Possibly the only thing that Larry Culpepper loves more than fly fishing is fly tying. Larry is an avid outdoors man who also makes his own fly rods when not fishing the streams of North Carolina.
Recently, Larry showed us the steps required to tie his favorite fly, the Olive Wooly Bugger.
- Larry releases his catch, so he bends back the barbs (figure A) in order to make removing the hook easier and less damaging to the trout.
- Larry adds a weight (figure B) in the form a small brass ball and lashes his thread to cover the hook shank.
- Marabou feathers are added and tied down by the thread (figure C). These feathers will become the tail of the fly. Throughout the process, Larry will use scissors to trim any stray materials he adds to the hook.
- To give the fly added weight, Larry wraps fuse wire, wrapping it completely around the hook shank (figure D).
- Olive chenille (figure E), which will become the body of the fly, is secured to the hook by the thread.
- A dyed chicken feather is then added (figure F) to the hook and lashed down by the thread. The feather will imitate the legs of the fly.
- Larry then wraps the chenille around the hook shank and secures it with the thread.
- The chicken feather is wrapped around the chenille and secured in place by the thread.
- Then using a series of half-hitches (figure G), Larry secures the thread at the point above the brass ball, and cuts the thread.
Your Olive Wooly Bugger is complete and ready for your next big catch. All the materials Larry used in making his fly are available at local sporting goods store and on the Internet.
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