The Woolly Bugger

 

 

 

The beloved Woolly Bugger, if I was reduced to one fly for the rest of my life this would be it. The Bugger seems to catch fish no matter what, but to tell the truth I don't like fishing it. I would rather be imitating a specific bug than fish a fly that doesn't seem to really imitate a specific insect or bait. I think the reason a bugger works so well is that it just looks good, tied properly it looks alive with sensuous movement and an eat me swagger. It has saved a lot of days for me and even turned those tough days into banner days.

 

The secret to tying a good bugger is good marabou and good hackle. For Buggers and leeches I always recommend Waspi Woolly Bugger Marabou. Pick the marabou off the side of the feathers and place them to length, don't tear it, and the action on those fibres is magical. Hackle is a bit tougher, for years I used cheap Chinese rooster capes. The quality of these capes is getting better and even the number two's feathers are now too stiff to use for a bugger. I ordered myself a Whiting hen cape and am well pleased with the length and the softness of the feathers. Bugger hackle should be nice and soft, when you pull on your line, ideally the hackle will collapse and then flair out again as the fly stops. This creates a nice swimming motion to the fly, trout can't seem to resist. I tried the Whiting Bugger Hackle packs but found the hackle far too stiff. It is almost a dry fly quality hackle and the hackle doesn't collapse at all. While flies tied with this hackle look good in the vice, the performance on the water, in my opinion, is not there; over dressing the fly is another fault in my opinion, I want my buggers to breathe.

 

I don't usually use weight or beads on my buggers as I want them to track in a straight line. An intermediate line is usually my first choice, and I fish the fly in shallow water. If I troll, this fly or a dragon nymph are my first choices, I don't troll unless I can't get a fish and this fly, as I said, has saved many a day. I do tie it with a bead head for people that request it, most of them use it with a floating line in shallow water with good results.

 

Materials for this fly are Waspi Woolly Bugger Marabou, Waspi Woolly Bugger Chenille, copper colored wire, and furnace hen hackle. This is tied on a size 14 to 6 2XL nymph hook with Uni 6/0 thread. Colors I have tied range from black, brown, and shades of green to white. My personal favorite is the brown. If you desire a little more flash try ribbing it with gold or silver wire.

 

 

 

First lay a base of thread from the front to the back of the hook. Next strip a hank of marabou off the side of the feather, tie in leaving a little less than a hook length out the back. Then tie in the copper wire, the chenille, and the hen hackle by the tip.

 

 

 

Wrap the chenille forward and tie off leaving room for a head.

 

 

 

Wrap the hackle forward keeping the front face of the feather forward, use your hands to manipulate it if you have to. Tie feather off and then counter wind the copper forward, try not to knock any fibres down as you do this step. It helps to work the wire back and forth between the fibres as you go. Whip finish a small head and it's done.

 

There it is, a basic version of a classic, good luck!