern that I’m often fishing as a dropper in conjunction with the Blob. Other days, the Blob itself seems to be the only fly they’ll touch. Perhaps they’re not really in an eating mood for whatever reason or chilly water has their metabolism slowed to a crawl. Nonetheless they just have to get a taste of that unnatural bright ball and see what it’s all about.
I almost always fish the Blob with another pattern (where legal), usually more imitative dangling below it as a dropper, and typically under an indicator. You can strip Blobs with success as well, especially when the water warms up and the fish become more active.
Add a few Blobs to your fly collection this season and give them a shot. They honestly may never see the light of day until that one session on the lake when you just can’t buy a fish on your standby patterns. You never know when that lowly pink and chartreuse ball in the dungeons of your fly box just might save your bacon.
Blob Recipe:
Hook: #10 Daiichi 1120
Bead: 1/8″ Fl. Pink
Thread: 70 Denier Chartreuse Ultra Thread
Tail: Pearl Krystal Flash
Body: Biscuit and Hulk FNF UV Jelly
Confluence Beer Pairing: Since there’s a popular orange and chartreuse Blob that is commonly referred to as a Tequila Blob, it seemed only fitting that we feature a beverage with tequila in it. This month’s recommendation is a tamarind margarita. I know margaritas are probably the last thing you think about during the dead of winter, but sometimes it’s best to forget about how nasty it is outside, or better yet, go visit a place that’s awash in the real deal…sunshine, blue skies, margaritas…the whole kit and kaboodle. If you happen to be in San Pedro, Belize at some point, the tamarind margarita at Elvi’s Kitchen is one of the best I’ve had. Not too sweet and steeped in that incredibly unique tamarind flavor that sets it apart from everything else.
