Wolley Buggar attempt #3

[Steven]

Re: Crowding the head.

All beginners crowd the head. Just the way it is.

Hears a trick: Start your thread somewhere in the middle of the hook. Wrap forward in tight turns to the hook eye. Then unwrap 5 wraps. Then wrap back down the hook to the bend. No matter what happens do not let any material hit that bare spot until you're doing your whip finish or series of half hitches.

[EdD]

Yes I think it is an addiction, its been a long hard closed season here, and the lack of fishing has driven me to the local put and take (although they do permit C&R as well). I wouldn't be far out to describe the feeling as withdrawal. In the same way, in the season it can get to overdose levels. I must be a hopeless addict.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Alan.

T minus 20 days and counting...

Ed

[CoachBob]

Don't forget weight. An unweighted wooly can suspend just a few inches below the surface while you may want to bounce on the bottom. I always suggest using the kitchen sink bathtub (because they have some depth) to test sink rate of flies.

[Luke McLeod]

Been wrapping them with .020 lead all along. I'm getting a good sink rate. I went from the bathroom sink to a fairly clear lake (for Illinois) and counted as I watched them drop a few feet in front of me. I was suprised at the difference in rates between some of my ties. All had roughly the same amount of lead, but varying materials seemed to have made quite a difference too. And of course I had a couple that were tied with bead heads and lead- I kinda had to be careful not to drag a trench in the bottom of the lake with them . Luke

[rvrwader]

Good job so far.

[Miltiades]

Yes, I know. It is so easy to say (with chenille, hackle or anything else for that matter), "This is going on so nicely I'll just do a couple more wraps". Don't listen to that voice.
Dave Hughes showed a good idea for beadheads at the Midwest Show last year. He put 2 or 3 wraps of lead behind the beadhead to snug against the bead with the thread wraps holding the lead. The result is to remove the cavity behind the bead, so there is less movement of the bead after the fly is done, and also a better base for finishing the fly instead of trying to get the whip finish in behind the bead. And the extra weight doesn't hurt either.

This is how I do it too. The lead kinda bunches into the open area on the bead and snugs it all up.

Luke your buggers look great, nicely proportioned. And they will catch fish.