The Slumpbuster goes back to 2000 when Joe Schmuecker of Wapsi sent John Barr zonker-cut Pine Squirrel strips dyed in a variety of colors. The pattern is based upon Dan Byford's Zonker pattern that uses a rabbit zonker strip for the wing. The shorter, mottled pine squirrel strips allow for a smaller streamer pattern that can be tied down to a size 10. Pine Squirrel also has a thinner hide which allowed the material to be wrapped as a collar. Another new material was the Flat Diamond Braid that could be wrapped over the hook shank for a body rather than utilizing mylar tubing as in the zonker. John would use Wapsi Sparkle Braid which is the same material as Flat Diamond Braid. The zonker wing could be lashed down along the length of the hook shank with a wire ribbing similar to a Matuka pattern. The finished pattern results in a realistic baitfish profile with just enough flash to capture some attention. The Pine Squirrel absorbs water and stays wet so that no sink tip is necessary. The conehead provides a jigging motion to the pattern and the hair has much less bulk than a standard zonker allowing the pattern to slice through the water column. You might see some tiers use leadwire wraps behind the conehead for additional weight. John Barr does not do this as he wants the conehead to provide enough room to tuck in the collar hide so that the collar fur protrudes from the edge of the conehead without a gap. John uses Zap a Gap to adhere the conehead to the collar. John also does not want to overweight this pattern since he often fishes the upper zone of the water column and the pattern retains a more balanced profile to the trout.
John fishes all Slumpbusters, singly or in fly combinations, on floating lines and exclusively with a 9ft 0X leaders, cutting off the 0X tippet of the leader and replacing it with fluorocarbon. John prefers to use the pattern with a floating line since it will give him many more presentation options on the stream. The long leader allows the Slumpbuster to quickly sink. His favorite presentation is to cast slightly upstream and throw an upstream mend while the fly sinks. Let the fly drift with an occasional twitch and swing through the drift until the line comes tight, then give a couple of hard strips. This will often induce a strike. Keep the line fairly straight through the drift so as to not miss takes. John has also fished the Slumpbuster cast tight to the banks, but it is fairly heavy and must be stripped briskly to avoid hanging–up.
John's favorite color, if he had to choose but one, would be the Rust. This color is different to the fish's eye or simulates a juicy crayfish.
If fishing tandem Slumpbusters he will fish the Natural in a size 4, trailed by an Olive or Rust in a size 6 or 8.
The Slumpbuster goes back to 2000 when Joe Schmuecker of Wapsi sent John Barr zonker-cut Pine Squirrel strips dyed in a variety of colors. The pattern is based upon Dan Byford's Zonker pattern that uses a rabbit zonker strip for the wing. The shorter, mottled pine squirrel strips allow for a smaller streamer pattern that can be tied down to a size 10. Pine Squirrel also has a thinner hide which allowed the material to be wrapped as a collar. Another new material was the Flat Diamond Braid that could be wrapped over the hook shank for a body rather than utilizing mylar tubing as in the zonker. John would use Wapsi Sparkle Braid which is the same material as Flat Diamond Braid. The zonker wing could be lashed down along the length of the hook shank with a wire ribbing similar to a Matuka pattern. The finished pattern results in a realistic baitfish profile with just enough flash to capture some attention. The Pine Squirrel absorbs water and stays wet so that no sink tip is necessary. The conehead provides a jigging motion to the pattern and the hair has much less bulk than a standard zonker allowing the pattern to slice through the water column. You might see some tiers use leadwire wraps behind the conehead for additional weight. John Barr does not do this as he wants the conehead to provide enough room to tuck in the collar hide so that the collar fur protrudes from the edge of the conehead without a gap. John uses Zap a Gap to adhere the conehead to the collar. John also does not want to overweight this pattern since he often fishes the upper zone of the water column and the pattern retains a more balanced profile to the trout.