Blob

Blob is the opposite of a lifelike imitation, and sometimes that is exactly what you need. It is a short, loud-coloured fly tied of glowing Fritz material, and it represents nothing in particular. Instead it is a pure attractor that plays on rainbow trout’s curiosity and hunting instinct. On freshly stocked fish it can be almost unfairly effective.

When it shines

The Blob comes into its own in two situations: on freshly stocked fish and in coloured water. Freshly stocked rainbow trout is unused to the water and takes readily on something that stands out, and in coloured water the fish finds the loud colour at a distance. It is also an excellent searching tool: if you get nothing in a couple of casts with a Blob it is often a sign that the active fish stands somewhere else, and then you move.

Colour

Bright is the whole point. Pink, orange and chartreuse are classic first choices, and different glowing combinations work differently well on different days. This is therefore the straight opposite of a Pheasant Tail in clear water. When the fish has stood a while and become shy the Blob is often too much, and then you switch to something muted.

How you fish it

The Blob is happily fished on an intermediate or sinking line with a varied retrieve, roughly like a streamer. Vary the pace and put in stops, because the take often comes when the fly slows or sinks. A popular set-up is to fish a small Blob as an attractor a bit above a natural nymph: the loud fly draws the fish’s attention, and then it takes either the Blob or the more discreet nymph.

The right tool for the right fish

See the Blob as a specialist tool for freshly stocked and active fish, not as an all-round fly. If you have a Blob for the loud situations, a Woolly Bugger as a searching fly and a couple of natural nymphs for fussy fish, you are well equipped. The whole box sits in the fly overview.