Working a Wooly bugger in open water

[Baron]

Yesterday it was windy on the large shallow lake (Gouldsboro). It was hard to see sometimes what the flies were doing underwater. A few flies were lost to snags. Also saved a bunch that were snagged. In 4 years of boating an anchor was never lost but yesterday it happened.

So when in the lake fishing open water how would you work a Wooly Bugger. Would you strip in a Bead Head quickly or just quickly enough the avoid the weedy bottom?
Would you avoid Bead Heads and go with a straight version so that you can slow it down.

Yesterday it was Orange that they wanted!

Although I am catching something on every outing I find it hard to believe my presentation on the open water is very convincing. I am wondering if a Deceiver, Bucktail or Clouser style wouldn't work better.

if so how would you work them?

 

[RLeep2]

This is in a situation where there is no cover in the water column other than a weed bed below/on the bottom?

The first thing I'd do is find a place with more cover/structure. Fish like cover...

I guess in the situation you described (if I understand it correctly..), if I were to fish it with a bugger, I'd use a retrieve/action that varied. Jig it up and down slowly a couple times. Then stop it and leave it still for a few seconds. Then strip retrieve it for a a few seconds. Then stop it again and leave it sit. Do it all over again, keeping the fly above the weeds the entire time. One of these techniques will probably work if there are any fish there in the first place.

It's a wooly bugger. It's hard to fish it wrong..

 

[Baron]

I’ve caught very little on buggers. Not a big fan. I found that at Gouldsboro fish like white and orange buggers but not especially black. I was convinced I was Using it wrong.
I decided to switch sides of the lake the other day and allowed the boat to drift in the wind while I fished. It was a long lovely ride a cross open 4’ deep water w/very few weeds and no stumps or rocks . I caught a 9.5” BG on a bloodworm fly. Switched to buggers and no luck. I was stripping pretty fast to keep it off the bottom. Maybe I should have used a lite weight Indiicator. The winds were nasty. I need to beat this thing about not liking buggers and I’ll try your recommendations.

I normally fish the stumps and banks but I had fun drifting across the open and scored the big BG and a 12” perch. In the middle of the lake.

 

[JerryC]

Generally, I don't have a whole lot of luck with woolly buggers. I carry three colors in my fly box. These are patterns I've learned from other folks.
White(pattern is called the White River Demon).
Hook: Straight eye streamer hook 2xl, size 8 to 4
Tail: White marabou, 4 strands of pearl flash, 2 on each side
Body: Pearl braid or pearl sparkle chenille
Hackle: White
Weight: silver bead head

Brown/orange(pattern is called the Chili Pepper
Hook: Straight eye streamer hook 2xl, size 8 to 4
Tail: Burnt Orange Marabou, 4 strands of copper flash, 2 on each side
Body: brown/copper sparkle chenille
Hackle: Reddish brown
Weight: copper bead head

Yellow(pattern is called the Catskill Killer)
Hook: Straight eye streamer hook 2xl, size 8 to 4
Tail: yellow marabou
Body: pearl sparkle or crystal chenille
Hackle: Yellow
Weight: gold bead head

Generally I fish them like a streamer or if I'm drifting, just sort of troll them. I'm tying a few up on jig hooks which I'll jig off the bottom on retrieve or as I drift them

 

[Baron]

White, Brown and yellow in 8-4. Funny what colors they come in. I have black, white and Orange. Most have crystal on them. I stock 8-6.not sure of the hook length. It would seem that pickerel and Crappie like them enough with the random BG mixed in.

 

[sarce]

I've had great results with unweighted woolly buggers in ponds and lakes - bead and cone head buggers, not so much. Olive green has always worked best for me. Sight cast an unweighted olive bugger to a bass and it will eat it. The key is to fish it painfully slow, keep the movement to a minimum. I believe fish in ponds and lakes take them for dragonfly nymphs.

 

[RLeep2]

I just finished processing/bagging 3 messes (approx. 30 fish) of medium size crappie caught over about a 2 hour span out of the local lake. D--n near took the tip off my wedding ring finger in the process. That's OK. Now, I won't have to do it again for six weeks or so. I easily lost as many more than I kept.

Anyway, all the fish were caught on a wooly bugger of sorts. Actually the fly was a good deal more simple than a bugger. All white or all yellow or all chartreuse as follows: short marabou or ostrich herl tail (maybe 2/3 shank length), estaz body, couple turns of soft hackle up front and a 1/8" silver bead. 1XL #8-10 hook.

Flip it out close to cover and let it sink for several seconds. If no take on the drop, list the rod tip very slowly until fly comes to surface. If there is a crappie around, he'll have it.

Buggers or bugger-type flies are excellent for crappie in lakes. You just have to fish them where the crappie are..

 

[Baron]

Nice Job. I've been married 43 years and would hate to lose that finger. I was in Gouldsboro. No cover to fish, just the short weeds along the bottom. I have Pink, Black, White and Orange Buggers In size 8.
I agree the the action is much better near structure but this time I was on a 1/3 mile drift directly downwind crossing the lake.......What a blast.