White Crystal WollyBugger

[Steeltrap]

I was reading an article about a local stream that stated essentially "When all else fails, tie on a White Crystal WollyBugger and stir 'em up.

Well, I had several (this is a FFO, DH stockiest) catches, and a ton of "lookers" at the same time. I had at least 6+ crowd around the White Bugger at once. An occasional taker.....but more lookers.

I'm wondering why these fish examine something that seems totally foreign to the stream. Had several caddis hatches occur and I tied on every size, color, dry, pupa, nymph and nothing. Tie on a chunk of steak.....BAM!!

 

[troutbert]

I've caught many trout, both stocked and wild, on that fly. And some big ones. Like other streamers, it works best when the water is somewhat up and discolored, and the light levels are low. I believe the spelling is Wooly Bugger.

 

[riverwhy]

I thought the rule was dark water dark fly? I caught a nice steelhead years ago on one of these that had a purplish shine to the crystal chenille. Tied a bunch of white ones minus the crystal chenille but with a few strands of crystal flash. I have not fished for trout yet this year but need to try them out. Black and olive were mainly used in the past.

 

[redietz]

I believe the spelling is Wooly Bugger.

As long as we're correcting spelling 🙂 , it's Woolly Bugger.

 

[troutbert]

As long as we're correcting spelling 🙂 , it's Woolly Bugger.

According to the online dictionaries the word can be spelled Wooly or Woolly.

 

[Bamboozle]

Ed Shenk was famous all White Sculpin so white has its place in my fly box...

In regards to:

...I'm wondering why these fish examine something that seems totally foreign to the stream. Had several caddis hatches occur and I tied on every size, color, dry, pupa, nymph and nothing. Tie on a chunk of steak.....BAM!!

Around 1000 years ago before I started fly fishing I watched 10 or more other fisherman beat the water to a froth with anything and everything at a nearby Stocked Trout Waters section.

When the crowd cleared a bit I walked over and I clobbered a bunch of stockers with a yellow marabou crappie jig. To this day on the few times I target trout with spinning gear, a white marabou crappie jig is the first thing I try.

Just the other day I had an hour to kill so I went to a local club stocked stream that I fish from the bank with a spinning rod because it is small and barely worth the effort to wade and the water was low & clear.

First cast I caught a fish on a white marabou crappie jig. After a few more casts they swarmed around it but later it was ignored UNLESS I introduced it to new fish so the novelty wears off quick.

 

[Steeltrap]

I ran across a small White Mysis Shrimp pattern yesterday. I have never seen anyone fish this pattern and wondered how\if it would work in a Pa stream.

At times I'll tie up something that I think may work (ya never know) only to find I now have a fly in the box that I'll never fish again.

As for the spelling police (Speeling Police?) I thought it was wrong when I typed it.....but was too lazy to look it up. Retirement....at times you just don't care!

 

[Steeltrap]

I've caught many trout, both stocked and wild, on that fly. And some big ones. Like other streamers, it works best when the water is somewhat up and discolored, and the light levels are low. I believe the spelling is Wooly Bugger.

The interesting part was, the water is relatively low and clear. I watched that fly stir up more interest than posting a well known fly pattern and misspelling the name!!!

 

[Fly-Swatter]

According to the online dictionaries the word can be spelled Wooly or Woolly.

I'm waiting for AI to give me the definitive spelling. 😉

 

[JeffK]

A mysis shrimp might work here. A few years ago I was fishing the Frying Pan in Co and using the standard mysis shrimp patterns with no luck. Had a Don Holbrook shrimp pattern from Midge Magic in my box and it caught a few of those steelhead sized rainbows below the "Toilet Bowl". If a PA pattern works in CO a CO one may work in PA.

I believe buggers often work better in colored water. In a similar situation, Little Cleo spoons worked great in Cayuga Lake until the Zebra mussels clarified the water and then needed Rapalas or something more realistic to do the trick. A guide told me in slightly colored water a spoon looks like the flash of a minnow; in clear water it looks like a chunk of metal.