Wooly Buggers

Wooly Buggers are one of the most common flies. They catch many types of fish. I have caught bass, perch, carp and squaw fish on wooly buggers while trout fishing. Wooly buggers come in many different colors and sizes, but I usually stick with black, maroon, olive and sometimes purple. The two buggers shown here are tied "seal bugger" style. A usual wooly bugger has a chenile body and rooster hackle. A "seal bugger" replaces the chenile with seal fur or angora seal fur substitute as in the flies shown here.

While nobody really knows what fish think of wooly buggers, most anglers fish them like leeches which are a common food source for trout in many lakes. I occassionaly find a leech attached to my fins or waders after float tubing. Sometimes, I also catch trout with leeches stuck on them.  The biggest leech I ever saw was about 6 inches long and swam under me while float tubing on Hammer Lake in British Columbia.

Wooly buggers are usually fished slowly with pauses, to let the weighted head dip slightly. However, at times, a fast strip works better.  Wooly buggers are also good flies to fish at night.

Purple Leech

This fly is really a jig. The barbell eyes may give it the impression of a minnow more than leech, but whatever the fish think, it is very effective at times. I get more strikes than usual on this fly while waiting for it to sink. I think the weighted head makes it dive towards the bottom catching the attention of fish. This fly is most effective in the Fall when retreived with like a minnow with a fast strip.  I also tie this fly in orange and hot pink.