Jigged Ice Boatman Fly Tying Tutorial

The Jigged Ice Boatman is a simple water boatman pattern designed for stillwater trout.

Water boatmen are an important food source for trout, particularly in lakes and ponds where they can be found swimming throughout the water column. This jigged version features a compact profile that gets down quickly while remaining simple and easy to tie.

The combination of a metallic brown tungsten bead, Peacock Ice Dub, and Mottled Bustard Olive Thin Skin gives the fly a great mix of natural olive and peacock colours. The Ice Dub builds the fuller boatman profile while adding subtle flash, while the mottled Thin Skin creates a darker and more natural looking shellback.

With relatively few materials and a straightforward tying process, the Jigged Ice Boatman is an easy and effective pattern to add to any stillwater fly box.

Allow the fly to sink to the desired depth, then retrieve it with short, quick pulls followed by pauses to imitate the natural swimming action of a water boatman. Experiment with retrieve speed and depth until you find where the trout are feeding.

How to Fish the Jigged Ice Boatman

Water boatmen are active swimmers, so try fishing this pattern with short pulls followed by brief pauses.

Start by allowing the fly to sink to the depth you want to fish. The tungsten bead helps it get down quickly and causes the fly to drop again when you pause the retrieve.

Try short, sharp pulls to imitate a swimming boatman. If the trout are less aggressive, slow things down with a steady hand twist retrieve and occasional pauses.

The Jigged Ice Boatman can be fished on a floating, intermediate, or sinking line depending on the depth of the water and where the trout are feeding.

It can be fished on its own or as part of a team of stillwater flies.

Experiment with depth, retrieve speed, and the length of your pauses until you find what the trout respond to.

If you tie the Jigged Ice Boatman, let me know how it fishes for you in the comments.

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Materials:

• Hook: Ahrex Size 12 FW551 Mini Jig Hook
• Bead: Pro-Tyer Metallic Brown 7/64” Slotted Tungsten Entice Bead
• Thread: UTC Dark Brown 70D Ultra Thread
• Tail: Hareline Pearl Krystal Flash
• Shellback: Wapsi Olive Mottled Bustard Thin Skin
• Legs: Rainy’s Brown Medium Round Rubber Legs
• Body: Hareline Peacock Ice Dub

Step-By-Step Fly Tying Video Tutorial

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by email at info@sea-run.com, by phone at 604-931-5044 or stop by Sea-Run Fly & Tackle at #110-1140 Austin Avenue in Coquitlam, BC.

Good luck on the water.

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