wooly worm caterpillars

[SNJChef]

Anyone use with success or tie these? I was fishing a stream yesterday and saw a few in the water and saw a nice fish take one. Interested in picking some up if anyone ties them. Thanks in advance..

 

[KeithS]

Woolly bugger with no tail ?

 

[Volksnurse]

KeithS wrote:
Woolly bugger with no tail ?

Wooly worm is just that with some stiffer hackle and usually a piece of red yarn as a tag. I've seen them done with peacock and hackle and sometimes black or tan yarn and hackle. Never fished one though....

 

[dc410]

Probably the most traditional pattern for a wooly worm is red yarn tag (short), black chenille body and palmered grizzly hackle. Many years ago I tied lots of them in black,brown and yellow with grizzly or brown hackle. I fished them a lot when I was just learning to fly fish and they produced well. Since the advent of the wooly bugger and the many variations of it I got away from tying wooly worms and fishing them. If you are looking to immitate the "wooly bear" caterpillar I think a black, brown or blond body with heavily palmered brown hackle and no tail would be the best fit.

 

[SNJChef]

Yes I was thinking to immitate the wooly bear. I have seen a lot of them on the stream I have been fishing recently.

 

[gutcutter]

dc410 wrote:
...Since the advent of the wooly bugger and the many variations of it I got away from tying wooly worms and fishing them...

Since 1967?

 

[dc410]

Yeah, I knew somebody would bust me on that one. I was really referring the time in my flyfishing career when I became familiar with the wooly bugger and started tying and using them. Referring to it as the advent of the wooly bugger was a bad choice of words on my part.

 

[Fishidiot]

gutcutter wrote:

dc410 wrote:
...Since the advent of the wooly bugger and the many variations of it I got away from tying wooly worms and fishing them...

Since 1967?

Yep - dc410 is a really old fart. But he knows lots about fly fishing. And looks good for his age!
I first met him in college many moons ago and the first thing he said to me was "Young feller, I was fishin Wooly Buggers when you were still a runt!'

 

[dc410]

C'mon FI. We aren't that far apart. I can remember us cranking out some big old wooly buggers in the mid 80's at PSU. But when I think back to the late 70's I don't remember even knowing what a wooly bugger was. It was all wooly worms back then. I think it may be time to get the old wooly worm out again and give it a work out ..... bet it still works! :lol:

 

[sandfly]

tie a small orange with brown soft hackle and sink it works for oct. caddis pattern. I remember using buggers in the early 70's along with wooly worms too. guess I'm prehistoric.