As you can see I took a detour in my usual tying and started a few streamers. I happened to loose my streamer box on my last real fishing trip and needed to replace them. The cream colored one worked well for me in the past and figured I’d give it a go again. I also did one in gray that isn’t shown. We’ll see how that works too.
Greg
they look great. Midcurrent magazine has a video on tying the wooley bugger that I found real helpful.
http://midcurrent.com/videos/tying-a-beadhead-woolly-bugger/
What kind of hackle do you use for your buggers and where do you but it?
Bruce
Those look really good, Greg!
I have a cat…Siamese mix. Basically looks like a Siamese, but with longer hair (not as long as a Persian, though). When he gets brushed, most of the hair that ends up in the brush is sort of a creamy gray color. I had tied up a woolly bugger using that cat’s fur for the body. On a tough day last Summer, it was by far the best-producing pattern for me.
Dave, were you fishing for catfish?:rolleyes:
Or rat fish?
Thanks guys, I’ll have to check out the midcurrent videos. The hackle is actually the larger/largest feathers from my dry fly capes (grizzly, and brown). The hen cape I had didn’t have long enough feathers to run the length of the hook. It seems to work well. It’s funny that ducksterman mentions catfish since I am sure he is being fasicious, but the cream colored one caught 3 or 4 catfish for me one day when I was trying out a new stream that I thought had trout in it :).
I just had a look at that Woollie Bugger video on Midcurrent it is excellent, I immediately signed up for Midcurrent.
W. Buggers are known here but are not really used a lot, but a while ago I dressed a bunch for my site.
I have never been very happy with them, now I know why, I’ll have to re-dress them.
I really like your W. Buggers Greg, very nice indeed.
I can’t help but notice, in the first pic, are those lead wraps right behind the bead? Otherwise, well done!
I’ll have to admit, I saw the ‘lead’ wraps as well.
There is a trick to cover up anything behind a bead.
Get some dubbing of a matching colour and dub over anything showing,
also, whip finish with a little of the dubbing on the thread.
I don’t varnish the whip finish on bead heads, they do not seem to need it.
Hi Gpatton,
Those are some very nice flies but what really impressed me was the high quality of your photos. Excellent job on both counts. 8T 
That “lead” looks quite uneven and I think we are looking with fairly high magnification at heavy thread…
or not…
One suggestion I would make for bugger tyers is a little flashabou or krystal flash along each side as a lateral line. Many swear by it up here and even insist the “gray ghost” krystal flash is the exact right color for it. Too many believe it thoroughly to just ignore it IMO.
No they aren’t lead wraps, they are grey thread wraps. I know the head is a little messy. Thanks for the tip Donald about using dubbing. I’ll have to do that on the next ones.
Greg
Greg,
Nothing wrong with the heads on your buggers.
There will always be a bit of thread that shows behind the bead when you tie off a bead head wooly bugger. You could dub over it, but you still have to tie off the thread…
The fish will never care.
Over the years I’ve noticed that the wooly bugger, which is surely one of the more basic ties, has an amazing amount of variation from tyer to tyer. Tail length, hook length, hackle density, hackle type, hackle length, not counting the wide range of colors and flash/no flash options has proven this tie to be incredibly versatile. Add in size, dry, wet, weighted (many options there as well) and this fly can be fished for just about any species in just about any water.
I wonder if this is ‘the’ most versatile fly?
Buddy
[b]I think that your photos may be too good. The tip with dubbing on the whip-finish does work.
I have a huge collection of fly pictures that I have never shown on-line because of some serious
flaws in the dressing showed up. Sometimes they proved to be great fish catchers.
Buddy,
Your reference to the toilet paper I heartily agree with, I grew up during the Second World War,
to us in the UK, that means 1939 to 1945. Toilet paper was unobtainable due to the strict controls on all
manufactures. All those years of old newspaper make you appreciate the finer things in life.
[/b]
Thanks for the compliments on the photos guys. I wish I could take credit but I’ll pass them on to my wife. In all honesty I feel like the flies look better in the photos than in real life. She does a great job.
Hey donald,
In case you missed this one…
"
Dedicated to Buddy …New Supermarket
[i]A new Supermarket opened in my neighborhood. It has an automatic water mister to keep the produce fresh. Just before it goes on, you hear the distant sound of thunder and the smell of fresh rain.
When you pass the milk cases, you hear cows mooing and you experience the scent of fresh cut hay.
In the meat department there is the aroma of charcoal grilled steaks and brauts.
In the liquor department, the fresh, clean, crisp smell of tapped Miller Lite.
When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle and the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying.
The bread department features the tantalizing smell of fresh baked bread and cookies.
I don’t buy toilet paper there anymore."[/i]
Duckster,
Thanks, AGAIN, for that…
There really is a market that I shop in in Durango that does some stuff like that, with the rain sounds in the produce department being the most obvious. I don’t buy TP there, either ('cause it’s cheaper at Wally World…)
Buddy
That day I was fishing for bluegills.
I think it would work well for catfish. My top 3 producers for catfish have been (in no particular order) Woolly Worms (or 'Buggers), Boa Yarn Leeches, and bass-sized foam poppers.
Donald, my respect for British plumbing has increased dramatically.
Ed