Little Wooley Bugger Help Please

[Letort]

I do not tie a lot of wooley buggers with hackle, usually preferring to use ersatz or some other material. However, tonight I was tying up some black and olive WB with hackle.

When I palmer on the hackle, it stands at a 90* angle to the body. Pictures and professionally tied WB's have the hackle angled back at about, maybe, a 75* angle. Should I just palmer it a the correct angle or is there some other trick?

Second, do you strip the barbs off the side of the quill that is facing the body?

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[jayL]

I use whiting bugger packs, which are definitely the nicest bugger hackles I've used. They are long and webby enough to naturally lay back like that. With shorter, more stiff hackles, you may have problems getting them to do so. Try to pull the hackles back when you're done tying. Keep in mind that the hackles on a bugger transform completely when wet, so your flies will probably work fine.

I don't strip the one side. IMO, buggier is better, and stray fibers helps to achieve that. Tying buggers isn't a beauty contest.

Even if you don't want to use the whiting bugger stuff, pick up the package and read the tying instructions on the back. It's a different method than I was taught, but it produces a nicer and more durable fly.

 

[MKern]

4 things that I do:
1 - make sure soft hackle feather.
2 - have the shiny side facing forward on the fly.
3- Tie in tip of teh feather at the back, so the longer softer barbs are near the head of the fly.
4 - Once the fly is finished, push the feather back with my fingers.

I think most people use too stiff feather for buggers.

 

[Maurice]

For little wooley buggers I use smaller hooks....smaller hackle and teeny tiny thread.

Seriously, Just stroke your hackles toward the rear and they will lie down.

If you tie your buggers from rear to front keeping the hackle from twisting or leaning forward is problematic. Try this on a few and see what you think.

After finishing the tail, take the thread to the head, tie in the body material and the hackle (butt end, wider, webby end) with the curve pointing toward the bend of the hook.


Like this ... The right parenthesis is the hackle near the eye of the hook.


...................)
>>>{_-------o

then take the thread to the bend and follow with the body material. Now palmer the hackle to the bend and tie off and trim the hackle.

Now...take the thread to the eye weaving it in and out of the hackles as you go forward. Just zig-zag it left and right as you go forward. You may trap a few hackles but thats OK.

Finish the head and tie off.

Ths method does a few things...

1. it keeps the hackle from twisting.
2. the thread reinforces the hackle so if a fish breaks the stem it doesn't unwind.
3. it keeps you from crowding the head

Now who wouldn't like to eliminate any of these faults in a fly?


After a few flies you tie them just a fast or faster this way because you don't have to fuss with the hackle twists.

 

[Letort]

Thanks for the tips, all! I will try them next time at the bench.

 

[jerseygeorge]

I had the same problem. My buggers looked "hackled". Still worked effectively. I experimented and discovered the softest webbiest feathers on my necks and saddle hackles. Might have some photos to share, but with a little experimentation the buggers became infinetly more buggerable.

 

[jerseygeorge]

Here are photos of two buggers. The one with the Cone head is tied with a hackle that is too, well too much like a hackle. The second one I prefer more. While the first one will catch fish, and others are correct, the hackles will lay back, I do think the second fly is more effective. The third picture is of a saddle hackle, and I hope you can see the webbiness of the hackles. The softer and webbier the fibers, the better the bugger. I am going to check out the whiting saddle packs.

BTW - this brown one has been very effective for me. So has the large gap "stinger" book.

JG