Wooly Bugger
LegendaryAdvancedFresh & salt
A classic hand-tied fly with a marabou tail, chenille body, and palmered hackle, one of the most versatile flies ever tied. It can imitate baitfish, leeches, or large nymphs depending on how it's fished, making it a staple across trout, bass, and panfish water.
Profile
- Depth: 4/10
- Speed: 3/10
- Murky Water: 4/10
- Snag Resist.: 3/10
- Castability: 1/10
- Noise: 2/10
Conditions
RetrieveStill / Drift
DepthMid-Water
WaterAny
CoverOpen Water
Works well for
Recommended Knots
Technique tips
- Strip it in short pulls to imitate a fleeing baitfish or leech — this is the most common and reliable way to fish it.
- Dead-drift it under an indicator like a big nymph when fish are keyed on subsurface food and ignoring a stripped retrieve.
- Carry it in black, olive, and white — those three colors cover the vast majority of what it needs to imitate.
Find out what really works for you
Log each catch with the lure that got it, rate lures and see which ones pay off on your waters.