A ferrule boot for a fiber optic cable includes a front body portion defining at least one aperture, and includes at least one rear body portion defining at least one guide channel that facilitates insertion of loose optical fiber segments through the at least one aperture. At least a portion of each guide channel lacks a top surface boundary that is registered with a top surface of a corresponding aperture, such that an accessible (e.g., open) top portion is provided to ease insertion of at least one group of optical fibers into the at least one guide channel, with the optical fibers preferably being non-ribbonized. Fiber optic cable assemblies and methods for fabrication utilizing the ferrule boot are further provided.