Riverstone Olive Soft Hackle Bugger
by @dekasso
Woolly Bugger · Streamer
Olive plume breathing over river stones
A beadhead soft hackle bugger in olive with a black wire rib, size 10, for swinging and stripping leech imitations to trout.
An olive soft hackle bugger sits in the vise against a blur of grey river stones. It wears a plume of olive marabou, an olive chenille body banded with black wire, a swept hen collar and a bright silver bead.
- Pattern
- Woolly Bugger
- Imitates
- Leech
- Hook
- size 10
- Tippet
- 3Xrule of three
- Silver bead gets it down fast
- Olive marabou tail moves at rest
- Black wire rib bands the chenille
- Soft hen collar instead of palmered hackle
- Size 10 streamer hook
On the water
Olive all the way through. A long marabou tail flares off the bend, the chenille body wears neat black wire bands, and a sparse hen collar sweeps back toward the tail. A silver bead catches the light at the eye.
Fish it where leeches live: soft edges, slow pools, the quiet water behind big stones. Let the bead take it down, then strip in short, uneven pulls with pauses. On a pause the marabou and hen fibres keep moving.
Hen saddle makes the collar. Wind it in two or three turns only, stroking the fibres back with each wrap, so the collar stays soft and lets the body bands show through.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 3Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, with fluorocarbon tippet to get it down
- Tie on 3X to 4X tippet with a loop knot so the tail swims freely.
- Short, uneven strips with long pauses; let the bead dip the head on each stop.
- Add a split shot or a sink-tip line for deeper pools and faster current.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Leech
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Slow pools, soft runs and stillwater edges
- Also fishes
- Swung through autumn runs, crawled along lake drop-offs, or hung under an indicator in slow, stained water after rain.
Make it yourself
Beginner5 materials · 11 steps
- Pattern
- Woolly Bugger
- Style
- Streamer
- Hook
- Streamer hook 3XLsize 10
- Thread
- Olive 6/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- BeadSilver brass bead
- TailOlive marabou
- RibSmall black wire
- BodyOlive chenille
- HackleOlive hen saddle
Details
- Colors
- Olive, Black, Silver
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (11)
- Slide the silver bead onto the hook, small hole first, and seat it against the eye.
- Mount the hook in the vise and start the olive thread behind the bead, building a small dam to lock it in place.
- Wrap the thread back to the bend in touching turns to make an even base.
- Tie in a clump of olive marabou at the bend, about one hook shank long, and bind the butts along the shank.
- Tie in the small black wire at the bend on the near side of the hook.
- Tie in the olive chenille at the bend and advance the thread to just behind the bead.
- Wrap the chenille forward in touching turns, stopping two eye-widths behind the bead, and tie it off.
- Counter-wrap the black wire forward in six or seven open turns, tie it off and break it clean.
- Prepare an olive hen saddle feather with fibres about one and a half hook gaps long and tie it in by the tip behind the bead.
- Wind the hen two or three turns, stroking the fibres back after each turn, and tie it off.
- Build a small thread collar behind the bead, whip finish and add a touch of cement.
Proportions (4)
- Tail: marabou about one shank length beyond the bend.
- Body: chenille covers the shank from the bend to two eye-widths behind the bead.
- Rib: six or seven evenly spaced wire turns over the body.
- Hackle: hen fibres reach roughly to the hook point or just past it.
Tips (4)
- Wet your fingers and pinch the marabou before tying in so the clump stays tidy and the length is easy to judge.
- Strip a little chenille fluff off the core where you tie it in to keep the bend slim.
- Counter-wrapping the wire against the chenille stops it sinking into the body and adds strength.
- Leave enough room behind the bead for the hen collar and a neat head.
Common mistakes (4)
- Tail too long fouls around the hook; keep it near one shank length and measure before binding.
- Crowding the eye leaves no room for the collar; stop the chenille two eye-widths back.
- Too many hackle turns makes a stiff ball; two or three turns keep it soft.
- A loose bead slides on the cast; build a firm thread dam behind it first.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 10 · Materials only · 12 flies
$48.95
$4.08 a fly
Includes Streamer hook 3XL · Silver brass bead · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Streamer hook 3XL$6.50
- Silver brass bead$7.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$2.95
- Small black wire$3.25
Materials
- Olive marabou$4.95
- Olive chenille$5.90
- Olive hen saddle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 10 · Materials only · 48 flies
$125.07
$2.61 a fly
Bought separately $131.65 · you save $6.58
Includes Streamer hook 3XL · Silver brass bead · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Streamer hook 3XL$13
- Silver brass bead$15
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$5.90
- Small black wire$6.50
Materials
- Olive marabou$19.80
- Olive chenille$17.70
- Olive hen saddle$47.80
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 10 · Materials only · 144 flies
$324.32
$2.25 a fly
Bought separately $368.55 · you save $44.23
Includes Streamer hook 3XL · Silver brass bead · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Streamer hook 3XL$35
- Silver brass bead$41
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$17.70
- Small black wire$13
Materials
- Olive marabou$59.40
- Olive chenille$53.10
- Olive hen saddle$143.40
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 10 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$198.95
$16.58 a fly
Includes Streamer hook 3XL · Silver brass bead · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Streamer hook 3XL$6.50
- Silver brass bead$7.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$2.95
- Small black wire$3.25
Materials
- Olive marabou$4.95
- Olive chenille$5.90
- Olive hen saddle$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 10 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$267.57
$5.57 a fly
Bought separately $281.65 · you save $14.08
Includes Streamer hook 3XL · Silver brass bead · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Streamer hook 3XL$13
- Silver brass bead$15
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$5.90
- Small black wire$6.50
Materials
- Olive marabou$19.80
- Olive chenille$17.70
- Olive hen saddle$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 10 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$456.32
$3.17 a fly
Bought separately $518.55 · you save $62.23
Includes Streamer hook 3XL · Silver brass bead · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Streamer hook 3XL$35
- Silver brass bead$41
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$17.70
- Small black wire$13
Materials
- Olive marabou$59.40
- Olive chenille$53.10
- Olive hen saddle$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
Remixed from
- Riverstone Olive Soft Hackle Buggeryou are here
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
fly pattern · made
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- woolly bugger
- soft hackle
- leech
- streamer
- olive
- beadhead
- marabou
- chenille
- trout
- fly tying