zonker flies

mike_richardson

mike_richardson

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i did a search and found a lot of posts on zonker paterns and i will be tying up some slumpbusters today at lunch.

Any other pictures of your favorite zonker strip streamers. I want to tie some sculpins up and am contemplating buying the sculpin heads instead of messing with deer hair.

recipes optional i can normally pick out materials from pictures. thanks guys.
 
A double bunny is kinda cool.

Just 1 strip of rabbit on top and 1 on the bottom. Mix and match colors.

You may have to glue the strips together with zap a gap.
 
if you try to connect them with thread do they lose their movement?
 
No, no movement lose. Just the will seperate in the middle and if you use thread there you will surely trap some hair.

I secure with thread at the tail and head and then glue the middle together.
 
this was my first attempt. Not too bad but i think the strips i bought are pretty spars and the skin part is very thick and bright white. They were only 1.99 at gander i am just playing around. Not too bad and i bet it will catch trout just not as good as i want to be with them. I will keep at it.
 

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i will be losing the large amount of thread as i get better. The patern i saw has you wrap the zonker arount the fly. If the strip had been more dense it would have covered the leather part.

Any advice on wrapping the strip. Also this is just grizzly hackle not wet fly hackle. Ill let you guys know if this wacky thing works.
 
zonker.jpg

I got this one from Harry Murry. Works well on all swimmers.
 
Here are some double bunnies I have tied.
 

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For the slumpbuster, wrap the zonker strip instead of a hackle. Simple easy to tie fly. I have about 5 dozen in all colors that I tied for salmon last year.
 
When you wrap the strip how do you compete with the leather. Maybe the fur i used was too thick but i was left with a leather belt if you will when i wrapped it. I tied the fur in a snipped the leather part out. I dubbed over the thread then added the hackle to cover up.

Well the fly did work. I have attached some brookies from friday on my 15 min tester on a recently stocked stream. Landed 3 lost 2 others.

The catch and release picture wasn't planned. I wanted to get a picture of the fly in the fishes mouth for this thread but he plopped back in. I just winged a shot off with my droid and well i got lucky can you spot the little bit bigger brookie?
 

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i will say this though. The action of the zonker strips are insane. i think these will be replacing the wooly bugger for my go to streamer. I had weighted my fly but noticed it took a little longer for it to sink. Any suggestions.
 
try different types of cone heads. Some may sink better than others.

Use "cross cut" zonkers to get a better wrap.
 
thanks for the insight ryguyfi
 
Tied these with zonker strips and sculpin helmets
Its a pattern by Rich Strolis - The Meat Helmet Sculpin

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if tou tie the double bunnies and whip finish them instead of glueing them there will be more movement but keep the actual sking short so it doesnt foul in the hook
 
If you want to spend an extra minute, create a dubbing loop, insert the zonker and trim the leather off. Position the hair so the trimmed part is near the thread and spin the tool. You'll get a nice fur hackle with no bulk.
 
Bam that's a great tip. I never tried it, but I will.

I've been using squirrel rather than rabbit for the smaller patterns. The fur is shorter and it seems to fit a smaller hook better.
 
I think the bulk is actually good....most pictures of sculpins I have seen have wide flat heads, but I don't like wrapping rabbit zonkers because it creates a very large head.....I learned a pattern from another member on this site; it uses pine squirrel cut zonker style wrapped for the head.....creates a nice mixture of wide and flat but not to bulky and the hair is shorter it has caught fish on the little j and spring creek in the last couple weeks
 
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