Wooly Bugger

[zazombie1]

I've got a question about fishing the wooly bugger in creeks. I'm new to fly fishing, and am going be fishing in the Wissahickon quite a lot. When fishing the wooly bugger would one typically use a strike indicator, or just fish it by itself with possibly a little weight on the leader?

 

[MKern]

I would use an indicator if dead drifting, but I often strip it in, and in that case you should feel the strike. Use enough weight to keep the fly from rising to the surface, or if you tie your own flies add lead to the shank.

Good luck.

 

[Padraic]

I haven't fished the Wissahickon so I don't know the conditions. Generally though, I would not use a strike indicator if I can see the fly or I can see the tippet "twitch" with a strike. An indicator gets in the way of presentation (as MKern points out). IMHO lead on the tippet does also.

If you can get away with out the extra stuff, you'll be able to present that bugger in an amazingly wide variety of ways. Try all of the following:

Upstream on a deaddrift
Upstream, stripped back down a bit faster than the current.
Highstick nymphing.
To the "quarters" i.e. quartering upstream, downstream and I include directly across the stream in this.
Swung downstream like a wetfly

And just about any other way you can put this fly in front of a trout! The only other fly that is as versitlie is the muddler minnow.

Try getting some weighted buggers, rather than putting weight on the tippet. You can still present the bugger in all the ways I mention with the weight, but I find it easier and better to have the fly weighted instead.

Best of luck!! :-D

Padraic

 

[Coughlin]

I'm with Padraic on using a weighted bugger (or any other subsurface fly) rather than using weight on the tippet.

And, hey, if you're fishing the Whissahickon, get ready. The stocking schedule is for Oct. 2 and fall fishing is always terrific.
Coughlin

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

ya its all about beadheads. in most currents you can cast a 10 bugger upstream and start to retrive 3/4 the way through the drift. allows you to use it as a streamer afterwards. you can dead drift a nymph and then fish an injured minnow or a crayfish. perhaps even a leech. it is the most versitle fly pattern. and its large and big trout like big flies! i catch natives on 10 to 12 buggers. they love them too. personally i dont bother with strike indicators. unless its a dry. with the right tension you can feel it. hasent anyone catfished before :-D most streams i fish with wild trout i belive weights and indicators can spook fish, but thats not always true either