Flies from Afghanistan-Part 2

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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!

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