The Woolly Bugger Fly Pattern

The Woolly Bugger Fly Pattern

First tied in the vise of Russell Blessing, the woolly bugger has become one of the most popular flies in fly fishing. It can be used to catch almost any species of freshwater fish you can imagine.

Originally it was designed to imitate a hellgrammite, however by tying it in different variations and varying your presentation the wooly bugger can be used to represent a number of different things.

There really is no right or wrong way to fish it. Dead drift, slow retrieve, weighted, or unweighted you really have to just get it out there and try different approaches till you find what works.

The simplicity of the fly makes it easy to tie and is the reason it will be found in most beginner’s fly tying manuals.

No matter what you plan to fish for the woolly bugger is a must for almost any fly box. As far as colors go I prefer black and olive but you can get as creative as you like.

Hook: 4X long, regular to heavy wire, sizes 2 to 14. Umpqua Tiemco TMC 9395 Hooks
Thread: 3/0 for sizes 8 and up, 6/0 for sizes 10 and down, color to match. Flymaster 6/0 Thread
Tail: Strung Marabou Tying Material , color to match.
Hackle: Palmered Neck Hackle , color to match.
Body: Wooly Bugger Chenille , color to match, large for 6 and up, medium for 8 and down.
Weight: Round Lead Wire Spools (optional)

Tying instruction: ''Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple'' Book by Skip Morris gives clear tying instructions for this and other flies. Although almost any beginner fly tying book will probably have this or a variation of the woolly bugger.

To leave the woolly bugger page and and find another bass fly pattern click here.

Click here to go to the home page.

Sign up for our free ezine.

To get updates to the site, fly fishing stories, tips and gear information feel free to sign up for our free monthly ezine – Fly Fishing Journal.

footer for Fly fishing for bass page