Hop Cone Olive Woolly Bugger
by @dekasso
Woolly Bugger · Streamer
Late sun, green water, a hop at the head
An olive Woolly Bugger streamer on a size 6 hook, with barred legs, gold rib and a hop cone head, for trout and bass in slow water.
An olive Woolly Bugger streamer crowned with a dried hop cone at the head, set on a granite rock by the water. Olive marabou, barred gold legs, a gold-ribbed chenille body and a golden olive collar make up the fly.
- Pattern
- Woolly Bugger
- Imitates
- Baitfish
- Hook
- size 6
- Tippet
- 2Xrule of three
- Olive marabou tail with barred legs
- Gold wire rib through palmered hackle
- Gold bead chain eyes add weight
- Dried hop cone crowns the head
- Size 6 streamer hook
On the water
Olive marabou trails off the bend, threaded with barred legs that flicker olive and gold. The chenille body wears a thin gold rib, a golden olive collar flares behind two bright bead eyes, and a papery hop cone sits up front like a little green lantern.
Swing it through the tail of a pool or strip it along a slow, weedy edge. Short tugs with pauses let the marabou breathe and the legs kick. Late in the day, when the light goes gold on the water, it reads like a small fish in no hurry.
Dried hop cone needs a firm, flat seat. Lash the stem down tight in front of the bead chain eyes with several snug wraps so the cone points forward and does not spin on the cast.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 2Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, with fluorocarbon tippet to get it down
- Rig on 2X to 3X tippet with a loop knot so the marabou moves freely.
- Use a floating line in shallow pools, a sink tip to reach fish holding deep.
- Strip in short pulls with a pause; let it sink a beat after each pause.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Baitfish
- Target
- Trout, Bass
- Water type
- Pools, slow runs and stillwater margins
- Also fishes
- Lake edges and drop-offs on a slow strip, and coloured spring rivers where olive and gold show well in murky water.
Make it yourself
Intermediate8 materials · 11 steps
- Pattern
- Woolly Bugger
- Style
- Streamer
- Hook
- Daiichi 2220 streamer hooksize 6
- Thread
- Olive 6/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- EyesGold bead chain
- TailOlive marabou
- LegsBarred olive and gold silicone legs
- RibGold wire
- BodyOlive chenille
- HackleOlive saddle hackle
- CollarGolden olive schlappen
- HeadDried hop cone
Details
- Colors
- Olive, Gold, Golden olive, Pale green
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (11)
- Mount the hook and start the olive thread behind the eye, laying a smooth base to the bend.
- Tie in the bead chain eyes with figure-eight wraps about two eye-widths back from the hook eye, leaving room for the hop cone.
- Tie in a marabou clump at the bend, about one shank length long.
- Add two or three barred silicone legs on each side of the tail, just longer than the marabou.
- Tie in the gold wire, then the olive saddle hackle by its tip, then the chenille, all at the bend.
- Wrap the chenille forward in touching turns to just behind the eyes and tie off.
- Palmer the hackle forward in five or six open turns and tie it off behind the eyes.
- Counter-wrap the gold wire forward through the hackle to lock the stem, then tie off and trim.
- Tie in the golden olive schlappen and wrap three turns as a collar, sweeping the fibres back.
- Seat the dried hop cone stem in front of the eyes and lash it down with tight, flat wraps.
- Whip finish behind the hook eye and trim the thread.
Proportions (5)
- Tail: marabou about one hook shank long.
- Legs: slightly longer than the marabou tail.
- Body: chenille covers the shank from bend to just behind the eyes.
- Collar: schlappen fibres reach roughly to the hook point.
- Hop cone: no wider than the gape so it does not block the hook.
Tips (4)
- Wet the marabou before measuring so you judge its true length.
- Strip the fuzz off the chenille core before tying it in for a slim start.
- Pick a small, tight hop cone with petals intact; loose ones shed on the cast.
- Stroke the hackle fibres back before each palmered turn to avoid trapping them.
Common mistakes (4)
- Crowding the eye: leave space in front of the bead chain or the hop cone has nowhere to sit.
- Too much marabou: a thick clump fouls and stiffens, so thin it to a pencil width.
- Skipping the counter-wrapped rib: the hackle stem breaks on the first fish without it.
- Loose cone wraps: the hop spins on the shank, so use many tight turns on the stem.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 6 · Materials only · 12 flies
$70.35
$5.86 a fly
Includes Daiichi 2220 streamer hook · Gold bead chain · Dried hop cone · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 12 items
Hooks & beads
- Daiichi 2220 streamer hook$6.50
- Gold bead chain$5.95
- Dried hop cone$7.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$2.95
- Gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Olive marabou$4.95
- Barred olive and gold silicone legs$3.50
- Olive chenille$5.90
- Olive saddle hackle$11.95
- Golden olive schlappen$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · Materials only · 48 flies
$195.08
$4.06 a fly
Bought separately $205.35 · you save $10.27
Includes Daiichi 2220 streamer hook · Gold bead chain · Dried hop cone · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 12 items
Hooks & beads
- Daiichi 2220 streamer hook$13
- Gold bead chain$11.90
- Dried hop cone$15
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$5.90
- Gold wire$6.50
Materials
- Olive marabou$19.80
- Barred olive and gold silicone legs$14
- Olive chenille$17.70
- Olive saddle hackle$47.80
- Golden olive schlappen$47.80
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · Materials only · 144 flies
$512.73
$3.56 a fly
Bought separately $582.65 · you save $69.92
Includes Daiichi 2220 streamer hook · Gold bead chain · Dried hop cone · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 12 items
Hooks & beads
- Daiichi 2220 streamer hook$35
- Gold bead chain$35.70
- Dried hop cone$41
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$17.70
- Gold wire$13
Materials
- Olive marabou$59.40
- Barred olive and gold silicone legs$35
- Olive chenille$53.10
- Olive saddle hackle$143.40
- Golden olive schlappen$143.40
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 6 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$220.35
$18.36 a fly
Includes Daiichi 2220 streamer hook · Gold bead chain · Dried hop cone · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 21 items
Hooks & beads
- Daiichi 2220 streamer hook$6.50
- Gold bead chain$5.95
- Dried hop cone$7.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$2.95
- Gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Olive marabou$4.95
- Barred olive and gold silicone legs$3.50
- Olive chenille$5.90
- Olive saddle hackle$11.95
- Golden olive schlappen$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$337.58
$7.03 a fly
Bought separately $355.35 · you save $17.77
Includes Daiichi 2220 streamer hook · Gold bead chain · Dried hop cone · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 21 items
Hooks & beads
- Daiichi 2220 streamer hook$13
- Gold bead chain$11.90
- Dried hop cone$15
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$5.90
- Gold wire$6.50
Materials
- Olive marabou$19.80
- Barred olive and gold silicone legs$14
- Olive chenille$17.70
- Olive saddle hackle$47.80
- Golden olive schlappen$47.80
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$644.73
$4.48 a fly
Bought separately $732.65 · you save $87.92
Includes Daiichi 2220 streamer hook · Gold bead chain · Dried hop cone · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 21 items
Hooks & beads
- Daiichi 2220 streamer hook$35
- Gold bead chain$35.70
- Dried hop cone$41
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$17.70
- Gold wire$13
Materials
- Olive marabou$59.40
- Barred olive and gold silicone legs$35
- Olive chenille$53.10
- Olive saddle hackle$143.40
- Golden olive schlappen$143.40
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
Remixes
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Where this came from
fly pattern · made
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- woolly bugger
- streamer
- olive
- hop cone
- marabou
- baitfish
- trout
- bass
- bead chain eyes
- gold rib
- rubber legs