To properly learn the techniques and flies presented in this website, work your way through the Basic Skills sections and then do the listed flies in the recommended order. Each fly builds on previously learned skills. They become harder as you move along. Make sure you build several of each fly to solidify your skills at each step.

Importance to Fly fishing

No matter how many different foods are available to a trout at any one time, they tend to only pay attention to one type. The trout will then gorge themselves on that one food they’ve chosen and ignore the rest. For some reason, however, trout like to eat leeches after they have gorged themselves on whatever they are eating. Leech patterns, therefore, are important. If you cannot figure out what fish are feeding on, try a leech. If you have the right fly that is matching what they are eating but it suddenly stops working, put on a leech pattern.

Photo courtesy of Philip Rowley

Before tying this fly review section 6 of the Basic Skills part of this website. It will be assumed that you have tied a Woolly Worm as was demonstrated in that section. Tying the Woolly Bugger will then introduce only one new skill. That will be tying in a marabou tail

At this point a few things should be mentioned. The Woolly Bugger is not only effective but also very versatile. By changing the colour and size you can change what you want to give an impression of. Tied in black, it can be used as a leech. On a size 6 hook with thicker green chenille and a green tail, it can be used as a dragonfly nymph. On a size 10 hook with thinner green chenille and a sparse tail it can imitate a damselfly nymph. Tied in white, with some attractor material added (such as Krystal flash or Flashabou), it can imitate a bait fish. As a beginner, you can go a long way with no other flies in your box except a variety of Woolly Buggers.

There are an endless selection of leech patterns that you can choose from. This one has been chosen for its ease in tying.

In the Basic Skills sections you learned how to

• smash down the barb
• put the hook in the vice
• start the thread

Please do the above. Make sure the thread is at the bend of the hook.

Choose a marabou feather. Hopefully, as was discussed in the materials section, you have the kind of marabou that has a very thin, soft stem.

Wet your fingers and dampen the feather so it looks like the one shown. Also place it over the hook as shown (the end of the plume is at the bend of the hook.

A common problem first time tiers of Woolly Buggers have is where they tie in the marabou. The tendency is to put the stem end behind the eye, and then tie in the marabou. This results in a very long tail. Long tails cause “false takes” when fishing. The fish bite the fly but because it is so long, they miss the hook.

To measure, hold the marabou plume over the hook. Pinch the plume with your left thumb and forefinger over where the hook eye is.

Now move your thumb and forefinger to the bend of the hook, dragging the marabou with you. Now tie in the marabou with the Pinch. After you have done three pinch wraps, let go with your left hand.

Lift up the stem end of the marabou and give it a twist to further control the fibers. Move the thread, in wide wraps, to the front of the hook.

Using the Pinch again, cinch the marabou down at about 4 mm behind the eye.

Snip off the excess marabou

Wrap the thread back to the bend. Steady the marabou on top of the hook with your left forefinger as you wrap. This will keep the material from wrapping around the hook.

The rest is like the Woolly Worm as discussed in the Basic Skills area: section 6: Wrapping Materials and tying off. Refer to this section when completing this fly.

Tie in the grizzly hackle and black chenille. Before wrapping the materials, make sure you 1) cinch in all materials at the bend and 2) wrap the thread to the front of the hook, just behind the eye.

Wrap the chenille forward and tie off. Palmer the hackle forward and tie off.

Build a thread head, secure with 5 half hitch knots, snip the thread, and add head cement.

Here is the completed Woolly Bugger

Click Here for more Leech patterns.

Teacher Support Materials for this Section

How to Fish the Black Wooly Bugger

How to Troll Flies