Goat Bugger

A New Twist on a Classic...

Anyone who has spent significant time lake fishing, or "stillwater" fishing as we call it has gone on a wild chase for seal dubbing at some point.  While it's still available in some countries, it's not as easy to get in the United States due to some of the laws changing.  I have some that I had to twist an arm or two for, but I'm always second guessing myself when it comes time to tie up a batch of seal buggers with the secret stash.  There are lots of good substitutes out there, and yes, Arizona simi seal is one of the best, but in my opinion, it's kind of more a stand-alone product as opposed to a real substitute.  Luckily, Nature's Spirit has been putting out stellar dubbing that they call "African Goat Dubbing" and it's got a lot of the same characteristics that seal has.  It's somewhat short, coarse, and has pretty good translucency, so it makes a great bugger or leech pattern.  We have listed a few of our favorite combos for these buggers, so feel free to mix them up to fit your local fisheries.  These flies do the trick from Argentina to Canada, so it's worth filling a box of them!

To blend the dubbing together, It's easiest to use two dog slicker brushes and just keep brushing it together until it blends properly.  Because of the unruly nature of the fibers, they will clog up a coffee grinder and they won't separate properly using the ziploc bag technique.

A few notes about the hackle that I used on this pattern.  Whiting sells both High and Dry hackle and Eurohackle, which are actually the exact same product!  We asked Dr. Whiting about them and they will be moving forward with the High & Dry name instead of Eurohackle in the near future so you will see us interchanging them quite a bit.  Feel free to use Eurohackle, High & Dry, red label, Hebert Miner, American hackle, bugger packs, etc on these flies.  They all have the shiny type hackle that is used on this bug, so don't worry about the specific line of bird that you choose.  On some of the recipes I have High and Dry listed, and on others I have Eurohackle listed...  

Burnt Orange Material List 

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Hook: Daiichi 1710 - 2X Long Nymph Hook - 8
Thread: 6/0 UNI-Thread Waxed - Rusty Brown
Bead: Firehole Stones Matte Tungsten Beads - Autumn - 3.5mm (9/64")
Tail: Nature's Spirit Premium Bugger Bou - Crawfish Orange
Body1: Nature's Spirit African Goat Dubbing - Medium Olive
Body 2: Nature's Spirit African Goat Dubbing - Fl. Orange
Ribbing: UTC Ultra Wire - Copper - Brassie
Hackle: Whiting Euro Saddle - Grizzly Dyed Olive
Lead: Lead Wire Spool - .025

Olive Material List

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Hook: Daiichi 1710 - 2X Long Nymph Hook - 8
Thread: 6/0 UNI-Thread Waxed - Olive Dun
Bead: Firehole Stones Matte Tungsten Beads - Dark Olive - 3.5mm (9/64")
Tail: Nature's Spirit Premium Bugger Bou - Olive
Body1: Nature's Spirit African Goat Dubbing - Medium Olive
Body 2: Nature's Spirit African Goat Dubbing - Fl. Yellow
Ribbing: UTC Ultra Wire - Copper - Brassie
Hackle: Whiting Euro Saddle - Grizzly Dyed Burnt Orange
Lead: Lead Wire Spool - .025

Black and Purple Material List

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Hook: Daiichi 1710 - 2X Long Nymph Hook - 8
Thread: 6/0 UNI-Thread Waxed - Black
Bead: Firehole Stones Matte Tungsten Beads - Black - 3.5mm (9/64")
Tail: Nature's Spirit Premium Bugger Bou - Black
Body1: Nature's Spirit African Goat Dubbing - Black
Body 2: Nature's Spirit African Goat Dubbing - Fl. Purple
Ribbing: UTC Ultra Wire - Copper - Brassie
Hackle: Special Purchase: Whiting High & Dry Saddle - Dyed Purple (sizes 10-12)
Lead: Lead Wire Spool - .025

Other tools from the tutorial:
   

Renzetti Master Vise
Tiemco Tying Brush