Original: $5.49
-65%$5.49
$1.92The Story
Hareline Booby Eyes are pre-formed EVA foam dumbbell eyes designed to add positive buoyancy and visibility to stillwater lures and suspender patterns. They come in practical diameters for trout flies (commonly in the 3–8 mm range) and in high-contrast, fluorescent, and natural colors that let you tune both flotation and silhouette. The foam is firm enough to keep its shape but light enough to keep bulky flies hovering just above weed beds or riding high in the surface film.
Because the eyes are symmetrical and uniform, they track straight and resist waterlogging over long retrieves. Whether you're tying classic Boobies, suspender nymphs, or buoyant mini-streamers, these eyes from Hareline give you repeatable lift without the fuss of cutting and matching foam cylinders by hand.
How to Use It
Mount the eyes at the front of the shank with tight figure-eight wraps, then lock them with a drop of thin CA or UV resin. Keep the eyes centered and level; asymmetry causes spin on the retrieve. Choose diameter to match hook size and intended buoyancy—3–4 mm for small suspender buzzers and damsels on #12–14 hooks, 5–6 mm for standard Boobies on #8–10, and 7–8 mm for blob-style attractors on larger hooks. If a pattern is lifting too hard, trim the ends slightly and re-seal the cut faces with a touch of resin or head cement.
On the water, pair Booby flies with intermediate-to-fast sinking lines to pin the leader while the fly hovers an inch or two off the bottom. Use short pulls and pauses to make the eyes act like a miniature diving lip—on the pause the fly rises; on the pull it dives and pulses the body materials. In shallow or weedy water, swap to a slower sink or longer leader to keep the fly riding just above the vegetation.
Example Flies
BOOBY: A classic stillwater pattern tied on a #8–10 long-shank with a marabou tail, fritz or chenille body, and 5–6 mm eyes. Fish it on a DI3–DI7 line with 4–6 foot leader; count it down to just above the weed tops and retrieve with steady 6–12 inch strips. The combination of lift from the eyes and drag from the body creates a distinctive dive-and-rise that often triggers following fish.
BOOBY BLOB: Built on a #8 with 7–8 mm eyes and a dense blob body (e.g., bright fritz). This variant maximizes profile and displacement, excelling in colored water and on overcast days. Retrieve with long pulls to compress the fritz, then pause to let the fly stall and rise; takes frequently come at the first inch of the pause.
HUMUNGUS BOOBY: A streamer-style lure on a #6–8 with a marabou or zonker tail, palmered hackle, and 5–6 mm eyes. The eyes add lift that slows the sink of the heavy body, keeping the fly in the strike zone longer on each pause. It’s deadly for searching windward banks when fished on an intermediate line with mixed short and long pulls.
DAMSEL BOOBY: A suspender damsel on a #12–14 with olive marabou tail, slim dubbed body, and 3–4 mm eyes. Ideal for clear, shallow edges where you need a slow sink and neutral hover. Let it settle, then use 2–3 inch hand-twist pulls; the eyes hold the fly up while the tail breathes, imitating a natural nymph.
Why We Like It
Hareline Booby Eyes deliver consistent buoyancy and diameter from pack to pack, so patterns behave the same every time you tie them. The EVA foam resists crushing and doesn’t take on water, which keeps the dive-and-rise cadence predictable over a full session.
The color range covers high-vis fluorescents for attractors and muted shades for natural suspenders, and the material accepts markers or resin if you want two-tone faces or added durability. They’re quick to tie in, easy to trim for fine-tuning, and cost-effective for building boxes of stillwater workhorses.
Comparable Materials
Veniard Booby Eyes and FNF Booby Eyes are the most common alternatives. Veniard’s range typically includes very bright fluorescents and multiple diameters, making it easy to match UK-style competition patterns; their foam often feels a touch softer, which can give slightly more lift in the same size. FNF offers vivid colors suited to blob and attractor styles, plus sizes that pair well with their fritz materials; their larger diameters are great for maximum suspension. Hareline’s strengths are consistent firmness and sizing across colors, which helps flies track straighter and maintain buoyancy over long retrieves. If you prioritize maximum fluorescence, try Veniard or FNF; if you want repeatable, medium-firm eyes that tie and fish the same across batches, Hareline is hard to beat.
Description
Hareline Booby Eyes are pre-formed EVA foam dumbbell eyes designed to add positive buoyancy and visibility to stillwater lures and suspender patterns. They come in practical diameters for trout flies (commonly in the 3–8 mm range) and in high-contrast, fluorescent, and natural colors that let you tune both flotation and silhouette. The foam is firm enough to keep its shape but light enough to keep bulky flies hovering just above weed beds or riding high in the surface film.
Because the eyes are symmetrical and uniform, they track straight and resist waterlogging over long retrieves. Whether you're tying classic Boobies, suspender nymphs, or buoyant mini-streamers, these eyes from Hareline give you repeatable lift without the fuss of cutting and matching foam cylinders by hand.
How to Use It
Mount the eyes at the front of the shank with tight figure-eight wraps, then lock them with a drop of thin CA or UV resin. Keep the eyes centered and level; asymmetry causes spin on the retrieve. Choose diameter to match hook size and intended buoyancy—3–4 mm for small suspender buzzers and damsels on #12–14 hooks, 5–6 mm for standard Boobies on #8–10, and 7–8 mm for blob-style attractors on larger hooks. If a pattern is lifting too hard, trim the ends slightly and re-seal the cut faces with a touch of resin or head cement.
On the water, pair Booby flies with intermediate-to-fast sinking lines to pin the leader while the fly hovers an inch or two off the bottom. Use short pulls and pauses to make the eyes act like a miniature diving lip—on the pause the fly rises; on the pull it dives and pulses the body materials. In shallow or weedy water, swap to a slower sink or longer leader to keep the fly riding just above the vegetation.
Example Flies
BOOBY: A classic stillwater pattern tied on a #8–10 long-shank with a marabou tail, fritz or chenille body, and 5–6 mm eyes. Fish it on a DI3–DI7 line with 4–6 foot leader; count it down to just above the weed tops and retrieve with steady 6–12 inch strips. The combination of lift from the eyes and drag from the body creates a distinctive dive-and-rise that often triggers following fish.
BOOBY BLOB: Built on a #8 with 7–8 mm eyes and a dense blob body (e.g., bright fritz). This variant maximizes profile and displacement, excelling in colored water and on overcast days. Retrieve with long pulls to compress the fritz, then pause to let the fly stall and rise; takes frequently come at the first inch of the pause.
HUMUNGUS BOOBY: A streamer-style lure on a #6–8 with a marabou or zonker tail, palmered hackle, and 5–6 mm eyes. The eyes add lift that slows the sink of the heavy body, keeping the fly in the strike zone longer on each pause. It’s deadly for searching windward banks when fished on an intermediate line with mixed short and long pulls.
DAMSEL BOOBY: A suspender damsel on a #12–14 with olive marabou tail, slim dubbed body, and 3–4 mm eyes. Ideal for clear, shallow edges where you need a slow sink and neutral hover. Let it settle, then use 2–3 inch hand-twist pulls; the eyes hold the fly up while the tail breathes, imitating a natural nymph.
Why We Like It
Hareline Booby Eyes deliver consistent buoyancy and diameter from pack to pack, so patterns behave the same every time you tie them. The EVA foam resists crushing and doesn’t take on water, which keeps the dive-and-rise cadence predictable over a full session.
The color range covers high-vis fluorescents for attractors and muted shades for natural suspenders, and the material accepts markers or resin if you want two-tone faces or added durability. They’re quick to tie in, easy to trim for fine-tuning, and cost-effective for building boxes of stillwater workhorses.
Comparable Materials
Veniard Booby Eyes and FNF Booby Eyes are the most common alternatives. Veniard’s range typically includes very bright fluorescents and multiple diameters, making it easy to match UK-style competition patterns; their foam often feels a touch softer, which can give slightly more lift in the same size. FNF offers vivid colors suited to blob and attractor styles, plus sizes that pair well with their fritz materials; their larger diameters are great for maximum suspension. Hareline’s strengths are consistent firmness and sizing across colors, which helps flies track straighter and maintain buoyancy over long retrieves. If you prioritize maximum fluorescence, try Veniard or FNF; if you want repeatable, medium-firm eyes that tie and fish the same across batches, Hareline is hard to beat.
