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Crystal Bugger
Crystal Bugger, Black
Tying Instructions
1. Wrap 10 to 20 of .020 lead wire as needed to the front section of the hook shank. Secure with thread wraps.
2. Attach Marabou fibers at the bend of the hook. The length should equal the hook length.
3. Add four strands of Krystal Flash, matching the marabou color, to each side of the marabou tail at the tail tie-in position.
4. Attach the copper wire ribbing to the bottom of the shank, wrapping up to the tail tie-in position. Also attach a piece of Crystal chenille at the same location and bring the thread forward to just behind the eye.
5. Wrap the chenille forward with evenly spaced wraps. Use your fingers to brush back the crystal fibers from interlocking on the next wrap. Secure just behind the eye.
6. Attach a Grizzly Saddle hackle by the butt just behind the eye.
7. Palmer the hackle with evenly spaced wraps back to the tail tie-in position.
8. Anchor the tip of the hackle with the copper wire ribbing and wrap the ribbing forward taking care not to lock in the hackle fibers. Secure the ribbing just behind the eye. Trim off the hackle tip.
9. Normally you want 2-3 wraps of hackle just behind the eye but it is not always possible with small saddle hackles. No problem…. just attach another hackle by the tip just behind the eye.
10. Now give 2-3 wraps of the hackle and secure with thread wraps. Some wraps against the base of the hackle fibers will sweep them back. Whip Finish.
| Materials
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|---|---|
| Hook | TMC 5263, sizes 6-10 |
| Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Head | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Weight | 10-15 wraps of 0.025 lead-free wire |
| Body | Black Krystal Tinsel Chenille |
| Ribbing | Medium Copper Wire |
| Tail | Black Marabou with 4 strands of Black Saddle Hackle |
Bill Schiess
Crystal Bugger
The Crystal Bugger is a simple variation of the Woolly Bugger utilizing Crystal Chenille for the body. Bill Schiess is first noted to use this material on Henry’s Lake in Idaho for the damselfly hatch in the 1980’s with his Light Olive Crystal. Most popular color patterns are: Black, Olive, Copper, Fiery Brown, and Purple.
Marabou Tail
In some of the color variation patterns, there is a preference to remain with a Black Marabou Tail and Black Hackle while just changing the crystal chenille color. Modifications can include a beadhead, lead eyes, and rubberlegs. When selecting a hackle, look for a triangular shape feather with plenty of web. The softer webby fibers will move well within the water.
Well Tapered Hackle
Also, look for a well-tapered hackle so that the fiber lengths show a definite taper down towards the tail. Whiting makes Bugger packs already selected for these types of feathers. The Whiting American Saddles will also have these types of hackles as well. The tying instructions that I have posted for this pattern attached the hackle by the butt end behind the eye and is wrapped back to the tail. This hackle is secured by a wire ribbing that is reversed-wrapped forward. Use of this wire ribbing greatly reinforces the hackle from coming undone while in use.
However, another popular method is to attach the hackle by the tip at the tail tie-in position and wrap the hackle forward with or without a ribbing. The tail can be either Blood Marabou or Plume Marabou. If using Plume Marabou, you will need to trim the fibers from the quill keeping the tips even. Blood Marabou is a little easier as you will use the entire feather and the tips will remain even as they are attached to the immature quill stem. The additional advantage of Blood Marabou is that the fibers will tend to be longer and you will have sufficient material to secure over the leadwraps that you may have used for weighting the pattern.
Variations
J. Fair makes a crystal chenille that is marketed as Long Shuck and Short Shuck. The thread core is dyed as well to give a better appearance. Stillwater Guide Lincoln Gray has a nice variation of the Crystal Bugger with his TS Bugger using J. Fair Shuck material. His TS Bugger often has Hex Nymph colorations of a Golden Yellow hackle and Medium Olive Shuck but this pattern is also tied in other colorations such as Dark Olive, Fiery Rust, and Brown Olive. Lincoln uses the TS Bugger about 12-15 inches behind his Hex Nymph pattern while fishing his favorite stillwater, Lake Almanor, and it is slowly stripped with a sinking or intermediate line.
Another popular pattern is called the Bulldog by Don Freschi, a Canadian fly fishing personality with a television production, Fishing on the Fly. Don utilizes two colorations of hackles to provide a blend that offers a provocative shading. The pattern has proved to be very effective in California stillwaters such as Crowley Lake, Lake Davis, and Twin Lakes.
Variations
BH Crystal Bugger, Rusty Brown
| Hook | TMC 5263, sizes 8-10 |
| Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Head | Copper or Gold Bead |
| Body | Rusty Brown Krystal Chenille |
| Tail | Black Marabou with 4 strands of Grizzly Brown Saddle Hackle , palmered through body |
Crystal Bugger, Olive
| Hook | TMC 5263, sizes 6-10 |
| Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Head | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Weight | 10-15 wraps of 0.020 lead-free wire |
| Body | Olive Krystal Chenille |
| Tail | Golden Olive Marabou with 4 strands of Golden Olive Grizzly Saddle Hackle |
BH Crystal Bugger w/Rubberlegs, Purple
| Hook | TMC 5263, sizes 6-10 |
| Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Head | Copper or Gold Bead |
| Weight | 10-15 wraps of 0.020 lead-free wire |
| Body | Purple Krystal Chenille |
| Tail | Purple Marabou with 4 strands of Purple Saddle Hackle |
Crystal Bugger, Brown
| Hook | TMC 5263, sizes 6-10 |
| Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Head | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Weight | 10-15 wraps of 0.020 lead-free wire |
| Body | Root Beer Estaz, Medium |
| Tail | Brown Marabou with 4 strands of Grizzly Brown Saddle hackle |
TS Bugger, Hex
| Hook | Daiichi 1710 #6 |
| Thread | Danville Olive 6/0 |
| Head | Copper or Gold Bead |
| Weight | 10-15 wraps of 0.025 lead-free wire |
| Body | Olive Krystal Chenille |
| Thorax | Gold Crystal Tinsel Chenille |
| Tail | Yellow Grizzly Mini Marabou |
| Hackle | Grizzly Yellow Saddle |
Bulldog Bugger
| Hook | Daiichi 2220 #6-8 |
| Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Head | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Weight | 10-15 wraps of 0.025 lead-free wire |
| Body | Gold Crystal Tinsel Chenille |
| Ribbing | Copper Wire, Large |
| Tail | Burnt Orange Marabou with 4 strands of Burnt Orange Grizzly Saddle and Olive Grizzly Saddle |
| Collar | Olive Grizzly Saddle |