Opinions and Help Please!

[Funnel30 0]

Size 4 Streamer

Big old fly that I was thinking about chucking in the Bow River this summer.

What does everyone think? Right now I think my proportions are off but that will come with experience and everybody's input. The tail looks to big to me right now and the hackle just seems to long, I actually trimmed it, but the first piece I had on broke off when I started wrapping it forward. Thanks

[fly time 0]

Shorten the tail by atleast half of what you have on it right now. other than that not bad.

 

 

Dustin

[Inconnu 0]

That's not bad. The things I would suggest is that you possibly shorten the tail. If the tail is too long it will wrap around the hook bend when you are casting it. Possibly bulk up the body a little with slightly heavier chenill and if you wrap your hackle from the back to front, tie it in at the tip of the feather, if you are going to use a wire rib, leave the rib alone at the back, tie in your feather at the front, by the base and wrap backwards, then conter wrap the wire rib forward to hold the hackle in place. I think that I would tie a couple with beadheads as well to help with the sink rate when you are casting and retrieving. When you are casting from a boat in particular you don't get alot of time for the fly to sink so a little weight is great. I've fished the Bow a few times, good luck to you, there are some nice fish there.

[letumgo 0]

I think the tail is too long (I generally make the tail length equal to the length of the hook) and a little too full for my taste (I use about half the material). Not really a problem with either issue since I'd bet money that your fly would still catch fish like crazy.

 

There was a great step-by-step in the August edition of Hatches Magazine that will show you the details of tying a wooly bugger. Take a look at this tutorial and give it another go.

[Funnel30 0]

Thanks for the reply's. Great to get them so quickly as well. On an annual basis what does everyone think they spend on fly tying?

[letumgo 0]

If I told you the answer to that question and my wife found out, I wouldn't have a wife any more... :hyst:

[Din 0]

looks good kid, keep up the good work... i often break my hackle when im wrapping it too. thought maybe it was b/c of all the old materials i have but maybe not.

Here's my wooly..also tied it in grey chenelle..didnt have any maribou feathers so i made due. This is also my first time tying this. I also posted my copper john i was telling you about funnel30

Mitch

[fly time 0]

Din, not bad at all, shorten your hackel up to 1-1/2 times the gape leangth, and ya got it, nice and buggy look on the CJ, also if your hackel keeps breaking, use a little less tension on it, keep up the good work.

 

 

To answer the other question on cost, it normally runs me about 200-500 a year, but it will vary greatly for each tyer as you will experience.

 

 

Dustin

[Joe Hard 0]

When I tie a bugger, I like to tear the tip out of the marabou plume, then wet the feather. I will first lay a thread base to above the hook barb, or where the hook starts to bend, and back. Not allowed to use lead. I then measure the dampened plume to the length of the thread wraps. ad use that length for a tail length. I tie the marabou on about 1 and 1/2 to 2 eye spaces back from the eye. Then wrap over the plume rearward with thread with close back to back wraps to just before the end of the thread base. (slightly before just above the barb). The whole time holding the plume up and back. I then lift the plume and make a couple wraps under it to prop it up, then about 4 firm wraps of thread over all right above the barb. I then return the thread to start. Trim off tag of marabou and bind it down. All this is not really necessary but makes the fly strong. It also helps keep every thing from twisting when you wrap the wire rib. If the stem of the marabou plume is in the way just trim some of it off.

 

(A piece of flash can be doubled in for added fish attracting qualities. I like to tie on a piece of Krystal flash, where the tail was tied on. With one end of the flash hanging out over the end of the hook and the other toward the eye of the hook. I then wrap over the flash forward with 3 or 4 wraps. I double back the forward piece of flash and wrap rearward to tail tie in point. Adjusting bowth pieces of flash so that there is one strand per side of the marabou tail.). Can add as much flash as you want but I find one strand plenty for trout.

 

I then tie the wire rib on the bottom of the shank, at start, and cover it with thread rearward to where the tail is tied on. Keeping the wire on the bottom of the shank. When I get to the tail tie in point I move the wire slightly to the far side of the shank and make 4 firm wraps over the wire. (you can half hitch here as well and even add head cement to really secure everything.) I like to have the wire in an old bobbin as I find it helps when working it through the hackle and can be wrapped very tightly. I then return the thread to the eye and bind down the tag of the wire. I will then return the thread to where the tail is tied on.

 

There is lots of ways to tie a bugger, but I find this way, adds a bit of bulk and weight to the fly, as lead is not allowed here. I know there is lead substitutes but I dont have any. It also makes the fly very strong. I like big saddle hackles as I think it gives the fly a transparent look when fished. I take the hackle and remove all the fluff from the base and preen all the barbs rearward from the base to the tip. I like to tie it on at the tail by the tip, on the far side of the shank with the curved side of the feather facing down. Again there are lots of ways to tie a bugger, but I have had fish tear the hackle from the fly so I do it this way.

 

I then take a piece of chenille and remove some of the fluff to expose a bit of the string core. I will tie on the chenille slightly ahead of the tail binding down the string core to a point that will allow one turn of the chenille at tail. If you tie in the chenille right at the tail when you wrap it it will slide slightly rearward causing problems. I then return the thread, and will build up an underbody a bit to a football shape with a slight hump in the middle of the shank. Doesn't have to be a real neat, but gives the fly a nice taper. When I wrap the chenille I will twist it a few times first. Gives the fly a real buggy look. I also try not touch the chenille to much as it doesn't take much to cause the fluff to come off the core. I wrap it to where the thread is hanging, near eye. I then unwrap the chenille a turn or two and expose the core again where it will be tied down, and tie down the core with a few wraps. Leaving the tag of the core exposed. Just enough to hold it there.

 

I then grab the hackle by the exposed stem and slowly spiral wrap it forward, stroking the feather barbs rearward. Keeping the stem from twisting while I wrap. When I reach the front of the chenille body, I will make one complete turn of hackle and tie it down with 4 or 5 firm wraps of thread, and clip off the tag of the feather. I then wrap forward over the tag of the chenille core and tag of the hackle to the eye and back, securing all. This is all done about 1 and 1/2 eye spaces back from eye.

 

With the wire rib in an old bobbin I counter spiral wrap it forward, and as its in the bobbin I can work it back and forth through the hackle and use my bodkin to release any trapped fibers easier. When I reach the front of the fly, and as the wire is counter spiral wrapped it is tricky to tie down so I will make one or two complete turns of wire. I then cover the wire with several tight wraps of thread forward and back to where the hackle is tied on. Can even half hitch thread, I twist the wire in a circle clockwise and then counter clockwise to snap it off. I then cover everything forward to hook eye binding down the tag of wire and back.

 

At this point the fly is pretty much done and can be whip finished or several half hitches and the thread clipped off. There will be a long head, what I like to do and I think it adds to the fly is add another saddle hackle as a collar. With the barbs of the collar hackle as long as the body hackle, about midpoint of the feather, tie it on the far side of the shank, curved side down preened as before, but either folded or folded when wrapped make a couple of turns of the hackle stroking everything back, keeping the stem from twisting and tie it off. Now there is only a small space behind the eye to form a neat head. If you are having problems folding the feather remove one side of the barbs and make an extra turn of the collar hackle.

 

I like using big buggers in size 2 and 4, here is one that I have had great success with. It is tied on a tmc 300 size 2. It is not weighted but tied as described it sinks well and is easy to cast. It is my number one go to streamer and I have caught lots of trout on it.

 

http://www.flytyingforum.com/uploads/img42475d9be7189.jpg

 

I think the contrast of the red and yellow helps induce strikes and will try to add contrast to my buggers, like black with gold flash or black and red, light and dark olive etc.

If you find when fishing the fly, no matter how its tied that the marabou is wrapping when cast tear a bit of the tips of the marabou back. It gives the fly a better look in the water rather than cutting it. Like I said there is lots of ways to tie a bugger but this is how I do it for a good strong dependable fishing fly. I am sorry for the big long post, and if you need any help with it send me a pm.

[Undertow 0]

Tying fly can or not be expensive. Its just to extent that you want to go. I started out tying buggers. Now I ty for just about everything. So yeh its get expensive. But once you build up a stock of materials and such then it tends to even out.

Undertow

[Din 0]

Well, had a chance to use those two flies today...

 

my copper john..maybe 15 casts take a look at it...dubbing was all off and my biot tails were wrapped around my hook...any ideas on why this would happen??

 

tried the bugger, maybe 6 casts, take a look and chenelle had broken and all was left was the wire underbody...think that maybe the, at least, 10yr chenelle has to go!! or could this be a fault with my tying??

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Sorry for hijacking funell30!!

[day5 0]

bugger step by step

This may help. There are loads of step by steps in Hatches and on this site.

[DaUP 0]

looks better than my first bugger :dunno:

 

as for spending... on all fishing stuff not just fly-tying/fishing I drop around a grand a year(by the way this is a highschool student).. i have a problem

 

[Din 0]

CAUGHT MY FIRST FISH ON MY FIRST TIED FLY TODAY!!!! It was that copper john I posted :headbang:

 

Thank you guys for all you help and tips all throughout the site!!!

[maddog48 0]

Din .. I'm sure you've heard this before but take the first fly that you tied and caught a fish on and set it aside to never be used again. Find a way of preserving it .. like I didn't do and now wish I had. Woolie buggers are universal .. there is always one color that will catch fish somewhere. If you decide to shorten the tails of the woolies you have tied, don't cut them with a scissors. You change the action of the marabou if you do it that way. Wet the marabou and tear it with your fingers. As far as other patterns like your Copper John other than on this site .. there's some excellent tutorials on Harry Mason's site .. troutflies.com. Keep on tying and you'll see day by day improvement in your patterns. My tying expenses yearly ... I don't even want to know.

 

 

Mike