STREAMERS

Woolly Bugger

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This is a very versatile pattern that w ill catch fish on virtually any

Brown trout

by a closely palmered hackle and a tail of soft turkey marabou.

~ Arctic char

,..(? Cutthroat

lake or river. The key to its success is plenty of action, provided It also has a heavily weighted underbody formed from close turns of lead wire. These are applied before the thread and can either be held in place with strong glue or by tight thread wraps. The Woolly Bugger is tied in a variety of colour combinations, usually natural ones such as black, brown and olive, and can imitate anything from a leech or dragonfly nymph to a small fish. The black and olive version is particularly effective. The hook needs to be removed from the vice to allow the glue to dry, so

"·

Rainbow trout

it is worth making up a batch of underbodies at the same time.

Tail: - - - - - - - . Black turkey marabou and pearl Crystal Hair

Hackle: Black cock saddle hackle

Thread: Black

Hook: _ _ _...J Size 2- 10 extra longshank

190

Weight: Lead w1re

WOOLLY

BUGGER

1

Starting just after the bend. wind on close turns of lead wire to form the weighted underbody. Apply a coat of strong glue. then remove the hook from the vice and leave to dry, securing the hook upright in a piece of foam.

2

Secure the marabou with tight thread wraps. allowing the waste ends to fill the gap left at the rear of the lead wire. Take a strand of pearl Crystai.Ha1r twice the length of the tail. Fold it in half and catch in at the tail base.

Prepare a black saddle hackle by stroking the fibres back from the tip, then catch it in at the base of the tail. Take 7.5cm (3 inches) of olive chenille and remove a section to leave a bare core. Use this core to catch the chenille in at the tail base.

3

I"~" tlu tymq thrr.ttd to the eye and wmd the 'hl'llillum1111 tnudunq turns to a pomt just hlltl nllln I'YII

5

Replace the hook in the vice. Run the tying thread on at the eye and carry it down to the bend. past the end of the lead. Catch in a short bunch of black turkey marabou.

4

Secure the loose end of the chenille with tying thread and remove the excess. Wind the hackle up to the eye in evenly spaced turns. At the eye. make three close turns to form a collar. Secure and remove the excess. Cast off the thread.

6

191