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My first fish on fly fell to the magic of a Woolly Bugger and many have gone the same way since then.

Some say that what we call a woolly bugger had its origins in America where it appears to have been tied, as a leach imitation. Others say it had its origins in English where evolving at roughly the same time a similar fly with bead chain eyes called a Dog Nobler was also becoming popular. Whatever the name it’s a very good fly.

It's also very versatile because the body can be made from a range of materials such as chenille, wool, dubbing, peacock herl, Crystal chenille etc. and eyes in various shapes and forms can be added for appearance and weight.mega This mega version is tied mostly from chenille and since 2013, when I first started tying it it has been a constant reminder of my fresh water trout fly fishing origins.

Tied predominately as a prospecting fly for barra in Awoonga this fly also gets a swim in estuary and coastal waters when I am looking for grunter and fingermark.

Materials

Process

A	Wind the thread in touching turns from just behind the eye of the hook and 20% of the way down the hook shank. Build up a mound of thread directly behind that. Put a drop of super glue on the mound. Understanding hooks

B	Position the eyes directly in front of the small mound of thread and tie them in on top of the hook shank using tight figure 8 wraps. To make sure that the eyes don’t rotate on the hook shank include a couple of tight wraps the thread around the base of the eyes on top of the hook shank and between every couple of figure of eight wraps take a firm wrap of thread around the hook shank. Once you have tied the dumbbell eyes in continue winding the thread in tight touching turns all the way down to the bend of the hook.

C	At this stage I select three silver dun coloured marabou blood quills of the same size and shape. Tie the first one in flat on top of the hook shank with the ends extending beyond the fly a distance equal to about two times the shank of the hook. Select 4 strands of gold flashabou and tie them in with the rear facing strands on the front top side of the marabou and the forward facing fibres facing out in front of the fly.

E	Take the forward facing strands of flashabou and fold them over to the other side of the fly and lock them in so that the ends now extend behind the fly a distance equal to about two times the shank of the hook. Tie the second silver dun marabou hackle in flat on top of the first silver dun marabou hackle with the ends extending beyond the fly the same distance as the first silver dun marabou hackle. Select 4 strands of gold flashabou and tie them in with the rear facing strands on the front top side of the marabou and the forward facing fibres facing out in front of the fly.

F	Take the forward facing strands of flashabou and fold them over to the other side of the fly and lock them in so that the ends now extend behind the fly a distance equal to about two times the shank of the hook. Tie the thitrd silver dun marabou hackle in flat on top of the first silver dun marabou hackle with the ends extending beyond the fly the same distance as the first and second silver dun marabou hackles.

G	Select a chartreuse marabou hackle for the body with barbules about twice as long as the gape of the hook. Woolly bugger hackles Hold your hackle with the shiny side forward and tie it in by the tip of the hackle. Take the thread forward half the distance between where the hackle is tied in and the back of the dumbbell eyes.

H	Palmer the chartreuse marabou hackle forward to the thread. Tie the chartreuse marabou hackle off trim away the excess hackle witha sharp blade and tie ina half hitch just to lock everything in place.

I	Select a coral marabou hackle for the front hackle with barbules about two and a half times as long as the gape of the hook. Hold your hackle with the shiny side forward and tie it in by the tip of the hackle. Take the thread forward to directly behind the dumbbell eyes.

J	Palmer the coral marabou hackle forward to the thread. Tie the coral marabou hackle off trim away the excess hackle with a sharp blade and tie in a couple of double hitches just to lock everything in place. Take the thread forward to between the dumbbell eyes and the eye of the hook and build upa net thread head. Whip finish the thread head, trim the thread and varnish the whip finishes behind the dumbbell eyes, the tie in of the dumbbell eyes and the thread head.

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