Question

[Carpcrazy]

Does anyone knows who invented the wolly bugger??

Thanks

CC

[nervousflyer]

I believe it was Russell Blessing who is credited with tying the first wooley bugger.

[Eight Thumbs]

Hi Nervous,

Blessing is correct, at least according to the magazine article I read a couple of months ago. It funny and rather sad that the inventor of this famous fly is hardly known by the majority of fly fishing anglers. If he had taken the lead from Bob Clouser or Lefty Kreh and called the fly "Blessing's Bugger or even "Blessing's Blessing," everyone would know his name. 8T

[Fishnfool]

Russell Blessing is who invented the Wolly Bugger back in 1967. The fly was named by his then 7 year old daughter Julie. He was trying to create something to imitate a Hellgrammite (Dobson fly larva) for fishing in central Pennslyvania.

Hope this helps,
John G.

[OLB]

As I understand it, Blessing added the marabou tail after being inspired by Mark Sosin's fly, "The Blossom", a fly with a marabou tail and chenille body.

So, shouldn't Mark Sosin be given credit for inventing the Wolly Bugger? Isn't Blessing's addition of hackle just a variation of The Blossom?

[Bastion]

hehe - Who teaches their 7 year old daughter to use the word bugger?

Interesting that. I always just assumed that both the fly and the name evolved from the Wooly Worm.