So you think you know how to tie a pretty good Wooly Bugger, huh? Well so did I until I saw Uncle Ken’s Wooly Bug brought to us by the good folks at Fly Fish Food.
What Make’s Uncle Ken’s Wooly Bug So Good
Aside from being meticulously tied with perfect proportions, Uncle Ken’s Wooly Bug has a Zebra Midge built right in! What self-respecting trout could past that up. Ingenious.
The Wild Shine used to finish the fly is all well and good. But for me, the real secret is the pipe cleaner body. This is (was) a top secret technique that is not talked about in most fly tying circles but is highly effective.
A good friend of my Dad has been tying flies with pipe cleaners for years with much success. Sorry Bill – your secret is out now. Some techniques are just too good to be kept secret!
Material List (annotated)
Hook: Somethin’ Long and Straight (and pointy)
Thread: Meemaw’s Sewin’ Thread (just don’t let her catch you stealing it)
Tail: Chicken Feather (those from a freshly killed chicken work best)
Body: Pipe Cleaner (man, I can’t believe he put this on YouTube – now the whole world knows)
Hackle: Chicken (see note above, blood stained feathers add a nice touch)
Secret Weapon: Wild Shine (be careful, this stuff is addicting and will soon adorn all your flies)
Well done Uncle Ken, well done.