Inkwell Copper Cone Woolly Bugger
by @dekasso
Woolly Bugger · Streamer
A dark shape drifting over pale river stones
A copper cone Woolly Bugger in black, size 8, a streamer that imitates a leech for trout and smallmouth bass.
A black Woolly Bugger with a copper cone at the nose, a long marabou tail and a fat palmered body. Black chenille, black saddle hackle and black marabou sit under thin turns of copper wire that catch the light.
- Pattern
- Woolly Bugger
- Imitates
- Leech
- Hook
- size 8
- Tippet
- 3Xrule of three
- Copper cone gives a jigging dip
- Long black marabou tail
- Fat chenille body, palmered black hackle
- Copper wire rib locks the hackle
- Size 8 streamer hook
On the water
Ink-black marabou plumes off the back. The body is thick, segmented chenille, spiked with black hackle and banded by copper wire. A polished copper cone shines at the head.
Swing it through a deep run or let it sink in a slow pool, then strip in short, uneven pulls. The cone dips the nose on each pause and the marabou breathes behind it. Overcast days and dark water suit the black.
Copper wire counter-wrapped through the hackle is what keeps this fly in one piece. Wind it the opposite way to the hackle and the stems lock down, so sharp teeth do not unravel the body.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 3Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, with fluorocarbon tippet to get it down
- Fish on 2X to 3X tippet; a loop knot lets the tail move more freely.
- Use a sinking-tip line in deep runs to keep the fly near the bottom.
- Mix short strips with long pauses so the cone can drop between pulls.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Leech
- Target
- Trout, Smallmouth bass
- Water type
- Deep runs, slow pools and stillwater
- Also fishes
- Lake margins and drop-offs on a slow figure-eight retrieve, and high, stained rivers after rain.
Make it yourself
Beginner5 materials · 10 steps
- Pattern
- Woolly Bugger
- Style
- Streamer
- Hook
- 3XL streamer hooksize 8
- Thread
- black 6/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- Conecopper cone, medium
- Tailblack marabou
- Ribcopper wire
- Hackleblack saddle hackle
- Bodyblack chenille
Details
- Colors
- Black, Copper
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Slide the copper cone onto the hook, small hole first, and push it to the eye.
- Mount the hook in the vise and start black thread behind the cone, then wrap back to the bend.
- Tie in a bunch of black marabou at the bend, tail about one shank long, and bind the butts along the shank.
- Tie in the copper wire at the bend.
- Tie in the black saddle hackle by its tip at the bend, shiny side facing forward.
- Tie in the black chenille and wrap the thread forward to just behind the cone.
- Wrap the chenille forward in tight, touching turns to build a full body, and tie off behind the cone.
- Palmer the hackle forward in five or six even open turns, tie off and trim.
- Counter-wrap the copper wire forward through the hackle, tie off and break it free.
- Build a small thread dam behind the cone to lock it, whip finish and add a drop of cement.
Proportions (4)
- Tail: marabou about one shank length past the bend.
- Hackle: fibres about one and a half times the hook gap.
- Body: chenille covers the full shank from bend to cone, kept thick and even.
- Cone: medium cone for a size 8 hook, seated tight to the eye.
Tips (3)
- Wet your fingers and stroke the marabou to judge tail length before tying it in.
- Strip a few chenille fibres off the core at the tie-in point for a clean, flat tie-down.
- Bind the marabou butts along the whole shank for an even underbody.
Common mistakes (4)
- Tail wraps around the hook: keep marabou no longer than about one shank past the bend.
- Hackle crushed flat: wrap the wire the opposite way to the hackle and wiggle it through the fibres.
- Loose cone: build a firm thread dam behind it before the whip finish.
- Thin, gappy body: wrap chenille in touching turns with no space between.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 8 · Materials only · 12 flies
$48.95
$4.08 a fly
Includes 3XL streamer hook · Copper cone · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- 3XL streamer hook$6.50
- Copper cone, medium$7.50
Thread & wire
- Black 6/0 thread$2.95
- Copper wire$3.25
Materials
- Black marabou$4.95
- Black saddle hackle$11.95
- Black chenille$5.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 8 · Materials only · 48 flies
$125.07
$2.61 a fly
Bought separately $131.65 · you save $6.58
Includes 3XL streamer hook · Copper cone · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- 3XL streamer hook$13
- Copper cone, medium$15
Thread & wire
- Black 6/0 thread$5.90
- Copper wire$6.50
Materials
- Black marabou$19.80
- Black saddle hackle$47.80
- Black chenille$17.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 8 · Materials only · 144 flies
$324.32
$2.25 a fly
Bought separately $368.55 · you save $44.23
Includes 3XL streamer hook · Copper cone · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- 3XL streamer hook$35
- Copper cone, medium$41
Thread & wire
- Black 6/0 thread$17.70
- Copper wire$13
Materials
- Black marabou$59.40
- Black saddle hackle$143.40
- Black chenille$53.10
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 8 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$198.95
$16.58 a fly
Includes 3XL streamer hook · Copper cone · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- 3XL streamer hook$6.50
- Copper cone, medium$7.50
Thread & wire
- Black 6/0 thread$2.95
- Copper wire$3.25
Materials
- Black marabou$4.95
- Black saddle hackle$11.95
- Black chenille$5.90
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 8 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$267.57
$5.57 a fly
Bought separately $281.65 · you save $14.08
Includes 3XL streamer hook · Copper cone · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- 3XL streamer hook$13
- Copper cone, medium$15
Thread & wire
- Black 6/0 thread$5.90
- Copper wire$6.50
Materials
- Black marabou$19.80
- Black saddle hackle$47.80
- Black chenille$17.70
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 8 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$456.32
$3.17 a fly
Bought separately $518.55 · you save $62.23
Includes 3XL streamer hook · Copper cone · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- 3XL streamer hook$35
- Copper cone, medium$41
Thread & wire
- Black 6/0 thread$17.70
- Copper wire$13
Materials
- Black marabou$59.40
- Black saddle hackle$143.40
- Black chenille$53.10
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
How it was made
2 iterations led here; the saved one is marked
1
2 Saved
Remixes
Remixed from
- Inkwell Copper Cone Woolly Buggeryou are here
1 remix of this
Where this came from
“make the body and tail longer... make the body ticker but softer”
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- woolly bugger
- streamer
- leech
- copper cone
- black
- marabou
- chenille
- trout
- bass
- stillwater