Wooly

[gadabout]

Is anyone familiar with a fly known as a "wooly"? I believe it is very similar to a Wooly Worm but does not have a tail. I'd be interested in getting some of the history of this fly, if anyone knows. Thanks!

[WarrenP]

I do not know if this is the fly you are looking for or not. I attended a TU meeting in Nashville last year and there was a gentleman there tying flies for the door prize. I thought he was tying the dry fly named the "Crackle Back". When I asked if that was what he was tying he got very upset and said it was called the "Miller's Wooly" and not a "Crackle Back". By the way, his name was Charles Miller and he said he created the "Miller's Wooly" fly. I went home and tied up a few and it turned out to be a pretty good fly and I caught quite a few trout on it. It has become one of my "go to" flies. If you will look up the pattern for the "Crackle Back" and instead of using a dry fly hook use a wet fly hook and wrap lead wire on the hook shank before tying the pattern, you will have the "Miller's Wooly". I usually tie it on a #12 hook or a #14 streamer hook. This may not be the fly you are looking for but "wooly" is in the description.

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Warren

[gadabout]

Warren

I did a search on Crackle Back as you suggested and found something that looks sort of similar to the "Wooly" that I'm referring to.

I saw the Wooly in an old fishing film. It's a wet fly and appears to have a dark body, probably chenille, and a palmered grizzly hackle. The hackle fibers are angled toward the bend of the hook and there is no tail.

I will look for the "Miller's Wooly". Thanks for the tip.

[WarrenP]

I am not sure you will find anything on a "Miller's Wooly" by a search. The pattern that I tie is as follows:

I take a #12 Mustad wet nymph hook #9672 and do a thread base with 8/0 yellow thread from behind eye to hook bend - wrap about 7 wraps of #.025 lead wire at middle of hook shank - apply head cement over lead wire plus cover it with several wraps of the yellow thread - tie in fine gold wire for rib at bend of hook plus 3 herls of peacock and a grizzly saddle hackle by the tip sized for hook size - do a pinch dub of yellow dubbing on thread and wrap to about the thorax area and then dub gray dubbing and wrap thorax - leave bobbin hang behind eye - pull the 3 peacock herls over the top and tie down behind eye, palmer grizzly hackle over body to eye and tie down and counter wrap gold wire rib and tie down at eye - trim all material and do a whip finish and apply head cement.

I usually fish this by casting up stream and let it dead drift down, across and swing at end of drift. If this does not trigger a strike I will short strip it back. Do not know what the fish think it is, but I have had good luck with it.


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Warren

[RG/AR]

Dam, sounds complicated.......

[mickmcco]

The Crackleback, originated by Ed Story of Feather-Craft in St. Louis, has been around for 50 years or so. In their catalog, they call it a "F-C Crackleback Dry Woolley." They also sell a beadhead version which is obviously a wet fly, but you can fish the dry version wet as well, casting it down and across, letting it swing, then skipping or stripping it back. I tie it in about a half dozen body colors from size 8-20 and have found it to be one of my most productive flies, for a variety of species.