Hook: Tiemco TMC 5263 (# 6-18)
Thread: Black 6/0
Tail: Black Marabou
Rib: Copper Wire, Silver or Gold
Hackle: Black Cock Stripped on one side (Palmered)
Weight: Lead Wire
Body: Black Chenille

Overview

This fly is very easy to tie and is extremely durable. It can be tied in a multitude of colours with greens, olives, browns all working well at times. It is also a good pattern to have in a variety of sizes and I tie mine as large as a #6 and as small as a #18. Feel free to play with all aspects of it. The use of synthetic materials has really seen some fantastic variations of this pattern and the addition of Flashabou or Crystal Flash. Many unique and effective patterns have evolved in this manner with the 'Flash-a-Bugger' one of the best of these hybrids.

This fly is very useful for blind searching in lakes. The large black version is particularly useful in dirty water and its profile allows it to be found in such adverse conditions. As such it is a great early season pattern. This is the case whether fishing still or moving water. Fished along the edge of a lake drop off or hard along the edge of dirty, swollen streams the Woolly Bugger is pretty hard to beat. Another effective technique using this pattern requires fishing back into the bank from a drift boat. Drifting along and casting a weighted Woolly into fish holding tight against the bank can be very exciting, often you don't have a chance to strip the fly before it is nailed!