The venerable Woolly Bugger catches flies in all waters. Designed to imitate a leech, worm, or small swimming fish, the maribou tail gives the fly life and looks like food to fish of all kinds. Adding a cone head to the Bugger takes it deeper more quickly, and gives it a better profile for fast water.

Our olive bugger is tied with a gold cone head, olive body and tail, and gold flash tail accent. We use black and white grizzly hackle on these flies. Larger flies are very BUGGY since we use webby hackle. 

The FFS Cone Head Woolly Bugger Story

Dad was planning a fishing trip and was restocking his fly box. There were a couple of flies without cone heads in his fly box, so he set out to tie a couple of cone head Olive Woolly Buggers. He had all the makings of the Olive Woolly Bugger, but wasn't happy with the olive hackle. So a couple of olive buggers tied with plain black and white grizzly hackle went into the fly box. After a day mostly unproductive, Dad tied on a #5 tapered leader with a fuorocarbon #5 tippet and a Cone Head Olive Bugger tied with black and white grizzly hackle. On the first cast, a rainbow took the fly aggressively, but slipped the hook before Dad landed it. The third cast was such an aggressive take that it broke the tippet and took the fly. The second cone head that was in the fly box was also taken by an aggressive trout that snapped the leader. Since then these have been the standard in the fly box. 

Fishing the Woolly Bugger

Fish the Bugger for trout, bass, and panfish. This is a wet fly, weighted to sink relatively quickly; the chenille body absorbs water quickly and heads for the bottom even in rough waters. With lake or pond fishing, use a count down to allow the fly to sink, then start with a slow (figure-8 perhaps) retrieve. If a 3 count doesn't produce fish, try a 5 count or a 2 count. Vary the retrieve until you feel the first strike. Remember that a cone headed Bugger sinks much more quickly than the standard Bugger. 

In moving water like a stream or river, fish the bugger by casting across the current slightly upstream. Retrieve line slowly to keep the line tight as the fly swings past you and downstream. DON'T pick up the line as soon as your rod points straight downstream. Many trout are taken with the rod pointing straight downstream toward the fly. In fast running water, a slow retrieve can produce fish. Dad has caught fish on the Spring with a Woolly Bugger while wading back to shore with 10-15' of line and a 9' leader in the water. 

Dad Recommends

When fishing for trout, always try a Woolly Bugger with a Trout Crack dropper. Check out our Trout Crack listing for more information on fishing this as a dropper.