03-15-2009, 06:39 PM
Hate to take issue with your otherwise great post, Bob. But the history of the Wooly Bugger is fully documented.
Although derived from the wooly worm (and before that, the palmer fly), origination of the Wooly Bugger, per se, is credited to Russell Blessing, a Pennsylvania angler, who tied them to imitate helgamites. You can find more of the history, and some of the major variations on the theme (including my own Big-Eyed Flash-A-Bugger), at [url "http://www.the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com/fishing-flies.html"]http://www.the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com/fishing-flies.html[/url]
Blessing, I'm sure, had no idea how much his simple fly would revolutionize fly fishing. At a time when streamers were falling into disfavor, the Wooly Bugger (and, to a similar degree, the Clouser Deep Minnow) brought interest in them back with a vengeance. But whereas the Clouser Minnow is used by anglers trying to imitate baitfish, the Wooly Bugger resembles so many types of forage that it's as close as we have to a universal fly.
Brook
[url "http://www.the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com"]http://www.the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com[/url]
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Although derived from the wooly worm (and before that, the palmer fly), origination of the Wooly Bugger, per se, is credited to Russell Blessing, a Pennsylvania angler, who tied them to imitate helgamites. You can find more of the history, and some of the major variations on the theme (including my own Big-Eyed Flash-A-Bugger), at [url "http://www.the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com/fishing-flies.html"]http://www.the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com/fishing-flies.html[/url]
Blessing, I'm sure, had no idea how much his simple fly would revolutionize fly fishing. At a time when streamers were falling into disfavor, the Wooly Bugger (and, to a similar degree, the Clouser Deep Minnow) brought interest in them back with a vengeance. But whereas the Clouser Minnow is used by anglers trying to imitate baitfish, the Wooly Bugger resembles so many types of forage that it's as close as we have to a universal fly.
Brook
[url "http://www.the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com"]http://www.the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com[/url]
[signature]