This supercharged version of the legendary Wooly Bugger features a heavy black tungsten bead, shiny wire, and crystal flash. It gets down faster and is flashier and harder for fish to resist than its predecessor. Buggers have stood the test of time for a reason—they effectively imitate a wide range of food sources including baitfish, leeches, crayfish, and large nymphs like damselflies. That means they're an effective option regardless of where you’re fishing. Stripped like a streamer or dead drifted under an indicator, the Classic Bugger is an essential and highly versatile fly.

Our favorite ways to fish it: 

• Stripping it like a streamer in alpine lakes trailed by the Yakoda Green Machine 14-18” behind

• Dead drifted under an indicator above any other weighted nymph

Type of Water: Rivers, Creeks, Stillwater, High Alpine Lakes 

Imitates: Leech, Baitfish, Damselfly 

Target Species: Cutthroat Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout  

Insect Life Stage: n/a

Pair it with: Green Machine, Funky P, Ol’ Dirty Worm, CDC Stonefly, H2 Flashback