Fly of the Month by Scott Reisetter
The Good Ole “Woolly Bugger”
Well according to Wikiwhatever, The Woolly Bugger is an artificial fly commonly categorized as a wet fly or streamer and is fished under the water surface. It is a popular and widely used pattern for both freshwater and saltwater game fish and is generally listed as one of the top patterns to have in any fly box. According to me this is one of the best damn flies ever invented, but I maybe bias due to it is also the first flies that I caught a trout on and it was the first fly that I learned to tie. There must be 100 variations to this fly pattern. I have seen them from hot pink, to yellow with black stripes, purple with sparkles, to adorned with glass and brass bead heads. But for me personally, I like my Woolly Bugger black with a trace of red in the tail and green foil on the shank of the hook.
The history and origin of the Old Woolly Bugger is a little disputed, but the original Woolly Bugger pattern is believed to have been created by Pennsylvania fly tyer Russell Blessing as early as 1967 to resemble a hellgrammite, or dobsonfly nymph, its precise origin is unknown, but is clearly an evolution of the Woolly Worm fly, which itself is a variation of the British palmer fly, which dates back to who the hell knows. All I know is that this fly is a slayer and will reward you time and time again. Hint, hint, use a sink tip line with Woolly and fish the seam…
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