StreamersOlive Woolly Bugger
The Olive Woolly Bugger is a versatile streamer pattern that can imitate a wide range of prey, from baitfish to crayfish to leeches. Its marabou tail and hackle body give it a lifelike, undulating movement in the water that can entice strikes from a variety of fish species.
Year Round
Beginner
Trout, Bass
Overview
The Olive Woolly Bugger is a versatile streamer pattern tied with a marabou tail, chenille body, and palmered saddle hackle for movement and profile. Olive is a particularly effective color for imitating leeches, baitfish, or damselfly nymphs. Adding a bead head or lead wraps can help it sink, and flash in the tail can increase visibility. It's a go-to fly for both stillwater and moving water, and easy to tie in bulk.
Pattern Characteristics
Materials
Hook: 4X-long streamer hook (here a Dai-Riki 700), size #2-#12
Bead: Gold, 5/32-inch
Thread: 6/0 or 140 Denier, brown olive
Weight: Lead-free wire, .02
Tail: Olive marabou blood quill, tips removed
Body: Olive chenille
Hackle: Olive grizzly
Fishing Tips
Season
Year-round, but especially effective in the spring and fall.
Presentation
Can be dead-drifted like a nymph, stripped like a streamer, or swung in the current.
When to Use
Versatile and can be used in nearly all conditions and environments.
Water Type
Effective in both stillwater and moving water.
Rigging Suggestions
Can be fished alone or as part of a multi-fly rig. A sinking or sink-tip line can get the fly deeper.
Visibility & Floatation
This fly sinks and is intended to be fished subsurface. The bead head and dark color make it highly visible in a variety of water conditions.
