How to Tie a Fly: The Wooly Bugger
The Wooly Bugger is a popular, productive streamer for both fresh and saltwater fish – learn how to tie one yourself.
4 Min. Watch | Fishing

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[00:00:00.00] Text, How to Tie a Fly: The Wooly Bugger.

[00:00:03.61] Assembly supplies appear.

[00:00:06.11] Text, You will need: vice, scissors, whip finisher, black thread and bobbin, pliers, black chenille, streamer hook (size 4 to 10), hackle, marabou blood quill. Pinch barb down on the hook.

[00:00:19.81] A man pinches the barb with pliers.

[00:00:22.15] Text, Firmly secure the hook in your vice.

[00:00:25.66] Sitting at a work table, he places the hook in the vice, bent side held in the vice.

[00:00:30.39] Text, Start your thread about halfway down the hook shank.

[00:00:34.64] He uses a tool to wrap thread around the shank, then cuts it at the top side above the hook.

[00:00:39.47] Text, Trim the tag end of your thread halfway through.

[00:00:44.38] Wrap the thread back to bend of hook.

[00:00:47.41] He continues wrapping the dark thread away from his body, around the shank, toward the bend.

[00:00:54.25] Text, A single marabou blood quill will be used for the tail.

[00:00:59.49] The man holds the greenish tail.

[00:01:01.31] Text, Measure the tail so it's about same length as hook shank.

[00:01:06.32] Tie marabou in at hook bend using pinch technique.

[00:01:09.35] The man positions the tail over the hook and wraps onto the hook with thread. Parts of the tail protrude off both ends of the hook.

[00:01:23.75] Trim any excess marabou extending beyond hook eye.

[00:01:26.56] He cuts the excess tail off the end of the hook furthest from the vice.

[00:01:29.77] Text, Wrap backwards until you reach hook bend.

[00:01:34.69] He holds the tail as he wraps thread around it and the hook.

[00:01:43.20] He fluffs the end of the tail near the hook bend, which remains unwrapped.

[00:01:48.28] Text, Prep chenille by exposing the thread core.

[00:01:53.24] The man pushes the fibers of the chenille out of the way.

[00:01:58.03] Text, Tie in chenille by its thread core at the bend of the hook.

[00:02:03.08] He wraps thread to secure the black chenille to the hook.

[00:02:06.94] Text, Prep hackle by stroking fibers down so they stand away from stem.

[00:02:12.09] The man pulls his fingers down the hackle.

[00:02:16.83] Text, Tie in hackle by the tip alongside the chenille.

[00:02:23.08] Wrap the thread to just behind the hook eye.

[00:02:26.04] He wraps thread to secure the hackle.

[00:02:29.23] Text, Wrap the chenille forward with your hand.

[00:02:33.00] He takes the end of the chenille and wraps it around the hook shank, covering the exposed threads.

[00:02:45.85] He nears the end of the hook, wrapping the black chenille.

[00:02:50.38] Text, Tie off the chenille and trim off the excess.

[00:02:54.00] He wraps some thread around the wrapped chenille near the hook eye, the cuts off the excess chenille.

[00:03:00.87] Text, Palmer the hackle forward to the front of the hook; be sure to pull on the hackle enough to sit sinks a bit into the chenille.

[00:03:08.70] He wraps the hackle around the chenille, creating a furry, spiky texture.

[00:03:17.35] Text, Tie off the hackle and trim off the excess.

[00:03:22.56] He wraps a bit of thread around the hackle near the hook eye and trims the hackle.

[00:03:27.17] Text, Pull all of the materials back and make a thread head.

[00:03:31.12] He holds down all the materials on the hook, pulling them away from they eye, then wraps thread near the eye.

[00:03:38.46] Text, Whip finish the head of the fly.

[00:03:42.00] The man uses a metal whip finish tool around the eye, rotating it around the hook.

[00:03:53.40] He tugs on the hook. He cuts the thread.

[00:03:57.51] Text, Trim your thread and apply head cement if desired.

[00:04:02.57] He fluffs the newly created fly.

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