The original Woolly Bugger was olive chenille body, black hackle, and black marabou tail
By Skip Clement
“The late [1935-2009] Russell Blessing’s 1967 fly was intended to mimic the Dobson fly larvae stage, known as hellgrammite, to attract smallmouth bass, his favorite opponent. When the fly turned out differently than expected, Blessing added a marabou tail, creating an anomaly that his daughter, Julie, dubbed the “Wooly Bug.” The fly exceeded Blessing’s expectations and went on to catch fish across the globe, from Atlantic salmon in Iceland to tarpon in Belize, making its mark in both freshwater and saltwater fishing.”
NOTE: In August 1967, Blessing was fishing the Little Lehigh River, Pennsylvania [USA], and Barry Beck was fishing downstream and wasn’t having any luck, like everyone else that day. Blessing, armed with his new Woolly Bugger, was catching nice trout, one after the other. Barry accepted a Woolly Bugger to try. Barry started catching trout.
— Excerpt recalled from Fred Blessing, Russell’s son, in an interview with Kirk Werner.
Illustration by Thom Glace – rainbow trout, brown trout, and brook trout. Used with permission.
Trout Tube Woolly Bugger:
Jay Nicholas demonstrates how to tie a super simple wooly bugger style fly on a tube with EP tarantula leg body material.
