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Fly of the Month Bob Ireton brings together his experience in fly fishing, aquatic entomology, and knowledge of fly tying techniques and materials, to design and tie durable and effective flies. |
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Volume 2, Issue 11
November 2001
LEAD-EYED WOOLLY BUGGER
By Bob Ireton
Photography by Bob Kimsey and Bob Ireton
The 'woolly bugger' is probably the fly that most people use when they start fly-fishing, and fly tying. The original was tied in olive and black. Now it is tied in an almost endless combination of color and size combinations, and seems to catch fish no matter how you fish it! You can strip it like a streamer, or fish it dead drift like a nymph. Depending on the variation, a bugger can imitate minnows, leeches, large nymphs, hellgrammites, crayfish, etc., or a combination of several food items. Whatever it is, fish seem to think it is something worth eating!
For this presentation, I have used artic fox fur instead of marabou, because it is more durable, and works just as well. And by using lead barbell eyes placed on top of the hook shank, the fly will ride 'hook up', and be less likely to snag.
If you don't already have several woolly buggers in your fly box, now would be an excellent time to tie some!
MATERIALS
| Hook: | Mustad 9672, Dai-Riki 710, Daiichi 1720, Orvis 1526, Tiemco 5263 Size 4-12 |
| Thread: | Black 6/0 |
| Weight: | Lead barbell eyes, size appropriate for hook size |
| Tail: | Black artic fox fur |
| Flash: | 6-8 strands of peacock krystal flash |
| Body: | Black chenille, size appropriate for hook size |
| Hackle: | Black |
TYING STEPS
1 - Secure hook properly in vice, and pinch down barb if desired. Tie in thread one hook eye space behind eye of hook, and using close wraps, lay on a thread base rearward, stopping above hook barb. Half hitch. Bring thread forward with loose wraps, and leave hanging at location of lead eyes.
| 2- At a point about the distance of 2-3 hook eyes behind the eye of the hook, build a thread dam in front of, and behind, this point. Now place a lead barbell eyes on top of the hook, between the two thread dams. Secure the eyes with figure eight wraps, and finish by wrapping around the base of the eyes. Using loose wraps, bring the thread back to the point above the hook barb. Half hitch. Apply zap-a-gap, or some other super glue, to the thread holding the eyes. Use 'zip kicker' if you want to accelerate the drying of the super glue. | |
| 3 - Take a piece of artic fox fur sized to match the size of the fly you are tying,. Lay this on top of the hook shank with the tips extending beyond the bend of the hook, and tie in at a point above the bend so the tail is the length of the hook shank, or a little longer. Trim butts. Now tie in 6-8 strands of the krystal flash the length of the tail. | |
| 4 -Cut a 3-5 inch length of the chenille, and strip the fuzz from a short section of the core strands. Tie the stripped end of the chenille in above the hook bend. Half hitch. | |
| 5 - Select a long, webby, hackle feather with fibers twice the length of the hook gap. The concave side of the feather should face the rear of the hook, so when it is wrapped, the hackle fibers will curve toward the bend of the hook, rather than leaning forward. Flare the fibers, and closely cut the fibers from the side of the feather that will contact the chenille. Tie in by the hackle tip above the hook barb. Bring the thread forward using loose wraps, and leave in front of lead eyes. Half hitch. | |
| 6 - Wrap the chenille forward, keeping the wraps tightly touching. When you get to the lead eyes, make a figure eight over the eyes, covering the shaft between the eyes. Tie off the chenille securely behind the hook eye. Half hitch. | |
| 7 - Now palmer the hackle forward, and at the eyes, trim off the excess fibers from the feather shaft. Tie feather shaft off in front of eyes | |
| 8 - Form a head. Half hitch, whip finish, and apply head cement. |
Copyright © 1998 - thisyear The Buckeye United Fly Fishers, Inc. Cincinnati, OH 45242
The Buckeye United Fly Fishers, Inc is a non-profit corporation organized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, incorporated in the State of Ohio for the preservation, conservation and wise use of our fishing waters and game fish; and to assist in the protection and improvement of our natural resources