Put and Take Sverige
Woolly Bugger
If you only learn to fish one fly properly, let it be the Woolly Bugger. The soft marabou tail and the hackle around the body make it live in the water, and the fish reads it by turns as a leech and a small fish. Two prey that rainbow and brown trout recognise year-round, in practically every put-and-take water in the country.
Why it works so well
The marabou pulses even when you make short pauses, so the fly looks alive the whole time. You fish it actively and cover a lot of water quickly, which makes it perfect when you do not know where the fish stand. In short: it helps you find the fish, not just catch it. That mix of movement and searchability is why so many have it as the first fly on the leader.
Colour and size
Start black. It is the colour that takes fish most often, and it looks like a leech well. Then add according to the water:
- Olive or brown when it is clear and the fish have been in a while.
- Orange, pink or chartreuse when the fish are freshly stocked or the water is coloured.
Size 8 and 10 cover most put-and-take waters. A gold-bead variant sinks faster and gives a bit of extra flash on deeper fishing, while an unweighted one sinks slower and stays higher.
How you fish it
Cast and let the fly sink to the depth you want to fish. Count seconds while it sinks, so you know where you were when it took and can repeat it. Then strip in short twitches with pauses between, and vary the pace until the fish answers. The take usually comes in the stop, just as the fly sinks after a twitch. Freshly stocked fish can want a faster, even retrieve, so try both.
Two retrieves to try
The first is the classic strip-pause: two or three short twitches, a stop where the fly sinks, and so on. It imitates a fleeing, wounded baitfish and lights the hunting instinct. The second is a slow, almost sleepy retrieve where the fly just creeps forward, which often works best on sluggish fish in cold water or late in the season. Switch between them until you find the day’s pace.
When it stalls
Fishing black in clear water with no bites? Try olive, or go down a size. Freshly stocked and passive? Switch to a signal colour and pick up the pace. A common mistake is to fish too fast and too high the whole time, so let the fly sink deeper and slow down if nothing happens. More patterns in the fly overview, and more on presentation and tackle under fly fishing.
FAQ
Which Woolly Bugger colour is best?
Black is most reliable in most waters. Also keep olive for clear water and a signal colour, orange or pink, for freshly stocked fish and coloured water.
Which size?
Size 8 and 10 cover most of it. Go smaller if the fish are shy, larger if you want to provoke active, hunting fish.
With or without a gold bead?
A gold bead makes the fly sink faster and gives a little flash, good on depth and active fish. Without a bead it sinks slower, which suits shallower fishing.
Why does the fish often take in the pause?
When you stop the retrieve the fly sinks and the marabou tail pulses. It looks like prey that has lost pace, and that is when the fish hits. Stay in contact with the line in the stops.