Best technique to use for Wooly Buggers?

[tailingloop]

Another tip I should offer, is that you generally find out pretty quickly if fish will be taking buggers or not. If you don't have any follows or takes from likely spots then I would switch patterns. On the other hand, if you get strikes or follows right away, dial in the right color and size bugger and fish it untill you run out of buggers. My best fish of the year all came from large buggers on days when I had strikes and follows with in 10 minutes of fishing.

 

[Paulson]

Do you guys use a small split shot when dead drifting or any adjustment in technique with a bead head?

 

[tailingloop]

I use shot with unweighted buggers most of the time. For a bead or conehead bugger, I'll only add shot if Im trying to get it way down in deeper pools.

 

[Griff]

The weight of the fly, or depth of presentation, is probably the most important factor. I like mine on the bottom no matter what.
I also only use a two or a four size. Smaller trout still hit it. I wrap a piece of match stick lead around the hook shank prior to tying to make the fly sink FAST.

 

[RCFetter]

Compared to the wooly bugger, is using a wooly worm worthwhile?

Bugger

Worm

 

[tracker12]

I hate the Wooly Bugger. Mostly because everyone else catches fish on them and I never do. Boo Hoo

 

[jbomb]

Got my first fish of the year on an olive bugger stipping on the swing ...

 

[osprey]

What works best for me is a split shot or three , whatever amount you need to tick the bottom , an upstream cast allowing it to sink and slowly raising the rod tip as it drifts back towards you aand then a mend with a little extra jerk and it seems that is when they take. Works for me. The shot should be up close to the fly , no more than about three inches.

 

[Stagger_Lee]

Good thread and I am going to start using buggers a lil more often. This weekend I used them for the majority of my fishing. Couple of questions ..

1) When casting across, tighten/swing, and strip … do you want your bugger to be on the floor or in the middle? What do you guys prefer?

2) When it swings and ends directly downstream from you and you strip … doesn’t the just the sight of you (or me) going to spook the fish even if you are fairly still and quiet below the H2O?

I also had a lil difficult time adjusting to a heavier fly then I am accustomed too

 

[csoult]

Try a single or double haul depending on the distance you are casting. Wooly Buggers are killer in the winter.

 

[jbomb]

I have caught fish on the bugger directly downstream from me, both further downstream and close enough for me to see the fish come darting out from nowhere and take the bugger which is an awesome experience.

 

[mike_richardson]

I dead drift in winter with a few twitches. keep the tip high when drifting. At the end of drift strip in line in quick burst but let fly drift for a few seconds before you strip again.

I don't fish them often. But when i do dead drifting worked the best for me. Maybe because i am used to nymphing.

 

[Davmul]

I feel inadequate. I think I am the only fly angler in the world that has never caugh a fish on a bugger. I try, but i really dont have confidence in it and probably give up too quickly. I did a lot of warm water fishing last year and i didnt even hook up with a bluegill. Small black and red clouser is my go to streamer.

 

[Stagger_Lee]

Quick question .. when fishing a bugger (using the drift+swing around+strip technique) should I be using an indicator.

Last time I went out I had success on the WB but only felt tension on the strip. My feeling is I may be missing on opportunities on the 1st 2/3'rds as it was like nymphing w/out an indicator which I've done once when I didn't know better.

 

[Swattie87]

You can use an indicator, but I generally don't. My leader when fishing Buggers is generally pretty short...I used a 5' or so furled leader with maybe another 12-18" of 3x tippet tippet on it for Trout. For Bass I just use 10lb mono for the tippet section. Because the leader/tippet is fairly short you can usually see strikes during the dead drift as tugs or pauses in the line leader connection. So basically I guess I just use the line/leader connection as my indicator when drifting a Bugger.

Another reason for no indicator...An indicator theoretically would keep your Bugger higher in the water column during the swing and strip phases too. I usually find I have more success by trying to keep the fly as deep as possible during the swing/strip...it's gonna rise in the water column to some degree on its own anyway.