Russell Blessing is credited with the design of the Woolly Bugger, although similar old English flies called “wooly worms” existed long before the 1970’s when Blessing cast the first of his famous flies. For probably thousands of years, humans have been fooling fish with artfully designed imitations of insects. The earliest known published reference to fly tying is found in De Natura Animalium, written by Claudius Aelianus circa 200 A.D.
Since that time people have shared their best fly patterns by means of written instructions and illustrations. Each fly tyer adds embellishments and improvements to existing patterns, and many create designs of their own. Blessing’s Woolly Bugger is relatively easy to tie, which makes it even more attractive to anglers. Materials for tying the basic Woolly Bugger pattern are:
Hook: Streamer, 3XL-4XL, #2-#14
Thread: Brown 6/0
Tail: Brown marabou blood feathers
Rib: Fine gold wire
Hackle: Brown wet-fly saddle hackle
Body: Brown chenille
The Benchside Introduction to Fly Tying, Ted Leeson and Jim Schollmeyer (Frank Amato, 2006)
Woolly Buggers don’t have to be basic black or brown, although these are popular colors for the fly. Olive green is also a favorite, but yellow, tan, white, orange, and even lime green Woolley Buggers can also bring on the strikes. The fly can be tied so that the tail is short, for a nymph-like appearance, or with a long tail for a streamer look. Romeo Rancourt, an avid fly fisherman from Ontario, Canada, says, when asked to name a favorite, said,
“Woolly Bugger, but must be tied buggy! Olive woolly bugger tied with some Root Beer Krystal Flash on the sides and tail about 4 strands of it and also some trash from the hackle in front making this fly even more buggy and much better!”
How to Fish the Woolly Bugger
The Woolly Bugger can be fished on the surface, dead-drifted, or jigged. However, it is usually fished under the surface. Who knows what fish think, but anglers intend it to imitate fish foods such as bait fish, leeches, nymphs, and crayfish. To get down in the water column to where the fish lurk, the fly must be weighted. This can be accomplished by tying them with heavier wire, or by adding a split shot, bead, or cone head at the front. Left unweighted, the Woolly Bugger takes on a great action when the weight is added to the line a bit ahead of the fly, giving an up-and-down bounce on each strip. To get a leech-like wriggle along the bottom, the weight should be on the Woolly Bugger rather than on the line.
Fishing the Woolly Bugger in Salt Water
Bigger, flashier Woolly Buggers are also successful saltwater flies. Large, bright yellow or orange Woolly Buggers, fished near the surface, may resemble reef fish or squid. The fly should be allowed to drift in the water column a bit before it is retrieved for the next cast. The marabou will float enticingly about when the fly is given a gentle tug upward, then allowed to settle.
Woolly Buggers Will Catch Trout
No trout angler’s fly box would be complete without a selection of Woolly Buggers. Clayton Petry of Ohio, USA, has this to say about the Woolly Bugger:
“It works when nothing else does, quite frankly. If you can't get a take out of a trout on a bugger then you probably wouldn't have done any good on anything else either. It lets you know when it's time to move on.”
The Woolly Bugger may well be the best all-around fishing fly of them all.
 |
