The Woolly Worm is an artificial fly

Artificial fly

An artificial fly or fly lure is a type of fishing lure, usually used in the sport of fly fishing . In general, artificial flies are the bait which fly fishers present to their target species of fish while fly fishing...

 commonly categorized as a wet fly or nymph and is fished under the water surface. It is a popular pattern for freshwater game fish and was a very popular fly in the 1950s – 1970s in the west. Charles Brooks in Nymph Fishing for Larger Trout recommends the Woolly Worm as a general purpose nymph pattern in most western trout waters in any fly box. Woolly Worms are typically fished in streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes for trout, bass, and panfish. Today, Woolly Worms are tied in a variety of styles and colors to imitate a large aquatic nymphs such as stoneflies, dragonflies, damselflies or hellgrammite

Hellgrammite

Hellgrammite can be:*an insect, the aquatic larva of the dobsonfly.*the DC comics character Hellgrammite.The aquatic larvae hellgramite has large pincers and can be found under rocks in fresh water....

s.

Origin

The original Woolly Worm pattern is said to have originated in the Ozarks as a bass fly. Its real popularity however came when Don Martinez, a West Yellowstone, Montana

West Yellowstone, Montana

West Yellowstone is a town in Gallatin County, Montana, adjacent to Yellowstone National Park. The population was 1,177 at the 2000 census. The town is served by Yellowstone Airport...

 fly tier commercialized the pattern in the 1950s..

Imitates

The Woolly Worm, depending the specific material used and how it is fished can be assumed to resemble large nymphs, more specifically stoneflies, dragonflies, damselflies, riffle beetle larvae or hellgrammites., , ,

Materials

The original Woolly Worm fly was constructed without a tail, but the contemporary pattern has a yarn tail or hackle fiber tail. The body is a chenille or fur body with a hackle

Hackle

The hackle is a clipped feather plume that is attached to a military headdress.In the British Army and the armies of some Commonwealth countries the hackle is worn by some infantry regiments, especially those designated as fusilier regiments and those with Scottish and Northern Irish origins. The...

palmered from the tail to the head of the fly. The underbody may be weighted with lead wire. The popular colors are yellow, olives, browns, blacks. The most common hackle used is grizzly.

Variations and Sizes

Woolly Worm flies are typically tied on number 4 to 10 3X long hooks. Variations include Woolly Worms weighted with lead underbodies or brass or tungsten beads.