The Water Floatman
Designed by Phil Rowley

Hook:        Daiichi 1170 or 1550, #10-#14
Thread:     MFC 8/0 Black
Shellback: Booby Cord or Black Rainy’s Float Foam (Medium)
Body:        Pearlescent, Silver, Light Olive or Peacock Crystal Chenille
Legs:        Olive or Brown Stretch Floss

Tying Note:  Use a white shellback and peacock green Crystal Chenille to suggest larger backswimmers.

After the first frosts off the fall fly fishers can expect the first boatman falls of the season. With a lifecycle that is the reciprocal of most insects water boatman reach maturity in the fall and are finally able to take flight in order to mate and migrate.

A typical scenario involves an angler basking under the sun of a crisp fall day, as all around raindrops appear to fall from a cloudless sky. Upon closer inspection these "raindrops" are actually water boatman crashing headlong into the lake. Stunned and perhaps knocked half senseless the boatman spin wildly at the surface as they attempt to break through the meniscus. This overt behavior does not go unnoticed as trout key into this newfound surface fare.