Suggestions for Wooly Bugger - Eastern Sierras

[cdm]

Trying to get suggestions on size, hook style, color, beadhead or not, beadhead color, flash ?, etc...

Basically going to head to Virginia Lakes and the June lakes loop and curious what you guys recommend.

I'm a huge fan of the bugger. Would like to hear the recipes for the bugger that have proven successful.

Thanks

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

2x or 3x long, standard wire size, perfect bend, TDE hook in size 10 and 12 in bronze is the most popular for buggers for lakes.

Shades of brown/cinnamon, shades of green/olive and all black are good colors.

Tie some with BH and some without.

@ ~10,000 feet it should be good in September.

[cdm]

Thanks for the tips Bill.

[Darian]

Too many variations of this pattern to list here. For a good stillwater alternative/version try Jay Fair's Wiggle Tail. If you go to youtube, you can call up step-by-step instructions on how to tie that fly and what the popular colors are.

Good luck!!

[Dean Y.]

Not an expert, but I fished the area twice in the last month. And, I slept in a Holiday Inn .

Olive and black in 10-12 worked pretty well. Fished beaded and non. Twelve year old daughter had lots of fun with black and olive buggers as streamers on a fly rod and pulled behind a bubble. Typical recipe, nothing special. But, did use a few with Jay Fair's Long Shuck and some with Jay & Glenn Fair's Swimming hackle.

[loose_shoes]

I had success at upper Virginia lake last year using a "Fuller Lake Special". I could not find a picture of it of doing an internet search. It is essential a green chenille bugger with a burnt orange marabou tail and burnt orange hackle palmered down the body. Maybe a copper rib as well.

I think some of the fly shops in the Sacramento area carry this fly.

[JD]

Would recommend that you stop thinking about a variant for one destination, and start thinking about just developing your core selection of Wooly Buggers for any water. Patterns that are predominantly black and olive should make up the majority, and can be anywhere from #6 to #12 (brown would be a distant 3rd choice, and sometimes white can work well). The usual hook choice is a 3XL but I prefer a 2XL so I can get a bit more gape. Make sure you have some that are weighted as well as not because both are useful in different situations. Cones, beads, and lead wire, or any combination, are all ways go getting down a bit more, or adding a bit of jigging action to your pattern. Tie some with a lot of flash, and tie some more sedately colored. You will pretty quickly figure out which variants you prefer, and fill your boxes accordingly.

[cdm]

Thanks for all the tips.

I am busy tying not only for myself, but trying to get extras tied for my buddies.

Focusing now on the black and olives....

[Nomadic Fisherman]

Just came back from the Eastern Sierras. Small olive woolys worked the best in size#14. Also, punk perch patterns in olive and a silver variation I came up with. NOTE: The fish were deep, holding on the bottom. I used a full sinking line.