- BABY BUGGER -

A step-by-step on a classic Woolly Bugger is probably not nessecary, since it’s probably is one of the most well known flies and also very simple to tie. The main purpose with this one though, is more than just presenting a fly. The inspiration comes from an article written by Peter Frailey, who wanted his buggers smaller. By being a little flexible in the choice of material, it made it possible and he has now created an entire series of different "Baby Buggers".

MATERIAL:

Hook:	Wet fly (2X long) or streamer, size #12-16
Weight:	Brass bead and/or thin lead wire (alt. copper wire)
Thread:	8/0, black
Tail:	Underfur from zonker strip, black
Body:	Dubbing of choice, black
Hackle:	Hen, black

Step 1:
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Preparations: Slide a brass bead on the hook with the larger hole towards the hook bend. To a size 14 hook, a 3mm bead has been chosen here. Put the hook in the vise. Additional weight is optional. On this I have added a few wraps of thin lead wire.

Step 2:
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Center the head on the hook by pushing the wire into the hole. Secure it by building a "cone" with thread immediately behind it. Cover then the lead wraps with thread. If no additional weight has been used, a bulk of just thread or floss can be pushed into the hole instead.

Step 3:
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Cut a clump of hair from a zonker strip and clear out most of the guard hairs. Tie in the underfur on the hook and cut the surplus at the point where the lead wraps start. Cover it with thread and let it spread around the hook. This way the transition between the fur and the lead will be smooth and result in a nice looking underbody.

Step 4:
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Tie in a hen hackle in the tip.

Step 5:
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Dub the thread with a dubbing of your own choice (hare's fur here). Remember to make it thin. Remember why we left the chenille aside in the first place.

Step 6:
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Make the first dubbing wrap behind the hackle feather and continue to the head. Here we can see another of the dubbing advantages. There will be no chenille core to cut and later try to "hide as much as possible".

Step 7:
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Spiral wrap the hackle forward and finish with a full wrap a millimeter from the head. Secure the feather and cut the surplus.

Step 8:
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Make a whip-finish behind the head and cut the thread.

Done:
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The result: A miniature Woolly Bugger, but still with good proportions. This hadn’t been as easy to achieve with a chenille body. With the rabbit tail we have also made us a very soft tail that still is much more durable than marabou.

Also resulting in:
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The irony in this is that already a year earlier I had done the same thing with the Chili Pepper and by using Ice Dub instead of Crystal Chenille, I had pushed it down to size 14. But with that my goal at the time was achieved and I put it aside. This article focused more on the solution than on the problem and it inspired me to think again. An hour later I sat there with another two of my chenille favourites, Montana and Bitch Creek, downsized to 14… thanks to dubbing and a black goose feather.
So think for yourselves on what you have wished for when you’ve been standing by the water. Instead of taking the recipes to serious, chose material that works. Also take a look at Peter Frailey’s article and his other Baby Buggers.

TIGHT LINES AND SCREAMING REELS...

Tillbaka till flugindex

Niclas Runarsson, 2007