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Fly Tying 101 - The Wooly Bugger

Ever wonder why grown men and women spend unbelievable amounts of time, and money, creating insect like creations out of feathers, furs, and synthetics? Tying your own flies is considered to be one of the most rewarding aspects of fly fishing. The knowledge that something you've created has fooled a wild animal into believing it was actually nature's own creation is rarely surpassed.

For anyone that is interested in tying their own flies, there is only one place to start, and that is the world famous Wooly Bugger! The Woolly Bugger is by far the most recognized fly in all of fly fishing. I would wager that you will never meet a fly fisher who is not aware of the bugger patterns.

The black Woolly Bugger - Click for pattern!

The bugger can represent a leech, or a larva type creature moving about the streambed. The most common Woolly Buggers are tied in earth tones however hot colors seem to work when nothing else does. The use of flash in the tail is also popular however optional. This is a true must have fly!

One of the reasons the Woolly Bugger has become so successful is due to it's simplicity. Only basic materials and knowledge of fly tying are required to tie any number of bugger variations.

What will you need?

Streamer hook - Streamer hooks are generally longer than other traditional fly hooks. For this application our streamer hook can vary in size from # 4 all the way to a #10.

Thread - The thread used for woolly buggers should generally match the body of the fly in color. As woolly buggers go through quite a beating during fishing, 6/0 thread is recommended for all but the smallest buggers.

UNI 6/0 Thread - Available in a wide range of colors!

Marabou - A fluffy feather originating from the African bird of the same name, is a widely used fly tying material which is available today in just about any color under the sun. A Marabou feather is used as the tail in a bugger pattern, color to match body.

Hackle - The woolly bugger pattern calls for regular, widely available saddle hackle, again color to match the body. Hackle is a type of feather derived from roosters and can can bleached and then dyed in just about any color. Grizzly hackle is characterized by black bars throughout the feather and is considered more realistic by some. The most common woolly bugger patterns use a solid colored hackle but by all means use your imagination and most importantly experiment!

Chenille - Again, one of the most popular fly tying materials, chenille comes in a variety of sizes and colors. It is available at just about any fly shop, or craft store. Medium diameter chenille is used on most buggers.

Now that we've covered all of the materials necessary to process, lets get to the pattern!

Tying the fly:

1. Secure the hook in the vise. Start the thread by winding a few turns overlapping one another. Wrap the thread towards the tail end of the hook. Select an appropriate Marabou feather and tie it in. As a general rule, the tail should be the same length or shorter as the fly body. Longer tails may result in short strikes.

2. Once the tail has been tied in, cut a 6" to 7" of chenille and tie it in by the tail. A hackle feather should also be tied in, tip first, in the same manner. Move your thread to the front of the hook when done.

3. Wind the chenille forward creating a dense "fuzzy" body. Tie off at the eye of the hook.

4. Wrap the hackle forward making sure that each turn is evenly spaced. This technique is referred to as palmered hackle. Once the hackle has reached the front of the hook, make one final rotation to create an even collar and tie off using the thread.

5. Cut away the access hackle and chenille. Whip finish and apply head cement. It is as easy as that!

Other variations:

As previously mentioned, Woolly Buggers and variety are synonymous. Once you've mastered the art of tying a regular bugger, try experimenting with bead heads. Add some rubber hackle in the tail, or try some crystal flash. The possibilities are truly endless...have fun!

Written By: Nick Pujic, © Feb, 2003
Photographs By: Hardie Essbauer