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Wooly bugger / Favorite way to fish it?


ccb

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If I'm on a floating tip, usually with a small beadhead and some lead wraps. With a sink tip, usually just a beadhead to retain a slight jigging action. Honestly, with things like the wooly bugger, I've found that I've caught fish on nearly every type of retrieve... during the more active days, I'll do short 3 inch strips, if it's slower, I'll dead drift it in a seam between fast and slow water.

It also depends on what I'm trying to imitate as well. Sometimes I just orange/brown cone head buggers on the rockier areas to imitate a craw of sorts, so that would entail a craw-hop/jigging motion.

They're really one of those flies that can do it all.

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Almost always across and down-current and mend the line so it doesn't swing too much faster than the current.  I find most hits are when it's past 45 degrees downstream and quite often when it's straight down from me.  At the most chain eyes but I prefer unweighted, and I rarely fish them with heavy weight just 'cause I don't like casting them.  Color?  Olive with black hackle/ black marabou.

"If you think fly fishermen are strange, try having a conversation with a mushroom picker."

John Gierach

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Most times I use it like a streamer.   Cast out and strip.   The only time I don't is with small ones.  I tie some on a size 16 4 XL hook.  These I fish like a nymph or as a dropper under a larger dry or a popper if I'm fishing for pan fish.  I use bead heads to weight them.  Can't remember the last time I tied an unweighted one.   My most effective colors have been white, pearl braid body over fluorescent orange thread, white marabou tail and hackle with a gold bead head.  The other is brown and orange.   Burnt Orange marabou tail, copper sparkle or crystal chenille body, brown hackle, copper bead head.  I didn't tie these  but the pictures are better.  I also I carry a couple of the second fly in black and olive.

 

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Agree with all the above.  When I tie a Wooly, I mostly use a tungsten bead to give it a little weight to get it below the surface and give it a slight "Jig" action as I strip it back.  I tie black on black, olive with black "trim", rust, and white, with cone heads, tungsten beads, and rarely brass beads.

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Was using one yesterday on my first pond fishing trip.  Brass bead head in black on a size 8 streamer hook.  About a 16 inch pickerel  and 3 fat bluegills. I always cast, give it a second to sink and slow strips of about 12 inches.  Almost like a mini Clouser Minnow.

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On 2/26/2018 at 0:23 PM, Buckscorider said:

I was catching steelies on one a few years ago.

Cast 3/4 upstream then fast twitches as it swung. 

I find that doing this generates a lot of slack so I have to do a fast retrieve. Are you pulling in slack and THEN doing a fast twitch? Or just fast twitches all around?

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8 hours ago, micros said:

I find that doing this generates a lot of slack so I have to do a fast retrieve. Are you pulling in slack and THEN doing a fast twitch? Or just fast twitches all around?

Im a righty, cast out, mend then grab the line with left hand and do very fast short twitches. Hope that explains it. 

 

Im not an expert and the experts I fish with were kinda laughing at me. Til I was catching more.

Crushed barbs save fish, keep that rod bent! 

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Thanks for the reminder I have to tie some up for my buddy for opening day weekend. I usually tie em olive with black heckle and marabou come or bead some non lead wire and a few unweighted but if it's that slow I'd probably switch to a Brahma bugger

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Not quite related but....it is. Every once in a while I will find floating jig heads. I know, bear with me. Like your standard lead jig head but foam, I guess it is a thing in the crappie / walleye crowd. They make a great hook for a bugger. The round shaped head is great.  It floats but the body of the fly is subsurface. Fishes much quieter than a popper or sneaky Pete type head. Great for dead drifts in clear water on my local smallie rivers. That’s my favorite way to fish woolly buggers.

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Depending on water ur fishing I prefer a Teeny Line in fast riffs , cast down n across mend watch for strikes on the turn if not I strip back with occasional wounded minnow drop backs n hang on sometimes they smash it on this retrieve . I prefer T 130 on a 5/6 weight  9' rod . The longer Rod permits unto,keep more line off water & permits easy mends to add depth and let fly maintain proper speed going downstream . I like to keep my line tight in case of strikes in any position .

if more depth is required I keep an assortment of lead core lengths that I can loop into line / leader to add depth to fly . 

Im an underwater fly guy & concentrate on riffs and PW , I seldom nymph or dry unless forced into it on a given day ! 

 

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