The Woolly Bugger needs no introduction. It is perhaps the most widely fished streamer in existence and feared the world over by fish of many names. I've caught every species of trout on Woolly Buggers, large and smallmouth bass, a plenitude of panfish, salmon, steelhead, bonefish and even tarpon. Woolly Buggers arguably catch just about anything when tied in a mix of sizes and colors and hit on multiple triggers that render it darn near irresistible. If you tie flies, there's a very good chance that a Woolly Bugger was your first attempt at the vise.
For as far back as I can remember, I've harbored strong opinions about chenille. I don't like it. Often it's too bulky, especially on small bugs, doesn't look natural and is kind of a pain to tie off and still create a small tidy thread head behind the eye of the hook. In my mind, it just doesn't espouse that certain fishy "je ne sais pas" that I'm looking for in the flies I stuff in my box. Does the classic chenille-bodied Woolly Bugger work? Absolutely! It's likely accounted for more fly caught fish caught than just about any pattern around. But in my outward disdain for tying with chenille, I quickly turned to other options for constructing the body.
Dubbing comes in a wide variety of lengths, colors, textures and mixes and looks buggy as all get out on flies. I've used angora goat, Arizona simi-seal, rabbit, antron and various home blends for dubbed bodies on Woolly Buggers, but I think my all-time favorite material is Hareline's Ice Dub. Ice Dub gives the pattern a real fish-attracting sparkle without being too over the top. I like to brush the body with a wire brush when I'm done and give the fly a scraggly look. The version tied here is one of my favorites and incorporates the classic Pumpkinhead color scheme. It works particularly well in June and July when damsel and dragonfly nymphs are on the move. My other favorite combinations are black/black peacock, black/UV black, brown/UV brown, black/purple, olive/peacock and black/claret. The sky's the limit and you're bound only by your imagination.
Ice Dub Bugger Recipe:
Hook: #10 Daiichi 1760
Thread: 6/0 Olive Dun Uni Thread
Tail: Dark Olive Marabou
Rib: 4X Mono
Body: Olive Brown Ice Dub
Hackle: Grizzly Dyed Burnt Orange Saddle