I made a few of these up today some with and some without hackle. my hackle jobs always come out crappy and I think it actually looks better without but anyways heres the pic.
its a size 8 streamer hook with beadhead, white marabou and pearl krystal flash. the chenille for the body is white with pearl flash in it.
Nice fly! Did you buy the chenille with the flash in it or did you add the flash to the chenille as you tied the fly?
Wayne
If you want to tie some up with a bit more profile to the body, try using mohair yarn or better yet, a dubbing brush made with seal fur. I switched from tying buggers to leeches several years ago and they are my top producing pattern. Send me a PM if you want more information about making a dubbing brush twister. Once you start using dubbing brushes, you’ll never go back.
Jim Smith
Amen to this!!! I haven’t tied a traditional bugger for 3 or 4 years now since I discovered the effectiveness of mohair leeches and then the “hackle-less” bugger with a dubbing brush. Interestingly, my best producing migratory brown trout fly this weekend by far was the exact bugger pictured in this post, but with hackle that I’ve had tucked in one of my boxes for probably 5 years without using.
What’s really nice about the mohair patterns is that the mohair gets stuck in the trout’s teeth making it more difficult to take in and spit out before I set the hook.
Hi James and Slate,
What colors do you like for your hackle-less buggers? 8T
While I tie in a variety of colors/mixed colors, by far my most productive pattern is all black. I tie in a smallish clump of arctic fox for the tail and a dubbing brush body made out of black seal fur. For smaller buggers/leeches, I use rabbit fur for the tail and sometomes for the body as well.
Jim Smith
I like Ice Dub for the bodies.
Ice Dub is great in a dubbing brush.
I use the Arctic fox and rabbit as James does but do think that it’s hard to beat the motion of marabou.
Nice fly. I have started using the ice chenilles a lot with my buggers, and I think that the flies have been producing a lot better. I caught a lot of smallies this year on my ice ties. I do hackle mine. I like the darker colors for hackle and the ice sparkle underneath. I think it give it that just enough flash.
I was also thinking about a fly a little more simple than a bugger. I like the bunny leech with a bead head. No ribbing, no hackle, just a great simple pattern that catches fish. I have done very well with buggers over time, but was looking for an even simplier pattern. I make some as an egg sucking leech in addition to the bead head variation. I also like mine with lead. I can work them faster since they get into the zone faster.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KakimPJUPNY
Rick
We do real well with black or olive BH pine squirrel leeches. Just lash on at the bend, leaving a short tail, and palmer to the bead. Hot heads or gold bead.
I figured out how to get the hackle to lay back now! I will start making hackle on um for sure now! also will try a dubbing brush.
Can someone 'splain what a ‘‘dubbing brush’’ is? Is there a page or link on FAOL? Nice bugger. Jim
well I seen 2 different kinds. one is a dubbing loop. http://www.markov.baikal.ru/keep/tips/fast.html
then you can make some out of wire too a some kind of dubbing brush machine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozuKuJwWFns&feature=related
Nice I tye thoes in all gray bluegill and hybyrd love them and bass do too.
Thanks FA. I guess I knew what it was, just never heard it called that. (Dubbing Brush) Jim