White Estaz Minkie Streamer
Hook: TMC 5263 or
streamer hook of choice, Sizes #4 to #10.
Tying thread: Danville 6/0
White or Black.
Wing: White Rabbit Zonker with barred black grizzly lines.
Body: White Pearl Medium Estaz.
Throat: Red
Saddle Hackle Fibers.
Head: Wraps
of Black Danville 6/0 Black, finished with UV Resin, Hard as Nails, or Head
Cement.
I love fishing ‘Bunny Flies’. Skins come in a variety of colors. If you so desire, you can add weight to this fly with Bead Heads, Cones, or Dumbbell Eyes. Please be aware that this can sometimes be a very heavy fly to cast. The Rabbit tends to hold water, and additional weight may make the fly a little ‘hingy’ when casting. One way to cut down on this is to shorten your leader.
This is one of my favorite ‘White’ Streamers. The Estaz makes the belly sparkle, and as with all Zonker patterns, the Rabbit undulates in the water. I like to tie this fly on a size # 6 streamer hook. Once your hook is in the vice, start your thread approximately ¼ hook shank behind the eye. After making securing wraps, cut off the butt end of the thread and wrap down to the bend of the hook.
Now, prepare your Zonker Strip to length. The ‘raw hide’ bottom of the Zonker should extend a hook gap length beyond the bend of the hook. On my streamers, I don’t like to make the tail too long to prevent short strikes. The Zonker should extend from beyond the bend to the eye. You’re better off making it longer than shorter. You can always trim the excess off later. For the rear tie in point, separate the Zonker Fur to establish a clean ‘tie in’ point. I find that moistening my fingers helps to separate the Fur. Next, take 10-12 wraps of thread around the hook shank and Zonker strip. Lift your Zonker Strip and take a few securing wraps in front of it. At this point I usually invert the streamer and add a drop of head cement to the rear tie in point.
Next, prepare a strip of your White Estaz for the belly. Strip some of the flash fibers off the end to expose the string core. Tie it on the hook shank in front of and against the Zonker Strip. After securing it, bring your thread 2 eye lengths behind the eye. Wrap the Estaz forward with touching wraps and tie it off. Cut off the butt end of the Estaz. At this point if you are not using black thread, tie off your existing thread off and start your black thread behind the eye.
After securing the Black Thread, invert your fly. With 12-14 fibers from a Red Saddle, tie in
your Red Throat. The Throat should
extend from behind the eye to ¾ the way to the hook point. Finally, bring your Zonker Strip forward and
tie it in behind the eye. A critical
step in tying this fly is to make sure you have prepared the Zonker Strip to be
long enough. You can always trim off excess. Create a nice Black Head with your
thread. When done whip finish the Head,
cut off your excess thread, and add a drop of Head Cement to the Head of the Fly.
Trident Fly Fishing has a great video on how to tie this fly below:
If you have any questions about this fly or would like to
submit a Fly of The Month I can be reached at pdinice@frontier.com .
