Backswimmer Pattern

[LarryM]

I pumped the stomach of a fish at a local stillwater this weekend and found a backswimmer. I did a search for a pattern on the web, but most of what I found were patterns called backswimmers, but appeared to my uneducated eye to be water boatman. Will a water boatmam serve as an adequate substitute for a backswimmer? Is there a difference between the two or are they the same bug known by different names? Does anybody have a good pattern and/or give me an idea on how to fish them? Any help is appreciated.


Larry

[Crosby]

Larry- all I can tell you is that I catch fish in some south Idaho res.
using what I would call a water boatman pattern-
scud hook- dubbed body with a rubber leg on each side and a shell pulled over top.

[Sumner Newman]

http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/bugs/waterboatmen/waterboatmen.phtml

I fish boatmen patterns a fair amount in the fall and a little bit in the spring. They can be quite good at times. I tie most of mine on size 14 and 16, 2X heavy wire nymph hooks. This is a good time of year to try them in any of our high desert stillwaters. I normally fish them in shallower water (3 to 8 feet deep), however, I've taken fish on them in water up to 15 feet deep. Use a floating or an Intermediate line in the shallower water and probably about a No. 3 full sinker in the deeper water. Try just suspending them under a strike indicator, also. Give them twitches or short, quick pulls.

Check out Phil Rowley's book, Fly Patterns for Stillwater Trout, for some good patterns. There are other books that have some good patterns in them, also. Mike Andreason and Dennis Brakke have a book out called Productive Stillwater Flies or something like that. I don't have it, but it has a good boatman pattern in it.

Good luck and have fun!

[Larry S.]

Check out Dennis Brakke's site at :

http://flydesk.com/patterns/pat002.htm