Fly Tying

So fly fishing wasn't enough, now you've decided that you are going to tie your own flies too.  Maybe you've even picked up some of the basic tools so you could get started.  I remember looking at all of the fly tying tools and materials that I had spent my good money on and wondered, "where do I start?" 

I started cranking out some ugly flies that I have never fished, and not because they are ugly, but because they don't really match the hatch on the waters I fish and I just don't think they'd do much but scare the trout.

I tie just for myself and my friends.  I stick to tying flies that are proven to catch fish on the waters where we fish.  Although, part of the fun of tying is having that stroke of creative genius that results in something new that you think just has to drive the fish wild - an sometimes it works well.  All that being said, I think the best place to start is a fly that you can actually use.  So, I'm going to walk you through the steps on how to tie a Wooly Bugger.  This is a great first fly.  It's easy to tie and it catches fish.

Wooly Buggers are my favorite streamers.  You can use them in rivers, stream, and lakes, often attracting the attention of the largest trout.  You can tie them on a size 2 streamer hook or go down to a size 12.  If you want you can go even smaller than that.  The Wooly Bugger is effective everywhere that there is trout.  The Marabou tail combined with the palmered hackle along the body gives the fly a very lifelike pulsating action in the water.  They can immitate everything from leaches to baitfish to fingerling trout. 

Like with most flies, there are different variations.  Some people add flash to the tail and body.  Some like having a bead or cone head.  There are all sorts of different materials that can be experimented with to make the body.  The most common Wooly Buggers are black, olive, and brown.  For the purposes of this article I made an olive Wooly Bugger.  If you would rather make a black one or a brown one, just substitute the materials for the color that matches your needs.

Before we get started, take a look at the picture of the materials and the recipe for this pattern and make sure you have everything organized and within reach.

INSTRUCTIONS

WOOLY BUGGER

HOOK:  TMC 5263 (any heavy streamer hook 3x or 4x)

WEIGHT*:  Lead

THREAD:  Olive 

TAIL:  Olive Marabou

BODY:  Olive Chenille (large)

HACKLE: Olive or Brown Saddle (I'm using Olive Grizzly)

RIB*:  Gold Wire (Medium)

*Optional Materials