Bunny Leech
Chinchilla Bunny Leech
Tying Instructions
Materials
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Hook | TMC 300 #6-8 |
Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
Head | Black Nickel Conehead |
Underbody | Red Ice Dubbing |
Body/Tail | 1/8 Chinchilla Rabbit Strip |
Flash | Strands of Pearl Flashabou |
Collar | 1/8 Chinchilla Rabbit Crosscut Strip |
Ribbing | Small Copper Wire |
Bunny Leech
Rabbit Zonker strips make an excellent material to imitate leeches. The material takes a little time to get itself waterlogged but once it is fully saturated, it performs with the convincing undulating pattern of a leech. Black, Brown and Olive are the most common colors used. A few strands of Krystal flash or Flashabou are often incorporated into the pattern, either at the tail or off the head position. There are basically three methods used to tie this pattern.
Method One
The method I show on the Chinchilla Bunny Leech utilizes one zonker strip for the tail and the body. An underbody of Ice Dubbing is applied to the hook shank and the body portion of the zonker strip is lashed to the shank. This is a method popularized by Dan Byford in 1975. Dan was from Bakersfield, CA and was deeply involved in the fly fishing industry throughout his career. Dan passed away in September of 2011 in Chaing Mai, Thailand. I also use this method on the Purple and Black Bunny Leech.
Method Two
The second method is to secure a zonker strip for the tail and apply rabbit hair within a dubbing loop for the body. This method is shown on the Tightline video below. It can be a preferred method for tying onto smaller hooks.
Method Three
The third method is to secure a 1/8″ crosscut rabbit strip at the base of the tail and wrap the entire strip forward. This method was used by Charlie Brooks on his Assam Dragon pattern in 1970 using seal fur and I use this method on the Olive Bunny Leech. All three methods will use a 1/8″ crosscut strip as a collar at the head.
For our Sierran lakes, I try to keep the overall size down by using size 6-8 streamer hooks and a minimal tail length as the weight of the saturated fur can be substantial. The Bunny Leech is a favorite for Steelhead and Salmon yet in larger sizes of 2-4 utilizing 9-10 wt. rods. Many of those patterns will also use an Egg Head wrap of chenille.
Variations
BH Purple Bunny Leech w/Purple Hackle
Hook | TMC 300 #2-6 |
Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
Head | Black Nickel Conehead |
Underbody | Purple Ice Dubbing |
Body/Tail | 1/8 Purple Rabbit Strip |
Flash | Strands of Pearl Flashabou |
Collar | 1/8 Purple Cross-cut Rabbit Strip |
Ribbing | Small Copper Wire |
Olive Bunny Leech
Hook | TMC 300 #4-6 |
Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
Head | Black Nickel Conehead |
Underbody | Olive Ice Dubbing |
Body/Tail | 1/8 Olive Rabbit Strip |
Flash | Strands of Pearl Flashabou |
Collar | 1/8 Olive Cross-cut Rabbit Strip, crosscut |
Ribbing | Small Copper Wire |
Black Bunny Leech w/Rabbit Fur Collar
Hook | TMC 300 #4-8 |
Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
Head | Black Nickel Conehead |
Underbody | Black Ice Dubbing |
Body/Tail | 1/8 Black Rabbit Strip |
Flash | Strands of Pearl Flashabou |
Collar | 1/8 Black Rabbit Strip, crosscut |
Ribbing | Small Copper Wire |