We had the pleasure of getting to hang out with Phil Rowley again this year when he was in town for the Lynnwood Fly Fishing Show and to speak at the 4CFF meeting recently. Phil's got a lot of great books and DVD's showcasing his fly patterns, along with an awesome website where he shares tutorials and tips. Be sure to check out the many effective patterns he ties and writes about at www.flycraftangling.com.
Phil was kind enough to let us film him tying the Jig Bugger, which we present to you as our March fly of the month. By now most of us have at least seen if not fished the Balanced Leech he helped popularize. The Jig Bugger incorporates some of the same principles, but with the slotted bead and jig hook is less difficult to tie and requires no balancing. It is intended to be fished on a floating or sinking line and retrieved, much like you would a regular old woolly bugger. This one, however performs a radical nose dive on each pause in your retrieve, which proves to be an irresistible action to trout and other species far and wide. We can't wait to give it a go on our favorite bluegill lake later this Spring.
Here he ties an olive and black version, but just like your favorite Woolly Bugger, the color combos and body materials are really limitless. We apologize for the background noise in the video, but as you can see, those fly club folks are a raucous bunch. By the way, we now have the jig hooks and slotted tungsten beads at the shop.
The Jig Bugger Recipe:
Thread: 70 Denier Black Ultra Thread
Hook: Daiichi 4640
Bead: Gold Slotted Tungsten Bead
Tail: Marabou of choice with a few strands of Flashabou mixed in
Rib: Small Gold Ultra Wire
Body: Dubbing, Polar Chenille or fine chenille of choice
Hackle: Black or your favorite color saddle hackle
The Confluence Beer Pairing: Much to our surprise, Phil does not recommend drinking Molson while tying the Jig Bugger, or drinking it at all under any circumstance. When he's down our way for a visit, he's expressed a fondness for Kulshan's Good Ol' Boy Pale Ale. We're rather fond of it too as a great all around light beer to enjoy during a wide variety of activities.