Flies from Afghanistan-Part 2

By -

Over the Hindu Kush
Flies from Afghanistan-Part 2

Apologies for the long hiatus, life got in the way of putting together another article in the series. I hope to have more time in the future to publish these more regularly.

The next fly up to bat is an all-around touchdown when it comes to catching fish, and everyone needs to have a few of these in their box (preferably in various sizes and colors). The Wooly Bugger can be considered as one of the most versatile of all fly patterns. Simply put the fly can be used for numerous species, from saltwater to freshwater, used in all types of environments, from cold water to warm water, all seasons and all water types. I have used them for Steelhead, Browns, Smallmouth, Loopers, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, Northern Pike, Redfish, even for trout through the ice in the BWCA. The sky is truly the limit for this fly.

My excitement for the big Wooly Bugger was realized about 15 years ago while fishing for late run Steelhead on the North Shore. The day was warm and sunny and the water temps had jumped into the upper 40’s. My friend Kevin and I were swinging flies on a larger North Shore river that is very productive later in the season. Flows were about perfect with great visibility. Armed with a light sink tip and larger buggers tied on 4XL hooks we experienced crushing strikes as we swing the flies through likely holding water. The river in question has a great hatch of large stoneflies but more critically it has an abundance of large hellgrammites. Inevitably the fish were keying on my large brown buggers. It was a fantastic few days on the shore.

Since that day some of my most memorable trips have included large brown Wooly Buggers. Referencing my fishing log it seems that if fish are still around closer to late May, black out performs brown. One phenomenal stretch occurred in 2010. After some hard fishing and a few fish on a upper shore river the air temperature warmed and a warm spring rain provided a much needed freshet to the river. The river levels were down considerably due to an early run-off making fishing options few. Fishing in a heavy rain I covered much of the fishable pools again with sink tips and modified swings. I had on a 4XL Black Wooly Bugger and this combination was king! Many nice fish absolutely crushed the fly with abandon making the wet conditions tolerable.
One last memorable experience came again late in the season over the Memorial Day weekend. It was a wonderful warm spring day and I was swinging one of my favorite runs with the large black bugger when during the pause at the end of the swing the fly was crushed. I lifted my rod to set the hook and I was quickly broken off. I hurriedly tied on another bugger and swung the fly through the same run. Again the fly was met with a vicious strike. This time I was able to stay pinned. My rod throbbed with a large fish. But this fish felt different and after a few seconds it made a strong run then came back to me only to make another long run. I had a hunch it was no Steelhead and as I gained line and brought it closer to get a good look at it I have to admit I started to laugh and was soon tailing a 28” Northern Pike. Hilarious! I was shocked my tippet held with those teeth! No wonder my first fly parted so abruptly!

Steelhead Dreams-Matt Supinski
Over the years I have toyed with the recipe and through success I have settled on a fairly traditional pattern. I prefer a #6 4XL heavy shank hook, wrapped with lead to get the fly down. I use six strands of black Krystal Flash in the marabou tail, three on each side. I counter wind fine copper wire back to the head to finish the pattern. This reinforces the hackle and makes the pattern much more durable. My #6 buggers include a 3/16 copper bead as well. I find the copper accents tend to out perform similar additions in gold. I am unsure why but I suspect that with the tannin colored water the copper color is more attractive, just a guess on my part. I also carry #8 size buggers in my box as well. These I tie with and without a bead to be able to cover thinner, clearer water.
Due to the frequent violent strikes I tend to use 2x tippet and larger, tying the fly on with a Uni, or Duncan loop knot. Unless it’s a rouge Northern Pike, this combo is very reliable.

The fly is tied using traditional techniques and here is the recipe (substitute black for brown when tying black buggers):
Funny place for your Bugger
  • #6 4XL hook, I typically use The Fly Shop (TFS) 300’s which match up as Mustad #79580
  • Brown 6/0 thread
  • 3/16 copper bead
  • .025 dia. lead or lead substitute
  • Brown Marabou for the tail
  • Black Krystal Flash, 3 strands on each side
  • Copper wire, usually I use small and occasionally medium
  • Brown bugger hackle

Cheers!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shorecasting the North Shore

By -
Image
Shore casting the North Shore of Lake Superior can at times appear to be a daunting task, it is, however, an enjoyable and very effective way to fish the big lake.  River mouths Most of us have seen the numerous fishermen lining the banks near the French or Lester rivers. Why? Because these are consistently good places to fish. A beginning shore caster would be smart to start their quest fishing river mouths, particularly early in the season when steelhead, Kamloops and lakers can be found in abundance. The river plumes provide warm water and a steady flow of bugs which fish like. Due to the fairly shallow water found at most mouths, it’s best to fish them in low light. Target these areas early in the morning and late in the evening or on a dreary overcast day. You will be less noticeable to the fish and they will be less apt to spook.  Seeing how there are over 25 potential stream/river mouths to fish it would be crazy to ignore these great areas. Fly and hardware...
Read more

Pom-Pom Eggs - The Inexpensive Glo-Bug

By -
Image
One of the most useful and productive fly patterns you can carry when you fish the runs for steelhead, kamloops and salmon are eggs. Any time free drifting eggs are in the stream is a good time to fish them and, they can be fished with any type of equipment from Fly to Spinning rods. A wise SE Wisconsin guide once told me, "Any pattern will catch fish, as long as it has an egg in it." As with all flies, you will go through A LOT of them. One option is to purchase them, but at a dollar a pop or more, making your own is a simple and inexpensive proposition. In a short amount of time and with just a few simple tools, you can crank out eggs by the hundreds at just pennies per piece. I’m going to assume that you know how to do some basic tying; but if you don’t, this is a good pattern to start learning with because it will teach you some of the basics: How to Start Your Thread , how to position materials, and the Whip Finish . On Sizing I use the metric standard because it is eas...
Read more

No Treble Hooks!

By -
Image
 Years ago all an angler had was a paper regulation booklet and the word from fellow anglers and DNR officials stating that treble hooks are not allowed in our north shore tributaries below the posted boundaries.  This should be enough, right? Today we still have those regulation booklets and honestly they have come a long way in clarifying the dos and don'ts regarding our north shore fishery.  We also have dozens of signs along our rivers explaining the dos and don't as well as specifically stating the use of treble hooks. If that was not enough, anglers can simply search the internet.  Heck, these days, you can search stream side right from your phone.  In fact this post will be available streamside to anyone willing to take the time to search the web or scan the UR code from our report cards that went out this spring. Pictured above is a photo of a a crankbait that is in many o' bass anglers tackle arsenal. Heck, I have a few myself. T...
Read more