The Woolly Gentleman

Fly Fish Food

Matched on streamer flies, trout, leech. Strong technical tying and trout catalog coverage, especially nymphs, dries, and stillwater flies.

streamer fliestroutleech

Fulling Mill Flies

Matched on streamer flies, trout, nymph. Large pattern house with broad freshwater and saltwater fly categories.

streamer fliestroutnymph

streamer fliestroutwoolly bugger

Orvis Fly Catalog

Matched on streamer flies, trout, woolly bugger. Broad retail catalog for standard trout, warmwater, salmon/steelhead, and saltwater patterns.

Big Y Fly Co.

Matched on streamer flies, trout, nymph. Broad by-type catalog useful for common benchmark patterns and inexpensive backups.

streamer fliestroutnymph

Russell Blessing tied the first Woolly Bugger in 1967 in Pennsylvania, and the fly has been making every other pattern slightly jealous ever since. It imitates everything -- leeches, crayfish, sculpins, hellgrammites, baitfish, and possibly small mammals -- with the nonchalant versatility of someone who is good at everything but modest about none of it. If you are stranded on a desert island with one fly pattern, you are wasting your time on the desert island. But it should be this fly.

Quick Facts

TypeStreamer

Difficultybeginner

SeasonsSpring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Target SpeciesBrown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass

Sizes#6 - #12

Best LocationsCurrent River, MO; White River, AR; Eleven Point River, MO

Where to Fish It

Current River

MO · Ozark River

White River

AR · Tailwater

Eleven Point River

MO · Ozark River

Map unavailable. Locations for Woolly Bugger: Current River, MO; White River, AR; Eleven Point River, MO

Related Reading

region guide

Driftless Area: Spring Creek Paradise

Tucked into the unglaciated hills of southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, and northeastern Iowa lies the Driftless Area — a landscape of cold spring creeks, limestone bluffs, and wild trout that rivals any destination in the country. This is the complete guide to fishing the Driftless.

species science

The Bronze Back: Smallmouth Bass on the Fly

Smallmouth bass fight harder than trout, eat more aggressively than largemouth, and live in some of the most beautiful water on the continent. From Driftless spring creeks to Great Lakes tributaries to Appalachian smallmouth rivers, the bronze back demands respect and rewards understanding.

technique

Reading Water: Finding Fish by Reading Structure

Every river tells you where the fish are, if you know how to listen. Reading water is the fundamental skill that separates productive anglers from persistent ones. The ability to look at a stretch of river and identify the handful of spots that hold fish — and dismiss the vast majority that don't — is worth more than a lifetime of fly pattern knowledge.

technique

After Dark: The Night Fishing Guide

The largest brown trout in any river feeds almost exclusively at night. The biggest smallmouth in your favorite river moves into the shallows after dark. And the redfish on the marsh flat feed through the night on every tide. Night fishing is where trophy hunters go when they get serious — here's how to join them.

Streamerintermediate

Zonker

Find a tier or trusted source

Midwest & Driftless

#4 - #10

Rabbit strip over a mylar tubing body. Flash and movement in a profile that imitates minnows and shiners in Ozark rivers.

Natural RabbitWhite/PearlOliveBlack

Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout · Smallmouth Bass

SprSumFallWin

Streamerbeginner

Woolly Bugger

Find a tier or trusted source

Southwest & California

4-12

The universal search pattern that imitates leeches, baitfish, crayfish, and probably the meaning of life. Deadly stripped through desert tailwaters and California spring creeks alike.

oliveblackbrownwhitepurple

Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Largemouth Bass · Smallmouth Bass

SprSumFallWin

Streamerintermediate

Sculpin Streamer

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Midwest & Driftless

#4 - #8

Weighted bottom-dwelling sculpin imitation. Deer hair head flares wide. Imitates the primary forage fish in Ozark and Driftless streams.

Olive/BrownTanDark Sculpin

Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

SprSumFallWin

Streamerbeginner

Crystal Woolly Bugger

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Great Lakes

#4 - #10

Crystal chenille variant of the classic Woolly Bugger. Extra flash and a slightly bulkier profile make it the go-to general-purpose searching pattern across all Great Lakes water types.

Black/CrystalOlive/CrystalWhite/CrystalPurple/Crystal

Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout · Smallmouth Bass · Steelhead · Northern Pike

SprSumFallWin

Streamerbeginner

Woolly Bugger

Find a tier or trusted source

Southeast & Carolinas

#6 - #12

The universal streamer. Marabou tail, chenille body, palmered hackle. Imitates everything from leeches to crayfish to sculpin in Appalachian waters.

BlackOliveBrownWhite

Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout · Brook Trout · Smallmouth Bass

SprSumFallWin

Streamerintermediate

Muddler Minnow

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Southeast & Carolinas

#4 - #10

Don Gapen's deer hair headed sculpin imitation. The original sculpin pattern. Flared deer hair creates a wide profile that pushes water.

Natural Deer HairBlackWhite

Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout · Smallmouth Bass

SprSumFallWin