Talk:Woolly Bugger

Comments
I would really like to challenge the opening line of this article: "A Woolly Bugger while regarded as a fly pattern is actually considered bait, and no self respecting fly fisherman would fish such an abomination." I would either like to see a solid reference the idea that "no self respecting ... would fish such an abomination" or otherwise see the statement removed. A quick survey of some of the top names in fly fishing (retail outlets and individuals) such as Orvis, Dan Bailey, Bud Lilly, John Gierach, and many many more reveal the Woolly Bugger as a top seller and top recommendation. I seriously doubt that these top names in the fly fishing world would be promoting the Woolly Bugger if most fly fisherman felt like the first sentence in this article

--Mike Cline 17:27, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Proposed Rewrite of this article underway
I am in the process of completely rewriting this article to do two things:


 * Establish a consistent organization for Wikipedia Articles on Fly Patterns
 * Write an NPOV article on the Woolly Bugger with complete references and images.

I have all the references ready but am doing this in an airport, so I can't actually cite them until I get home. If anyone has suggestions for organizing Fly Pattern articles, please post them here. Thanks

--Mike Cline 23:13, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * I am moving the draft article below to the article page today, but continue to seek out suggestions for better organizing Fly Pattern articles.--Mike Cline 16:35, 10 February 2007 (UTC)


 * Of particular interest would be the addition of other images to illustrate different variations of the Woolly Bugger, particularly steelhead, salmon and saltwater variations.--Mike Cline 16:39, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

Non-Commerical Link Needed For Russell Blessing Article
If anyone is aware of a non-commercial link containing the Russell Blessing Article from Fly fishing, April 1989 I would appreaciate if they would replace the current link with the non-commercial link.--Mike Cline 16:52, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

Need Specific Reference Cite for Woolly Bugger use for Steelhead and Salmon
My library is a bit weak on the Steelhead and Salmon front, so I could not find a reference to the use of Woolly Buggers for these applications. If you know of one, please include it in the cites for Imitates--Mike Cline 16:56, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

Draft Article in Progress Below
The Woolly Bugger is an artificial fly commonly categorized as a wet fly or streamer and is fished under the water surface. It is a popular and widely used pattern for both freshwater and saltwater game fish and is generally listed as one of the top patterns to have in any fly box. John Gierach, a noted Fly Fishing writer discussed the Woolly Bugger first in his chapter on streamers in Good Flies.. Woolly Buggers are typically fished in streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, and tidal flats. Today, Woolly Buggers are tied in a wide variety of styles and colors to imitate a wide range of game fish prey.

Origin
Although the original Woolly Bugger pattern was believed to have been created by Russell Blessing, Pennsylvania Fly Tyer as early as 1967 to resemble a hellgrammite, or Dobsonfly nymph, its precise origin is unknown, but is clearly an evolution of the Woolly Worm fly. .

Imitates
The Woolly Bugger, depending the specific material used and how it is fished can be assumed to resemble large nymphs, baitfish, drowning terrestrial insects, clamworms, crayfish, shrimp or crabs, , , , ,.

Materials
The Woolly Bugger fly is constructed with a marabou tail (with or with out some sort of flashy material in the tail, a chenille or fur body, and a hackle palmered from the tail to the head of the fly. The underbody may be weighted with lead wire.  The popular colors are olives, browns, blacks for freshwater use, brighter colors and combinations of colors for steelhead, salmon and saltwater use.

Variations and Sizes
Woolly Bugger flies are typically tied on number 2 to 10 long or extra long hooks. Variations include Woolly Buggers weighted with brass or tungsten beads, brass or tungsten cones, brass, lead or tungsten dumbbell eyes.

WikiProject Fishing Assessment Drive
Added assessment template; completing nomination previously made at Article Assessment Drive. Add: Asessment completed. LaughingVulcan 02:49, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

Comments on Origin Section
I moved the Soucie reference to the correct section of this passage and added the template to the following statement: which itself is a variation--intentional or not--of the British palmer fly, which dates back to Walton and beyond. This statement is not supported by Soucie and by some of Soucie's text is actually contradicted. It sounds like someone's personal opinion so please provide a notable citation for this if there is one.--Mike Cline (talk) 21:04, 4 June 2008 (UTC)