JimBugger

The JimBugger was created by Pennsylvania guide and accomplished fly tyer James Hill as a compact, high-movement baitfish pattern designed to out-fish larger streamers when conditions demand subtlety. Hill built the fly around materials that breathe, collapse, and flare with almost no effort, giving it a pulsing, life-like action that turns heads even in neutral fish. The JimBugger carries just enough flash to suggest fleeing minnows without looking gaudy, making it a deadly choice in clear water or pressured systems. Its versatility is a big part of its reputation—fish it dead-drifted like an injured baitfish or strip it like a streamer, and it consistently produces when bulkier patterns fail.

Add a single, short pause after your initial strip; the fly will “fold” and then bloom back open, mimicking a stunned minnow snapping awake. That tiny burst of movement often triggers the eat.