Fat Albert – 12/30/2019

Fat Albert 12/30/2019 Photo Album

Check out the story of my introduction to the fat Albert on my post of 03/27/2016. It was a momentous occasion and defined my relationship with the large buoyant hopper imitation. My post of 12/18/2016 describes my many positive experiences with the fat Albert during its initial season of deployment.

Angled View

Fly ComponentMaterial
HookTiemco 5262 Size 6 or smaller
Thread3/0 yellow
Overbody2 MM foam, brown then yellow
AbdomenYellow floss
WingWhite McFlylon
LegsRubber legs of choice
Indicator2 MM yellow foam section

At the risk of being redundant, the fat Albert possesses three valuable fly fishing characteristics: buoyancy, visibility and durability. These qualities cause one to occupy the top position on my leader quite often. When I grow frustrated with my inability to track the leading fly in a dry/dropper arrangement due to difficult lighting or water turbulence, I confidently insert a size 6 or 8 fat Albert in my lineup, and it improves my catch rate. In addition to serving the role of strike indicator, the fat Albert also attracts its share of aggressive trout to the surface, and quite often these top water feeders are larger than average.

An Army

I paused to assess my supply of fat Alberts, and I determined that sixteen were scattered among my various fly storage compartments. I settled down at my vice to produce four additional versions with yellow bodies to bring my total to twenty, as I head into the 2020 fly fishing season. I am confident that the fat Albert will frequently command a spot on my line, and it will certainly reward me for my vote of confidence.