Tom: I don't know if you can or can't put those tails on a fly, but you gave
me a good idea that I am gonna try with them. I used to catch a lot of
crappie on those jigs, with a chartreuse tail with sparkles in the grub tail
(curly tail), and a red jig head. Well, I still like to catch crappie, but I
want to catch them on a fly rod, and every fly I have tried at the place I
fish I have no luck with, but I know the crappie are in there and are
biting, cause there was an elderly couple out in a boat there Friday, and I
went over and talked to them, and they had a fish basket half full of
crappies fishing with live minnows.. Well, I'm gonna take some of those
small tails I have.. put some glue on the shank of about a #6 hook..feed
that tail onto the hook until it is about 1/4" from the hook eye..Then take
some heavy red thread, and build a jig head, and try it like that... I'll be
going fishing again Tuesday or Wednesday if it is not raining, and I'll let
ya know if it worked, Chuck
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Davenport" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Chuck Alexander" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]@earthlink.net>
Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2006 10:15 PM
Subject: Re: [VFB] Back to Basics Bugger
I have some plastic jig tails I bought at a fly shop. You can tie them
on buggers instead of using marabou (I haven't tried them yet).
I often thought about taking a spinning rod with my on my still water
trips so I could jig for some of the lunkers my fish finder shows me
hanging down 20 or 30 feet in the reservoirs I fish. I just never get
around to it. But there is no question jigging in an excellent
technique.
I did find the article where I found the bugger pattern. It was written
by John Holt and he called it a Cree Bugger. The article, in the 2006
issue of Northwest Flyfishing, was about fishing for Bass in Warm Springs
Creek, a creek with thermal features that has created a great bass
habitat near Livingston, Montana.
Tom
On Oct 13, 2006, at 9:25 AM, Chuck Alexander wrote:
Tom: Does this mean great minds think alike?? LOL. Cause funny you
should mention this, cause just last night I was tying "traditional"
wooly buggers in all colors, and using that copper ribbing (helps the
fly last longer for me and adds a little flash to it too. They has been
well for me the last cpl weeks, since we had our first cold snap, but we
had a lot of rain three days ago, so yesterday I had to change up, and
use lighter colors, but the other day the black one was the good one...
So, I tied some white, some brown,bright green,olive drab, white, chili
peppers,yellow, and even a purple one LOL. I think this is like the
bait chunker like I was and I loved to crappie fish, and tried all
manner of the new "crappie lures". but NOTHING (cept maybe live minnows
at times) beat the plain old jig...Chuck
----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Davenport" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, October 13, 2006 1:13 AM
Subject: [VFB] Back to Basics Bugger
In the spring I was reading an article in Northwest fly fishing
written by a fellow who fishes Montana rivers with streamers,
primarily with what he called a "big ugly spark plug of a Wooly
Bugger". He had a name for it, and if I find the article again, I
will send his name and the real name of his bugger, which I simply
call the "Back to Basics" bugger.
In recent years I have been like the prodigal son, "seeking wanton
women" when it comes to wooly buggers. I had abandoned hackle all
together and substituted Mohair or Ice Dub or brushed Antron or ice
chenille, or all three. I have added beads, and propellers (and I
have also also spent time with a particularly hot number called the
"Chili Pepper.")
So along comes this article with this guy saying he only uses this one
fly, and he catches lots of fish. It was nothing more than a simple,
traditional bugger, black marabou tail, brown chenille body, copper
rib, with palmered Cree or Grizzly hackle. That's it. No bead, no
propeller, no ice dub, no crystal chenille body, no crystal flash in
the tail, nothing!
So I tied some up for still water fishing using it as my trailing fly
with one of my gaudy "whores of Babylon" buggers in the lead... and
... you guessed it... that plain old bugger has out fished the others
10 to one.... including... the venerable Chili (sorry Tony. It is
probably just our local planted fish. They settle for hamburger when
they could be having the T-bone)
I just tied up another dozen for tomorrows fishing.
Here is the recipe
Hook: Streamer
Weight: lead weight (if desired, I add weight to mine)
Thread: Black, or Chili Pepper Orange (Not in his recipe, but I just
can't resist adding Tony's snazzy orange collar)
Tail: Black Marabou
Body: Brown or Tobacco Brown chenille (In the article there was just
a picture and a recipe, the recipe said brown, but it looked tobacco
brown to me, so that is what I have been using)
Rib: Copper Wire
Hackle: Cree or Grizzly
I like to get everything tied in at the bend except the hackle, then I
wrap the body forward and tie off, attach the hackle behind the eye of
hook by its butt end and palmer back to the bend, then anchor it by
palmering the copper over it to the eye.
Some times I also throw on a bead. Old habits die hard.
Tom Davenport
PS I have change my old [EMAIL PROTECTED] email addy. The new one is
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
