Woolly Bugger (Cone head)

Streamer imitating baitfish, for trout, bass, panfish and sea trout. Beginner. Russell Blessing, 1967.

A cone head, a marabou tail, an olive chenille body, a black saddle hackle palmered along it and a copper wire rib.

Materials

Steps

  1. Slide on bead: brass cone head Slide the brass cone head round the bend and up to the eye, small hole first. Small hole first, then push it up against the eye.
  2. Add weight: lead-free wire Wrap the lead-free wire in touching turns from 55% of the way along the shank to just behind the eye. A few turns pushed up into the back of the cone.
  3. Attach thread Attach the thread at 85% of the way along the shank with a few turns and trim the tag end.
  4. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to the start of the bend in touching turns.
  5. Tie in: black marabou Tie in a bunch of black marabou, leaving 3.5× the gape sticking out behind. Bind the butts along the top of the shank for an even underbody.
  6. Tie in: krystal flash Tie in the krystal flash, leaving 3.3× the gape sticking out behind. Two strands on each side.
  7. Tie in: copper wire Tie in the copper wire with a few firm thread turns.
  8. Tie in: olive chenille Tie in the olive chenille with a few firm thread turns. Strip a little fluff to expose the core where it is tied in.
  9. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to 90% of the way along the shank in touching turns.
  10. Wind: olive chenille Wind the olive chenille forward to 90% of the way along the shank in 17 turns. Touching turns, ending one eye-length behind the eye.
  11. Tie off: olive chenille Tie off the olive chenille with a few thread turns and trim the excess.
  12. Tie in: black saddle hackle Tie in the black saddle hackle with a few firm thread turns. By the butt, the inside of the feather facing back.
  13. Palmer: black saddle hackle Palmer the black saddle hackle back to 5% of the way along the shank in 8 open turns. Even open turns back to the bend.
  14. Wind: copper wire Wind the copper wire forward to 90% of the way along the shank in 7 turns through the black saddle hackle. The first turn traps its tip. Wiggle the wire so it traps no fibres.
  15. Tie off: copper wire Tie off the copper wire with a few thread turns and trim the excess.
  16. Trim: black saddle hackle Trim the tip of the black saddle hackle close to the body.
  17. Whip finish Form a small head, whip finish with 5 turns and cut the thread. A small, smooth head.

History

Russ Blessing of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is believed to have tied the first Woolly Bugger in 1967, as a hellgrammite imitation with more movement. He took the marabou tail from Mark Sosin's Blossom fly and meant to trim the hackle, then left it as it was after seeing the fly in the water. Barry Beck's 1984 article in Fly Fisherman made it known everywhere.

It descends from the Woolly Worm and the old British palmer flies.

Fishing it

Blessing started with a dead drift near the bottom, and when that failed tried swings, jigging or strips. In lakes, work it back from along the shore, with a sinking-tip line in deep water. Brown ones pass for a crayfish, and where a stream has sculpins it can be fished like one; split shot or a weighted leader keeps it near the bottom.

Sources