Since I've gotten into a swap for Wooley Buggers, and done some research on them, I think I'm becomming a bit obsessed. There has to be some kind of pattern or way of tying these things that doesn't work! I haven't found it yet. Even weird color combinations work like flourescent orange and purple! Walleyes love 'em.

Last night, I tried combining two of the most succesful patterns I am aware of, just to see if it would work. I combined the best (in my opinion) features of the Clouser Minnow with the best features (Wooley Buggers have no bad features) of Wooley Buggers, and the best colors for stripers (freshwater) and white bass. I tied them on a #4 streamer hook. A #2 would probably work as well, but you might need to tie in another hackle half-way down the body unless you have some really long neck hackle feathers, to make it reach the front.

I took 5 of them out this morning behind the dam, and caught 2 stripers and 3 hybrid/white bass, all over 5 lbs each, in 45 minute. This fly's action in the fast tail-race water is incredible, and the weight really stabilizes it in the current. I put 1 drop of Shad Smelly Jelly on the head, and casted it upstream towards the gates and let it drift with the current, twitching it and short stripping alternatly to imitate a baitfish (shad) caught in the main current, or drawn through the gates. I used my 9' 8wt rod, and reel with disc-drag. Casting was no problem with the WF-8F line. I used a 7' 1X tapered leader with a 1X tippet.


Striper Clouser-Bugger



Someone has probably done this already, but it works.


Hook: Cabelas Model 40 size 4.
Thread: Danville 3/0 Monocord, White
Weight: Wire wrap on the body and weighed dumbell eyes, painted white & black. Eyes on top of the shank.
Tail: White Enrico Sea Fibers (Krystal Flash or Angel Hair would probably work just as good).
Body: White Medium Chenille
Hackle: White Chinese Hen Neck.
Collar: Red Barred Whiting Saddle Hackle-short feather.
Ribbing: small gold wire.


Next swap, I think I'll tie some of these up for others to try.

Semper Fly!