I'm doomed

A

a23fish

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Jan 9, 2021
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So the other day I was out trout fishing, not with a fly rod but an ultra light spinning rod, my other favorite way to try to tempt them. Having no luck with my 2 favorite trout spinning lures, I decided, what the heck, why not try one of those Wooly Buggers I tied at my beginner's fly tying class? It has a kind of heavy cone head on it - a bit too heavy in my opinion based on the last time I used it on my fly rod - but my UL spinning rod should cast it as far as I need. And it did. And did it ever work. Fishing the same area that got no response on my "go to" trout spinning lures, I proceeded to catch 6 trout in 12 minutes with the WB/UL combo. I was astounded. Since it was the only WB I had in that color, I decided to try a black WB instead since i had 2 of those. Not a single hit. Back to the original. Three more rainbows and a brown in the next hour, then the bite just died. Good thing too because my fingers were getting darned cold.

So, why am I doomed? I figured I had a "magic" fly - at least for that time on that water on that day in that weather. And those conditions may arise again in my trout pursuits, so why not tie up a few more of those? Problem being, the materials for that fly were provided in the beginner's class and I had none of it. No problem, I have to pass a fly shop on my way home.

In I went with the magic WB and said "I need the materials to tie more of these." No problem the fly shop guy said, and we gathered it up. All was well until he, to his credit, told me how much the grizzly hackle was. That hackle is HOW MUCH?!?!?!?!? He said you'll have enough to tie probably 40 more WBs with that. So did I forego the purchase? No. But it hurt at the time. At least the cone heads, hooks, chenille, and marabou fell into the "reasonable" category.

I told my wife that Orvis Encounter beginners fly rod/reel/backing/line/leader combo she bought me 2 years ago for Christmas was going to cost me many hundreds of dollars. I was right. But it sure felt good to catch all those fish on a fly I tied myself, even if it was on the wrong type of rod. Now to tie a few more and try it again on my fly rod.
 
Yes, catching a fish on your creation does make it a little sweeter.

It's some investment to get started in tying but you typically save, can make it to your preference and the satisfaction of catching them on your fly
 
You’re not really doomed. You’re just becoming one of us! There are a lot worse things you could spend your money on. Have fun with your tying and fish catching for that matter, because any kind of a Wooly Bugger type fly with a palmered grizzly hackle will usually slam some fish no matter what type of rod it’s fished on. Tight lines!!!
 
Similar to you, I found a few heavy wooly buggers hiding in my grandfather's fishing drawer and fished them all summer long on an ultralight. I ended up starting to tie flies during the pandemic and have enjoyed it immensely. There is nothing like catching a ton of fish or a personal best on something you made.
 
You’re doomed because you’re going to fill your box with that pattern and the next time you fish it you won’t catch a damn thing on it. You’ll switch to something else and it will will work great. You’ll decide you need to tie a pile of that pattern up. Back to the shop for more materials only to find the new hot pattern isn’t working next time out but something else is and the cycle will continue. Soon you’ll have dozens of flies! (But don’t give up on that black woolly bugger just yet 😉)
 
I'm not giving up on the black WB. It was one of my two most productive flies earlier this year, on my fly rod. After my beginners class about one month ago, I did go out & buy materials for - and tied - several of the fly pattern that was my most productive pattern. My materials storeroom now holds the makings for 3 types of flies. Although I do need some black marabou & chenille. And maybe some olive thread. And some small lead wire. And....

I'm doomed.
 
I get that tying is it's own thing. Artists and all of that. And that's great! Me, I'm more of a fisherman than a tyer. I get no joy from the act of tying but it's a way to stock up when you can't get to a fly shop, or don't wanna spend the dime on a huge order.

What I did was start fishing by buying a decent selection of flies. In time, I saw what I used the most, and was always out of. And I began to tie those particular patterns. Or figured out that I really like a particular pattern but the bought ones aren't heavy enough, or maybe a slight color variation, or whatever, so I'd tie an amended version of that pattern that I prefer.

I still suck at hackling so buy most of the hackled dries. But I do well on spinners, comparaduns, and such, can do streamer patterns, including buggers and clousers, am okish on nymph patterns, and plenty of junk flies like sucker spawn and glo bugs. At my current state I'm about 75% tied by me... But I still buy some.
 
a23fish said:
I'm not giving up on the black WB. It was one of my two most productive flies earlier this year, on my fly rod. After my beginners class about one month ago, I did go out & buy materials for - and tied - several of the fly pattern that was my most productive pattern. My materials storeroom now holds the makings for 3 types of flies. Although I do need some black marabou & chenille. And maybe some olive thread. And some small lead wire. And....

I'm doomed.
Click to expand...
Pcray wrote: "In time, I saw what I used the most, and was always out of. And I began to tie those particular patterns. Or figured out that I really like a particular pattern but the bought ones aren't heavy enough, or maybe a slight color variation, or whatever, so I'd tie an amended version of that pattern that I prefer."

If you approached fly tying like Pat does (above) you are not doomed. Purchase materials and hooks to tie what you fish most and just buy flies that are difficult to tie and/or specialty flies that are not staple flies for your fishing.

If you're like most of us tyers, you will buy materials, hooks and do-dads to tie all kind of flies you never fish and stockpile an unbelievable amount of hooks, materials and doo-dads that you could never be used in three lifetimes.

The choice is yours........🤔
 
Thank you folks for some reality perspective. At the moment I have the materials needed to tie 3 patterns: eggs, Wooly Buggers, and Zebra midges. In at least 2 colors each. I have caught most of my fish when using the fly rod on the eggs & WBs, and a few on midges, and for the time being I'll stick with those.

I have plenty of other flies purchased during the first 18 months of fly fishing that were described as basic must have, or hot patterns for a particular location at a given time. I am responsible for all of those since I asked "what to buy" but in retrospect I think I don't need nearly as many patterns as I have.

I'm learning.
 
Buy cheap strung saddle hackle for your buggers. I promise you expensive hackle of any kind is not needed on buggers..
 
If you do decide to purchase hackle, you can't go wrong with Whiting Bugger Packs. ($25 or so) They come in two sizes per pack and in a range of colors. The smaller-sized ones can be used to tie dry flies down to sizes 18 to 22. I will never buy expensive saddles again.

​

 
Even though hackle has gotten quite expensive, its still well worth it to tie your own flies.

You can find deals on it.
I check eBay quite often for what I need, and have found good buys there.

Have also bought some hackle from this sites swap forum

Fly fishing shows are another good place to find stuff.
Our local TU chapter has/had one in late winter every year.
And I've found some great deals on hackle there.

It was canceled the last two years because of the pandemic.
But so far, is on for February.
And I'm looking forward to it
 
a23fish:

I have given many spin fishermen beadhead or conehead Woolly Bugger over the years and on the few occasions I saw them again I've always received glowing reports of their effectiveness on spinning gear.

I found WB's a natural on ultralight tackle because marabou crappie jig were always my secret weapon when I spin fished exclusively and I still use them today instead of WB's when I break out the UL tackle.

BTW - I also fish nymphs & dry flies on my spinning rod. 😉

In regards to materials for Woolly Buggers, better marabou is nicer but the fluffy webby fibers you never use on stung saddle hackle can be a cheaper, albeit shorter substitute as is plain sold color strung marabou.

If you feel the barring found on grizzly marabou to be a confidence booster; just buy plain white and add the barring with a permanent marker.

Good fishing!!
 
a23fish said:
So the other day I was out trout fishing, not with a fly rod but an ultra light spinning rod, my other favorite way to try to tempt them. Having no luck with my 2 favorite trout spinning lures, I decided, what the heck, why not try one of those Wooly Buggers I tied at my beginner's fly tying class? It has a kind of heavy cone head on it - a bit too heavy in my opinion based on the last time I used it on my fly rod - but my UL spinning rod should cast it as far as I need. And it did. And did it ever work. Fishing the same area that got no response on my "go to" trout spinning lures, I proceeded to catch 6 trout in 12 minutes with the WB/UL combo. I was astounded. Since it was the only WB I had in that color, I decided to try a black WB instead since i had 2 of those. Not a single hit. Back to the original. Three more rainbows and a brown in the next hour, then the bite just died. Good thing too because my fingers were getting darned cold.

So, why am I doomed? I figured I had a "magic" fly - at least for that time on that water on that day in that weather. And those conditions may arise again in my trout pursuits, so why not tie up a few more of those? Problem being, the materials for that fly were provided in the beginner's class and I had none of it. No problem, I have to pass a fly shop on my way home.

In I went with the magic WB and said "I need the materials to tie more of these." No problem the fly shop guy said, and we gathered it up. All was well until he, to his credit, told me how much the grizzly hackle was. That hackle is HOW MUCH?!?!?!?!? He said you'll have enough to tie probably 40 more WBs with that. So did I forego the purchase? No. But it hurt at the time. At least the cone heads, hooks, chenille, and marabou fell into the "reasonable" category.

I told my wife that Orvis Encounter beginners fly rod/reel/backing/line/leader combo she bought me 2 years ago for Christmas was going to cost me many hundreds of dollars. I was right. But it sure felt good to catch all those fish on a fly I tied myself, even if it was on the wrong type of rod. Now to tie a few more and try it again on my fly rod.
Click to expand...
Hey, for a woolly bugger you don’t need the worlds best hackle. Try a very low end soft hen hackle. Alternative 2 find a buddy and split a grade 2/3 cape with him/her.
 
Folks - Thank you all so much for your replies on tips for saving money when tying WBs. As a rank beginner - I've tied a total of 5 so far - I really appreciate it. Sometimes those videos I watch assume familiarity with the more subtle points of materials and technique. But I'm learning, thanks to you all.
 
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