Can chuck and Duck now what.......

BRAZ · 10-03-00, 08:23 AM

First off all I have never fished with the wooly Bugger or any type of streamer.
A couple of questions;

How do you fish it,
Across and swing down?,
up at twelve and let it drift?,
cast to 6 and strip back up?

Also, this should be fished as close to the bottom as possible, right?

What do the strikes feel like?

After I get all of the positive, wonderful feedback which has made the board famous, is there a strech of hooch where the chances of picking up a fish this way are really good. I'm not talking about a honey hole or anything of the sort, just a spot where all I take is a couple of WB or streamers and hook one up.

BRAZ

Chris England · 10-03-00, 09:37 AM

I fish buggers *a lot* however, I'm thinking of letting Julie Tallman answer this post, since she's a recently converted chucker & ducker.

There are as many ways to fish a bugger as there are casts. My most productive method is stripped. You can drift them, put them under a float, etc. but 90% of the time it's stripped for me. Here's my basic setup.

- WF line
- short leader 4-6' if the water is stained like it has been lately, you can even go down to 3'. Short leaders will improve your cast.
- *BIG* conehead buggers. I tie several sizes from 10 on down, but usually fish a #6 on.
- Cast up and across, strip cross current. A lot of strikes come on the down current swing.

The weight of the bugger puts a serious wave in the line during the cast. It'll never feel right, so don't try to compare it to a dry fly cast. Just "chuck & duck".

I use lead to get the buggers down in heavy current.

-- tight lines

Drifter · 10-03-00, 10:14 AM

Braz,

Let me say that you'll catch many more fish on a Wooly BOOGER as opposed to the more politically correct Wooly Bugger. The most important thing IMNSHO is to get the Booger on the bottom. I fish a variation of the WB known as the Dredger Booger. It has lead "barbell" eyes similar to a Clouser Minnow.

Good luck,

Drifter

jtallman · 10-03-00, 10:40 AM

Yes, you can say I am converted. I had never fished them before the float with Chris. He had so much success that I couldn't keep my eyes off his rod. And then when he said he was missing all those strikes, whoa, this I have to try.

The ticket for me was to put a weight in front of the bugger, cast it out (Chris is right, the cast feels awful), wait about 5 seconds for it to sink and start to strip. The waiting helped me immensely. I usually cast upstream and across. The strikes are obvious tugs and lots of fun. If they aren't obvious, I miss them. The two biggest fish I have caught have been wonderful fun on the bugger.

See JahLive's post on using buggers in the Hootch stream for more hints: particularly about using a loop instead of tieing the knot directly to the bugger and a 4-5" tippet. I haven't been fishing to try this but I'm itching.

Oh, and when the water is stained, try those purple flash buggers. Wow!

Good luck, Julie

ICHTHUS · 10-03-00, 10:41 AM

Fly on the wall ties one with dumbbell eyes as well. Something different about his though is all materials are sparse -body, hackle, tail- says he gets many more strikes this way. FOTW, does this still apply in heavy stained water like we have now or is it a clear water thing??
Ich

jtallman · 10-03-00, 10:41 AM

Hey, with this post about buggers, I just turned native. Yahoo! I feel like one of the gang now. Thanks, Julie

BRAZ · 10-03-00, 11:16 AM

Icthus, you up for the Flint again?

edwin · 10-03-00, 11:21 AM

Great information here, guys and gals! I would like to add one thing that I have noticed in my experience regarding what the strikes feel like. I have noticed several times that strikes on a booger sometimes feel much like soft taps. Wait one second and then raise your rod. I was reading Dave Hughes book the other night, and he attributes this strike to the trout "sucking" in leeches or other aquatic species that the booger imitates. So if you feel the tap, say "are you there trout?" and raise your rod! Good luck. --edwin

NiteOwl · 10-03-00, 11:22 AM

wollies are for sissys.

Owl
who can't catcha fish on one HEHEHE

BLACK KNIGHT · 10-03-00, 11:48 AM

I would agree that the deeper the better, most times, but have seen a few times on the Chatooga where an unweighted WB, not even a beadhead, was all they'd hit. I don't know why.

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10-03-00, 08:23 AM	#1
BRAZ Native Join Date: May 2000 Location: LILBURN,GA,USA Posts: 283	First off all I have never fished with the wooly Bugger or any type of streamer. A couple of questions; How do you fish it, Across and swing down?, up at twelve and let it drift?, cast to 6 and strip back up? Also, this should be fished as close to the bottom as possible, right? What do the strikes feel like? After I get all of the positive, wonderful feedback which has made the board famous, is there a strech of hooch where the chances of picking up a fish this way are really good. I'm not talking about a honey hole or anything of the sort, just a spot where all I take is a couple of WB or streamers and hook one up. BRAZ

10-03-00, 09:37 AM	#2
Chris England Native Join Date: Oct 1998 Location: Cumming, GA Posts: 922	I fish buggers a lot however, I'm thinking of letting Julie Tallman answer this post, since she's a recently converted chucker & ducker. There are as many ways to fish a bugger as there are casts. My most productive method is stripped. You can drift them, put them under a float, etc. but 90% of the time it's stripped for me. Here's my basic setup. - WF line - short leader 4-6' if the water is stained like it has been lately, you can even go down to 3'. Short leaders will improve your cast. - BIG conehead buggers. I tie several sizes from 10 on down, but usually fish a #6 on. - Cast up and across, strip cross current. A lot of strikes come on the down current swing. The weight of the bugger puts a serious wave in the line during the cast. It'll never feel right, so don't try to compare it to a dry fly cast. Just "chuck & duck". I use lead to get the buggers down in heavy current. -- tight lines

10-03-00, 10:14 AM	#3
Drifter Former Director, HOF Join Date: Dec 1998 Location: Newnan, GA and on the banks of the Tuck Posts: 5,843	Braz, Let me say that you'll catch many more fish on a Wooly BOOGER as opposed to the more politically correct Wooly Bugger. The most important thing IMNSHO is to get the Booger on the bottom. I fish a variation of the WB known as the Dredger Booger. It has lead "barbell" eyes similar to a Clouser Minnow. Good luck, Drifter

10-03-00, 10:40 AM	#4
jtallman Native Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Athens, GA, USA Posts: 83	Yes, you can say I am converted. I had never fished them before the float with Chris. He had so much success that I couldn't keep my eyes off his rod. And then when he said he was missing all those strikes, whoa, this I have to try. The ticket for me was to put a weight in front of the bugger, cast it out (Chris is right, the cast feels awful), wait about 5 seconds for it to sink and start to strip. The waiting helped me immensely. I usually cast upstream and across. The strikes are obvious tugs and lots of fun. If they aren't obvious, I miss them. The two biggest fish I have caught have been wonderful fun on the bugger. See JahLive's post on using buggers in the Hootch stream for more hints: particularly about using a loop instead of tieing the knot directly to the bugger and a 4-5" tippet. I haven't been fishing to try this but I'm itching. Oh, and when the water is stained, try those purple flash buggers. Wow! Good luck, Julie

10-03-00, 10:41 AM	#5
ICHTHUS Native Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Mcdonough Ga Posts: 989	Fly on the wall ties one with dumbbell eyes as well. Something different about his though is all materials are sparse -body, hackle, tail- says he gets many more strikes this way. FOTW, does this still apply in heavy stained water like we have now or is it a clear water thing?? Ich

10-03-00, 11:16 AM	#7
BRAZ Native Join Date: May 2000 Location: LILBURN,GA,USA Posts: 283	Icthus, you up for the Flint again?

10-03-00, 11:21 AM	#8
edwin Past Director, Hall of Fame Member Join Date: Oct 1998 Location: Mobile, AL Posts: 948	Great information here, guys and gals! I would like to add one thing that I have noticed in my experience regarding what the strikes feel like. I have noticed several times that strikes on a booger sometimes feel much like soft taps. Wait one second and then raise your rod. I was reading Dave Hughes book the other night, and he attributes this strike to the trout "sucking" in leeches or other aquatic species that the booger imitates. So if you feel the tap, say "are you there trout?" and raise your rod! Good luck. --edwin

10-03-00, 11:22 AM	#9
NiteOwl Ex Member Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Temple, GA Posts: 2,831	wollies are for sissys. Owl who can't catcha fish on one HEHEHE

10-03-00, 11:48 AM	#10
BLACK KNIGHT Hall of Fame Member Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: Greenville, SC, USA Posts: 3,328	I would agree that the deeper the better, most times, but have seen a few times on the Chatooga where an unweighted WB, not even a beadhead, was all they'd hit. I don't know why.