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FishDragon

Wooly Bugger - Spun Marabou

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Hello everyone

 

I just tied my first wooly bugger today, and I don't have great hackle for the fly so I tried something new(I think it is). Instead of using hackle I just used marabou and spun it around the shank to imitate the hackle. As I understand it marabou has great movement in water so I was thinking that spun marabou would work great.

 

Here is a few pics of the fly

 

Pic 1

imgp0433b.jpg

 

I tied in the tail than I tied in the chenille using two wraps, after that I tied in some marabou and spun it for the first section of hackle

 

Pic 2

imgp0434v.jpg

 

In this pic after two wraps of chenille I tied in some more marabou a little longer than the first section.

 

Pic 3

imgp0436.jpg

 

This is the fly completed with the spun marabou. Looks good to me but I want some critic concerning what I could do better/different and also if anyone thinks it would fish well. As it is a 3 month period until I can try it out maybe someone would try it out in their area and let me know what they think.

 

Having never spun any hair or anything before it took me a few tries and the first section didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to.

 

Here is a pic of my first wooly bugger using black hackle that I think it a little over sized.

 

imgp0437.jpg

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It isn't a new concept, but what you did was well done. The fact that you came up with it on your own, isn't diminished by the fact it has been done before either. In tying, there are many revelations that come about by necessity. It is a break through in creativity.

 

Nice flies.

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Thanks H Dot Verseman

 

I really didn't think it was a new concept but was hoping it was lol. It took me quite a few trys before I realized I needed to let go of the feather and let it spin, but I got it in the end.

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It isn't a new concept, but what you did was well done. The fact that you came up with it on your own, isn't diminished by the fact it has been done before either. In tying, there are many revelations that come about by necessity. It is a break through in creativity.

 

Nice flies.

 

Well said!

 

Nice Ties Fishdragon!

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Your first fly is very well done, and a great concept even if it isn't "new." It was new for you, and that what counts. Your second fly (with the hackle,) is also just fine. The origional wooly buggers used much longer and softer hackle that what you see these days. Unfortunately, the best saddle hackle for buggers (Metz #2 saddles from the 1980s,) has been lost due to the continual selective breeding that creates longer, stiffer and more glossy hackles. They also have been bred to produce shorter barbs. These are really not the best choice for buggerns and wooly worms. I prefer to use the longer (and usually softer) neck hackles from my older stock. These can still be found on most necks, and are usually too large for any dry flys, but do make suitable hackle for wooly buggers. The larger hackles along the edges of the necks will many times be glossy and stiff making for excellent tailing material. The larger hackles on the center of most necks (specially second and third grades,) are the ones to use on buggers.

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As I understand the idea of the hackle on a bugger was to pulse as you stripped the fly through the water column, so the stiffer hackles won't move as much as it should. I think that is right.

 

My only concern is maybe the marabou is a little to soft and won't spring back into shape when you pause during the retrieval.

 

Thanks for the info utyer on hackles. I was just using strung hackle I had picked up but there is really only one or two feathers per package that is useable so I was trying to come up with a way to get around this problem when I thought of making collars with the marabou.

 

If you notice the first collar has the tips cutoff as I used a feather over that I had used for the tail piece. This bothers me and I am gonna try to tie a few more but all I have is #10 streamer hooks and I need to get some #4, #6, and #8 streamer hooks. I have streamer hooks right down to #18 these are all 2xh/5xl and would like to tie some tiny buggers but I need some smaller chenille.

 

Will try tying some more if my flu lets me :(

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Just tied up a new one using some pointers from the Benchside Reference

 

imgp0439w.jpg

 

Learned a few things as well. It is easier to spin the marabou on a bare hook shank as well as it is easier to spin when you use more feather tips. I think it turned out well and is a great idea when you have no hackle that you can use, as long as you have some marabou you can make nice looking wooly buggers.

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Now that I figured out how to tie that way I have another problem. The new marabou I received is much different than the olive I was tying with.

 

imgp0442k.jpg

 

The black on the right is wooly bugger marabou and it is much more uniform in size. When I was spinning the marabou I was using the tips of the olive marabou feathers

 

imgp0445.jpg

 

Now I can't do that with the black feathers so I have been tying them on like hackle and winding the whole feather around the shank.

 

Here is my first complete fly tied that way.

 

imgp0440t.jpg

 

I think it will move alot more in the water as it is much softer than the olive marabou. I think it looks pretty good, I tired to tie this fly different ways by spinning the marabou(too soft), stripping the hurls off the feather(made alot of mess and didn't work well), so I though I might try to wind it on and it looks alright. Not much like a trad. wooly bugger but more like a zonker strip leech or something. I think it should work well but my only concern is I may need to counter rib it so the trout won't shred my fly.

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It is brad and if I had more hands I would take some more pics showing the process. Make sure you have a decent clump of feather tips for wrapping. When you go to spin the marabou around the shank try to pull the feather around the shank with the thread. Kinda hard to explain but after you try a couple of times I am sure you will get it.

 

As for my black bugger I just wound the marabou around like hackle and some turned out well and some didn't. These were my first attempts at wooly buggers of any kind but they should move very well in the water and give some great action. Hope the trout like them.

 

If you have problems getting it to work let me know I will try and get some more pics up.

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