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Step X Step Mini-Bugger / Great Gill fly

This is a pattern many of you have most likely tied many times. It is a simple fly that is very effective. The best day I had trout fishing in the Saluda river, this was the one that triggered the strikes. Those were done in black and purple. My example here is aimed at Sunfish / BG / Red-Ear / etc. So this one I am doing in "Buggy-Brown". It is nothing more than an abbreviated Wooley-Bugger tied with bead-chain eyes instead of wrapping lead wire around the hook. Very effective on panfish. These are tied on a #12 streamer hook with size "small" bead-chain eyes and size #10 with size "medium" eyes. Most folks tie the hackle in at tail and just palmer it forward before tying it off. But if you tie your hackle in just behind the eyes, palmer it back then palmer it forward weaving it in and out as you go forward, it will keep your fly from twisting as you pull it back towards you in the water. (sort of like counter-rotating propellers on a boat ). Try it it works..............If a picture is worth a thousand words......Then here are 7000. Good luck......Don S. in SC

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by dick tabbert on March 10, 2013 at 9:45am

Thanks again for the pictorial. You got lots of great flies don't know that I can tie them all but most I will surly try.

Permalink Reply by Allen Morgan on March 10, 2013 at 2:27pm

I tie and use size 8 Bead Chain Wooly Buggers in Olive. This is a DEADLY bug for my waters. Bluegill, Hybrid Sunnies, even LMB's have eaten this bug. I think the color combo imitates a Dragonfly nymph, and a lot of fish love to eat those.

Permalink Reply by Donald Schmotzer on March 11, 2013 at 8:06am

Allen, you are right, every time I tie Olive it always works great....but for some reason I tie more yellow,white,brown,black, chartreuse...etc. But I really think Olive is a great natural color and deserves more room in my flybox. I guess we get a little more concerned with what 'WE' the FISHERMAN like but need to think outside the FLYBOX.....Trout fisherman seem to always try to "match-tha-hatch". We know that or warm water buddies are not as "picky" so I feel we tend to just pick a color and TIE_ONE_ON......and I have to agree.......the plain ole Wooly-Bugger is still one of the best (all-around-catch-anything) flies that ever EXPLODED on the fly-fishing waters almost anywhere...........I believe the man that came up with the "bugger" passed away a few years ago.....But I can assure you his brainstorm--wooly-bugger will live on ............ Don in SC

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