This is a great
attractor dry fly pattern. It originated
from the NY Catskill area. It floats
like a cork and is easy to see on the water.
It’s also a very easy tie. Some
tie this fly without a tail. Others use
a hackle tip for the tail. I prefer to
use Hackle Fibers for the tail, similar to what you find on a traditional dry
fly.
Begin by placing
your hook in the vice. Start your thread
behind the eye and make touching wraps down the hook shank to the bend. Cut off the butt end of the thread. Next, prepare your tail fibers. Take 8-10 fibers for your tail and tie them
in at the bend. They should extend
beyond the bend approximately 1 hook shank in length. To keep the body smooth, I wrap the fibers up
the hook shank and stop behind the eye, then cut off the butt ends. Bring your thread back down to the bend.
Prepare your Size 14
Brown Hackle for the rear 2/3rds of the fly. Tie it in with the dull side facing forward
(towards the eye). Wrap you hackle
2/3rds up the hook shank (leaving the last 1/3rd for your White Hackle). Tie it off and clip off the excess. Prepare
your White Hackle. When you tie it in do
so with the shiny side facing towards the eye.
Once secured wrap if forward stroking the fibers back as you go. Tie it off behind the eye, clip off the
excess hackle, and whip finish your fly.
You're done.
East Rosebud Fly & Tackle as 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
.
Antenna:
Round
White, Brown, Black or Orange Rubber Hackle.
Abdomen:Woven Black & Yellow Chenille.
Throrax:Black Chenille.
Hackle:Grizzly, Brown or Black saddle hackle.
This
nymph is a big piece of meat that represents Stone Flies.When trout hit it they clobber it!What’s also unique about this fly is that you
weave the Abdomen with 2 colors of Chenille.The key to weaving this fly is to apply ‘equal’ pressure on the Black
& Yellow Chenille to keep the Yellow on the bottom of the fly and the Black
on the top of the fly.
To
start this fly, de-barb your hook and place it in the vice.Take your lead wire and make touching wraps
from the point of the hook shank to 2 ‘eye’ lengths behind the eye.You’re pretty much wrapping lead down most of
the hook shank.When fishing this fly
you want to make sure it gets down in the water column.The naturals crawl along the stream/riverbed.
Start
your thread behind the eye and secure the front part of your lead wraps.Wrap over the lead and secure the rear
portion of your lead wraps.Essentially,
you’re creating thread damns behind both sides of the lead wraps.With the thread behind the eye of the hook,
tie in 2 pieces of rubber hackle to represent the Antenna.They should extend beyond the eye
approximately ¾’s length of the hook shank.Next bring your thread to the rear and tie in your 2 pieces of
Tail.They should be the same length as
the Antenna.Bring your thread to the
middle of the hook shank and tie in your Black Chenille on the ‘far’ side of
the hook.Wrap down to the bend to
secure it on the hook.Bring your thread
back up to the mid-point of the hook shank and repeat the process with your
Yellow Chenille on the ‘near’ side of the hook.
Bring
your thread up to the 2/3rds point of your hook shank.The length from the bend to the thread tie
down point represents the length of your Abdomen.Begin weaving your Abdomen by taking your
Black Chenille and placing it over the hook shank.Take your Yellow Chenille and place it under
the hook shank then over the Black Chenille on the other side of the hook
shank.Now place your Yellow Chenille
under the hook shank, and the Black Chenille over the hook shank.Now place your Yellow Chenille over the Black
and back under the hook shank.The key
is to apply steady pressure to keep the Yellow Chenille on the bottom and the
Black Chenille on top.Weave the body up
to the thread ‘tie in’ point.Tie off
both colors of Chenille on top of the hook shank.Now, only cut off the Yellow Chenille.
You
are now going tie in your Brown Hackle for your legs.Size it so that the legs proportionately suit
bbthe size of the nymph.Tie it in by the base of the feather on top
of the hook shank.Now wrap your Black
Chenille forward and back creating a broader Thorax than your Abdomen.Tie it off an eye length behind the eye.Next, palmer your hackle forward making spiral
wraps up the Thorax.Tie it off behind
the eye.Cut off the butt end and finish
the fly by creating a thread head behind the eye.Whip finish the fly and apply some head
cement.
Dressed Irons 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 .
Thread: 140 Denier or 6/0, Black
(for head) & Red (for rear tie in point).
Weight: .020 or .025 Lead Wire or Lead Free Wire.
Body: Medium Silver or Pearl Mylar Tubing with cotton core.
Back & Tail: Rabbit Zonker Strip in color of choice.
Saddle Hackle/Collar:
Red Saddle Hackle or color of choice.
Head: Black Thread.
Adhesive: Head
Cement or UV Cure Resin.
Zonkers are a staple in my fly box. You can tie them in any color. Some Fly Tyers use different body materials. I’ve chosen to tie my Zonker here in a
‘Classic’ style with Mylar Tubing for the body.
Been doing them that way for years.
To tie this fly, place your hook in the vice. Take your Wire and take 8-15 wraps on the
hook shank. ‘Helicopter’ off the butt
ends. Position the lead at ‘mid-shank’
on the hook. Start your red thread on
the hook and wrap over the lead securing it in place. Bring your thread down to near the bend of
the hook over the barb. Noe prepare your
Mylar Tubing with cotton core. Cut it to
a length a hook shank and a half in length.
Pull out the cotton core. Now
slide it onto the hook shank and let it extend beyond the bend by letting the
end of it fray. You can help it fray
with a bodkin or the points of your scissors.
The frayed end should extend about a hook gap length beyond the
bend. Pinch the end with your left hand
and secure the tubing to the hook shank with 6-8 tight wraps of your
thread. Now half hitch it and apply a
drop or two of head cement or UV resin to lock it down.
Align your Rabbit strip on top of the hook shank. Again, it should be approximately a hook
shank and a half in length. I usually
tie mine to extend a little further than the frayed end of the Mylar
Tubing. Preen the Rabbit strip hairs apart
to create a tie in point. Take 8-10 securing wraps with your thread. Lift the rabbit strip and take some securing
wraps in front of the tie in point. To
lock it in place you can half hitch your thread over the Zonker and hook shank
or apply a drop of UV resin. I do
both. Cut off the butt end of your Red
Thread. Sweep the excess Rabbit strip
reward.
Next, squeeze and push the Mylar Tubing up over the
eye. Trim it even with the eye. Pull your Tubing back a little bit and start
your black thread behind the eye of the hook.
Once secure cut off the butt end.
Push the Tubing forward and secure it with wraps of thread behind the
eye. Trim the excess Mylar strands with your
scissors and create an even & flat thread base for your hackle and
head. Take your saddle hackle and strip
off the webby fibers. The hackle fibers
should be just under a hook shank in length.
Tie it on to the body head with the shiny side of the feather facing you. Cut off the butt end and place your thread in
the middle of the head. Sweep he hackle
fibers rearward and take 3-4 wraps around the hook shank. Secure the hackle with 3 wraps of your thread
and snipe off the excess. Take a few
more thread wraps to sweep your Collar back.
Bring your Rabbit strip forward. Like you did at the rear, part the hair
fibers to create a tie in point at the head.
Now take wraps to secure your Rabbit strip to the hook shank. Cut the excess Rabbit strip off at an angle
in line with the hook eye. Cover the butt end with thread wraps creating a tapered
head. Whip finish the fly, cut off the
butt end of your thread, and apply Head Cement or UV Resin.
Tightlinevideo has a great instructional 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 .
