I’m going to be teaching my class how to tie wooly worms and buggers this week. My question, does the hackle gauge matter on these flies? In other words, I know you need to make sure your hackle isn’t more that 1.5 times the hook gap for dry flies. Does the same hold true for buggers? Thanks!
wooly bugger hackle will usually be tapered because the fiber length varies along the length of the stem. I like to tie in the hackle by the tip near the rear of the body and palmer forward to get a fly that is bigger in front than in back. The average length of the hackle fibers is still about 1.5 times the hook gap.
Hi Ranchwife,
I have a funny feeling that this question is going to get a lot of responses that contradict each other. You will probably have a third of the respondents who tell you 1.5 times the gap is just right, a third that tell you to go bigger, and a third that tell you to go smaller. It’s a matter of personal preference. For bass, I like to go with a larger, webby saddle hackle. The web lets the hackle fibers fold over toward the back of the body when retrieved. For trout, I like the one and a half gap size. For brim and other sunfish, I like hackle that runs about equal to the size of the hook gap. This is just my preference. As I said, I’m sure that you will get other opinions. One of the great things about tying your own is that you can roll’em the way you like them. BTW, don’t forget to teach your students to counter-wrap the body with fine gold wire for added durability. Good luck with your class. I hope that you create a life-long love of our sport in a large number of your students. 8T
You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it’s a real short camping season.
The hundred kids that I have taught this past year never worried if it was 1.5 or any other length. Tie with what you have and dont worry about hackle gauge. I dont even bother with the wire ribbing.
Bill
Thanks all! I was thinking that, Bill. We have to tie with what we have, but I just want to mention the “proper” way to tie various flies. I’m going to try the ribbing and see how they do - they were doing okay with it on their first fly.
Next week we have an open house and I’m going to have kids tying flies for the parents -it should be fun!
My understanding of the two patterns (Wooly Buggers and Wooly Worms) is this, Wooly Buggers are a Streamer Pattern, while Wooly Worms are a Dry Fly (Terrestrial) Pattern.
Wooly Buggers represent a Leech (maybe even a Crawdad), and are tied on a Streamer Hook. There is really no mention of the length of the hackle fiber length on a Wooly Bugger, as the hackle helps to bulk the body shape of the fly
There is a similar Pattern to the Wooly Bugger called a Cinder Worm…
Cinder Worm
…that has a two color body that uses no hackle ribbing.
The Wooly Worm is suppose to represent a Catepillar, and is tied on a longer dry fly hook. Here the hackle ribbing should be the same length (or less) as the hook gap, and the fly should sit on the water surface, or it can be tied on a heavy hook, using hen hackle and fished as a wet fly (terrestrial patten).
One of the nice things about Woolies and (to a lesser extent) worms, is that there are very few “rules”.
Ugly, but some of my favourites …
Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec
[url=http://www3.sympatico.ca/chris_chin/:8d51f]http://www3.sympatico.ca/chris_chin/[/url:8d51f]
[This message has been edited by fcch (edited 08 March 2005).]
Steve, RW here,
I just tied up a bunch of wooly worms for this coming season, and at least four of my pattern books list the wooly in the wet fly section. I also think of it as a wet fly and tie it as such. If you tie it with the silver wire wrap to protect the palmered hackle, the added weight and the chenile body will definitely help it sink for fishing sub- surface, which I’m sure is the way it was originally meant to be fished.
On the other hand, if you leave the wire out and tie it on a light dry fly hook with dry fly hackle and add floatant, you are right. It will bob around like a cork. It is an old pattern, and many of those types of flies have been bastardized to death…such is the beauty of fly fishing, you can do what you want. However, I like to tie flies and fish them as the originals were intended. To that end I believe the wooly worm is a wet fly.
Later, RW
“We fish for pleasure; I for mine, you for yours.” -James Leisenring on fishing the wet fly-
[This message has been edited by Royal Wulff (edited 08 March 2005).]
RW,
I agree, … the wooly worm IS a wet fly (IMHO)
… many of those types of flies have been bastardized to death …
I don’t do it on purpose, … its just that I’m not very good 
Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec
[url=http://www3.sympatico.ca/chris_chin/:ee006]http://www3.sympatico.ca/chris_chin/[/url:ee006]