Woolly Buggers for Trout

[mbchilton]

Woolly buggers became one of my favorite trout flies over the last week. Recent rain meant water clarity was poor. A bigger offering that was easier for trout to locate was just what they wanted.

One of the best things about woolly buggers is how versatile they are. They can be drifted, stripped, twitched, swung, and fished down and across. They’re effective in sizes 2-12. You can catch stocker trout or big wild fish.

Everyone knows that big brown trout are nocturnal predators, but I’d never fished for trout at night before. Thirty minutes into throwing black beaded woolly buggers on one of my favorite Driftless Area streams had me hooked. Detecting the strike isn’t much of an issue. The first one I caught gave a violent take just under the surface. The second 16″+ brown trout charged my drifting bugger. You don’t have to worry about setting the hook.

The next day I found myself on a portion of stream I’d never fished. It was known for big browns. The water was murky, and I knew I’d have to throw something they could find. After swinging a #4 olive woolly bugger over a downed tree I hit a snag. Nope, big brown trout. I caught two more within 10 minutes, and would pull several more good sized wild trout out of the stretch. The success I had on those two outings gave me the confidence to keep slinging buggers for the next five days. I’m glad I did because I caught a lot more trout, and the ones I caught were bigger than average.

 

[mcnerney]

Congrats on the very successful outing and beautiful trout!

 

[cpowell]

I have been known to favor a bugger or two in my day!

Good fishing!

 

[hooked1]

Hands down the most over looked,under stated bug about.

Scott

 

[MoscaPescador]

Woolly Buggers work well on other fish, too.

Dennis

 

[tbum2020]

Ahhh... the woolly bugger, it was first fly I ever tied and will forever be the mascot of my lifetime journey through the art of fly fishing.

 

[fredaevans]

Woolly Buggers work well on other fish, too.

Dennis

More power to Dennis for the above.:worthy::worthy: Other that just change the colour, this would be (if I had to pick) one of the only two flies I'd carry. The other would be a bead head Prince Nymph.

 

[enolaeagle]

Great thread and just the kind of verification I was looking for with nymphing. I haven't done too much and normally go with dry flies late in the season but a few hours ago I ordered a nice beadhead assortment that's loaded with prince nymphs and woolly buggers.
Can't wait to get these in the water.

 

[hooked1]

Woolly Buggers work well on other fish, too.

Dennis

One of my favorite statements is"Give me 4 sizes and 3 color and I will never need another fly".Of course you could never tell that by the masses of tying material I have. LOL

Scott

 

[shotgunfly]

To date most of my trout have been caught on streamers. Specifically krystal olive woolly buggers. I guess the rubber legs add more vibrations and push more water. They're more successful on a down and across and usually get hit on a swing and even an upstream retrieve.

Love em.

 

[mbchilton]

To date most of my trout have been caught on streamers. Specifically krystal olive woolly buggers. I guess the rubber legs add more vibrations and push more water. They're more successful on a down and across and usually get hit on a swing and even an upstream retrieve.

Love em.

I've seen those, but never fished them. I'll have to check them out.

 

[tpo]

I fish wooly buggers a lot, with a fair amount of success, on lakes... I've rarely fished them on streams but a thread like this will cause me to rethink that. Thanks for the great post/great pics.

Tom

 

[rickf]

A woolybugger is the only fly I use now......... and that's for every fish from 'gills to carp!

Woolybugger, Minibugger, Microbugger, and Nanobugger.

The tiny buggers use dubbing rather than chenille, and all types of hackle wound in different ways. No weight, lead wrap, chain eyes, beadhead, tungsten bead, bead with lead wrap, and lead eyes. They all catch fish.

Always a marabou tail (that's the fish catcher)

For poppers, I use a woolybugger with a foam strip on top. Sometimes a foam strip wrapped to make a head.

Woolybuggers is all I ever use! I just bring a fly box full of normal stuff only because I like to tie flies?

 

[cpowell]

Anyone that knows me knows the love and respect I have for this fly. In the hands of a highly trained Buggerer this fly is the WMD of the trout world.

Recent WB fish...

I was fishing the Bugger on the Frying Pan this last weekend and it was all sight fishing and was spectacular.

The Wolly Bugger=:fishing:

 

[s fontinalis]

I do love the wooly bugger too. I tied this version last year, it worked a treat first time out (last time i was fishing actually - which is sad.

Sparkle Ghost Bugger - if nothing else, its proof marabou tails are not essential.

E

 

[shimloom]

Well done sir! Love buggers for trout, pan fish and bass. Great pics. Like others have said, it's one of the main stays of trout fishing.

Craig

 

[mirabelasunshine]

Definitely my fly of choice around here for when the water is a little high and off color. The bigger rainbows on my home stream, wild ones & holdover stockers alike, go nuts for a conehead honey/olive sparkle bugger in a size 4.

 

[enolaeagle]

I had a fun day of fishing the Yellow Breeches. I was using a tandem nymph rig (woolly bugger and prince nymph).

Didn't catch one trout but the bass were biting. They tore up my attractor and I was dead on with casting under the overgrown trees and roots.

This one was smaller. I caught an 11 incher but flopped out of my grip while grabbing my camera with my odd hand.

 

[revor]

I fish Buggers a lot and while they are warm water fish i caught three very nice largemouth on a #10 Olive bugger just last night.
They work on nearly everything!

 

[dpenrod]

look up, tie and fish a woolly bugger variation called the chili pepper. have caught several different species of fish with it, including the biggest rainbow trout i have ever caught. absolutely fantastic warmwater fly too. another favorite variation if you tie is a conehead bugger with a burnt orange tail, brown chenille, orange hackle and some olive floss legs. in my mind, a decent crawfish imitation that has taken multiple species of fish as well.

here's a link for the chili pepper: Featured Fly Tiers - Warmwater Fly Tyer - by Ward Bean