Tom: Does this mean great minds think alike?? LOL. Cause funny you should
mention this, cause just last night I was tying "traditional" wooly buggers
in all colors, and using that copper ribbing (helps the fly last longer for
me and adds a little flash to it too. They has been well for me the last
cpl weeks, since we had our first cold snap, but we had a lot of rain three
days ago, so yesterday I had to change up, and use lighter colors, but the
other day the black one was the good one... So, I tied some white, some
brown,bright green,olive drab, white, chili peppers,yellow, and even a
purple one LOL. I think this is like the bait chunker like I was and I loved
to crappie fish, and tried all manner of the new "crappie lures". but
NOTHING (cept maybe live minnows at times) beat the plain old jig...Chuck
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Davenport" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, October 13, 2006 1:13 AM
Subject: [VFB] Back to Basics Bugger
In the spring I was reading an article in Northwest fly fishing written
by a fellow who fishes Montana rivers with streamers, primarily with what
he called a "big ugly spark plug of a Wooly Bugger". He had a name for
it, and if I find the article again, I will send his name and the real
name of his bugger, which I simply call the "Back to Basics" bugger.
In recent years I have been like the prodigal son, "seeking wanton women"
when it comes to wooly buggers. I had abandoned hackle all together and
substituted Mohair or Ice Dub or brushed Antron or ice chenille, or all
three. I have added beads, and propellers (and I have also also spent
time with a particularly hot number called the "Chili Pepper.")
So along comes this article with this guy saying he only uses this one
fly, and he catches lots of fish. It was nothing more than a simple,
traditional bugger, black marabou tail, brown chenille body, copper rib,
with palmered Cree or Grizzly hackle. That's it. No bead, no propeller,
no ice dub, no crystal chenille body, no crystal flash in the tail,
nothing!
So I tied some up for still water fishing using it as my trailing fly
with one of my gaudy "whores of Babylon" buggers in the lead... and ...
you guessed it... that plain old bugger has out fished the others 10 to
one.... including... the venerable Chili (sorry Tony. It is probably just
our local planted fish. They settle for hamburger when they could be
having the T-bone)
I just tied up another dozen for tomorrows fishing.
Here is the recipe
Hook: Streamer
Weight: lead weight (if desired, I add weight to mine)
Thread: Black, or Chili Pepper Orange (Not in his recipe, but I just
can't resist adding Tony's snazzy orange collar)
Tail: Black Marabou
Body: Brown or Tobacco Brown chenille (In the article there was just a
picture and a recipe, the recipe said brown, but it looked tobacco brown
to me, so that is what I have been using)
Rib: Copper Wire
Hackle: Cree or Grizzly
I like to get everything tied in at the bend except the hackle, then I
wrap the body forward and tie off, attach the hackle behind the eye of
hook by its butt end and palmer back to the bend, then anchor it by
palmering the copper over it to the eye.
Some times I also throw on a bead. Old habits die hard.
Tom Davenport
PS I have change my old [EMAIL PROTECTED] email addy. The new one is
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
