Wooly buggers/wooly worms/streamers?

[ezlehappy]

What's the difference between wooly buggers, wooly worms, and streamers? What are the differences in the material used to tie them, the shape of the fly, and what is the difference in the way they are fished?

[Craig]

Streamer is more of a category not a fly. wooly buggers and wooly worms are pretty close to the same fly. And depending on how you tie them the only difference is the tail and sometimes the body material. I tend to use smaller hackle on wooly worms than buggers, buts thats probably personal preference. You fish them pretty much the same. The way you fish them is more dependant on the conditions.

here is a wooly worm.

http://shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/678.htm

here is a wooly bugger

http://shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/137.htm

[ezlehappy]

so a lot of the difference between the worm and the bugger is that a bugger has a more pronounced tail?

[shazerblaze]

That's definitely the major distinction. I don't know if there are any other distinctions. Anybody else know of any other distinction?
As for streamers, wooly buggers and worms can be used as a streamer, but there are hundreds of streamers.

[Stillwaterfly]

Hello to all,
This is my first post on the forums since I just joined a few days ago. Hope you don't mind me jumping in on this conversation. A Wooly Bugger is nothing but a Wooly Worm with a tail. A creative angler can tie all Wooly Buggers to begin with, and, then if he just needs to have a Wooly Worm for some reason or another, then simpley snip the tail off. To take it a step further, you can then trim the hackle on the sides and the back of the Wooly Worm and you have an acceptable scud pattern if tied in the colors that scuds are in your area.

Just think that someone actually has credit for "Inventing" the Wooly Bugger.

[MOKE]

My earliest recollection of a wooly bugger is probably around 1978.
My friend and I were in The Greater Yellowstone area, fishing everyday.
One day he came home raving about a huge 'Bow that he had caught in the Henrys Box. He said he caught it on a Wolly Bugger...I thought I heard him say wooly worm, and dismissed it as hoooey. ( the wooly worm had been around forever, but I had never heard of this new fly)
The next day we were in the Box, with these new flies (W.Bs) and absolutely killed them that day. OK...so I didnt hear him properly, that doesnt mean I'm not willing to try new flies!
This first exposure to W.B's., was amazing, to say the least. What really qualifies it as a killer pattern, is so many years of success, with so many different anglers. Some flies are hot for the short term then fade into obscurity. Th WB definetly hasn't done that!
When the "Gurus" are saying size 22 and smaller are the only thing that works...this is the pattern I go to! This or something with lots of rubber legs sticking out all wiggly.

There is my 2 bits worth.

OUT....MOKE

[Cor]

Samuel 'Sammy' J. Wooley invented the bugger and worm back in 1928. He named the bugger after his wife Beatrice.

[MOKE]

Cor...thanks for the input. I knew the W. Worm had been around forever, but had no clue the Bugger had been around that long. Boy had I been overlooking something! ERRR MOKE

Must have been one nasty looking woman!

MOKE

[flyfshr8]

Oh Yeah..Humpy, Double Humpy, Blonde Wulff, Canadian Bood Leech. They're all flies named after former spouses. Rat Faced McDougal is one I use when referring to the ex.

[MOKE]

It kind of makes you wonder about the butcher wife? Anyone seen her lately?

MOKE