“If you’re stumped and wonder aloud what do to do next, at least half of the fly fishers in
North America will say, ‘I don’t know, I’ll try a bugger’ ”. —John Gierach
Tinkering, in the way that fishermen do, Mark “Pops” Miller created the proverbial “better mousetrap” with his signature fly, the Pops’ Bugger. In 1995, on the shores of Hatcher Lake in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, Pops knew that improvements could be made to enhance the iconic Woolly Bugger fly pattern. So he set out to do just that.
The classic Woolly Bugger fly pattern has been a staple in the fly boxes of anglers since the late 1960’s. It imitates a variety of aquatic insects, baitfish, crayfish and leeches. The Woolley Bugger is meant to be fished under the surface of the water either by drifting freely with the current or by a quick retrieval, mimicking the swimming movement of a small fish, tadpole or damselfly nymph. The pattern is effective for catching all species of game fish in all types of water. Pops will tell you that he didn’t invent the Woolley Bugger, but he did improve it.
The body of the traditional Woolly Bugger is tied with a marabou feather tail that undulates in the current, cotton chenille body and a rooster saddle hackle feather wrapped around the body to give volume and dimension to the fly. Pops created his Pops’ Bugger using the same impressionistic profile as the original Woolly Bugger. He used the same flowing marabou tail but added holographic tinsel to the marabou to glint and sparkle as the fly moves through the water. He added extra weight in the form of lead wire wraps around the hook to give the fly more depth and action in the water. And finally, Pops replaced the old style rooster hackle feathers that were wrapped around the body of the fly with pearlescent palmer chenille, giving the fly a delicately sparkly aura.
Over the years, Pops sold a few of his Pops’ Buggers in his fly shop, Let it Fly, but the Pops’ Bugger remained largely anonymous until a fly fishing competition being held in Pagosa Springs brought competition anglers to town in 2007. Anglers from around the country as well as members of Team USA fished the lakes of Pagosa Springs, Colorado and some bought the Pops’ Bugger to try out during the lake sessions of the competition. The flies worked so well that the contestants bought Pops’ entire inventory of Pops’ Buggers to compete with as well as to take home. One of the contestants was a representative from Umpqua Feather Merchants, a fly fishing retailer and fly supplier. After the competition, Umpqua offered to produce the Pops’ Bugger and distribute them globally. Pops agreed.
My personal fly box has a few of each of the six color variations that the Pops’ Bugger is tied in. My favorites are the two original colors of copper/black and the olive/black. The purple color is great for fishing after the ice melts off of the high elevation lakes in spring; while the pearl/grizzly is an excellent minnow imitation. The Pops’ Bugger has been used to catch 20 species of fish in a myriad of situations.
For Pops, innovation began with passion and obsession. Not unlike like golf, fly fishing is a lifetime pursuit with refinements made along the way. Layering skills to one day become fluent in the languages of water and fish, the art of casting, entomology and the architecture of fly tying. Our fly boxes hold our philosophies, gut feelings, observations and theories among the feathers and tinsel. There’s always room in the box for little improvements, just ask Pops.
As always, thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts. What is your go-to fly?
xo-
Kelley
*An edited version of this story was published in the July issue of the Rio Chama Reporter.
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