All About Flyfishing

Picture of the Month

This beautiful 8 lb. Rainbow was caught by Super Troutmeister Extraordinaire Greg Polus. Greg hammered this hawg on the White River in Northern Arkansas.

If you would like to nominate a Picture of the Month, just send your picture to me by clicking on my e-mail address at the bottom of the page.

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Fly of theMonth

September's fly of the month is the Wooly Bugger! The Wooly Bugger is a very versatile fly that gets great results in many different situations. None of us are certain exactly what the Wooly Bugger is supposed to imitate. It could be any of the following: minnow, snake, leech, worm, shoelace, cockroach, or Newt Gingrich. Any of those lowly creatures is fine eating for the trout. A flyfisherman should use black, olive, green, yellow, white, purple, brown, or any other color that he or she wants to try. Stock your flybox with weighted and unweighted buggers. You will be pleasantly surprised at how well they work.

Making the Wooly Bugger Work for You:
Tip #1: Attempt to match the color of the Wooly Bugger to some form of prey that is actually present in the river that you're fishing. For example, if there are lots of those little green minnows in the river, use olive, green, or black.

Tip #2: Wooly Buggers work exceptionally well in water with a little current. I think that there are several reasons. First, the fish stack up in moving current because they find LOTS of food that way. It's like a giant conveyor-belt buffet line for the fish. They just hang in the confined areas where the current is traveling and slurp up all of the drifting food that is coming through. Second, it is easier to cast into the current without making so much commotion that you scare off the fish. I am not saying don't use Wooly Buggers in calm pools. You definitely should. I'm merely stating that it doesn't seem to spook fish too badly when you cast into turbulent water. The final reason is that the current can allow your Bugger to easily remain suspended in the water for your entire drift. This allows you to more easily keep a constant feel on where the fly is during the drift. This is critical when using this fly. You can't usually SEE the fly. You must FEEL the fly!

Tip #3: Many different types of retrieval are effective when using the Wooly Bugger. If you are not having success with the Bugger, I suggest trying different methods of retrieval. You can vary the speed used to strip in the fly. Also, it is advisable to try using a "twitch" with your retrieval to stimulate the fish to strike. Many fishermen believe that fish strike at a Wooly Bugger because the fish thinks that the fly looks like injured prey.

Click on the link if you wish to get instructions on how to tie a Wooly Bugger.

How to Tie A Bugger

If you would like to nominate a Fly of the Month, please send me your nomination by clicking on my e-mail address at the bottom of this page! Be sure to include instructions explaining how to use the fly you're nominating.

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Email: terryl@eramp.net