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Zonker
Black Zonker
Tying Instructions
1. Smash down the barb of the hook and slide a bead to the eye of the hook. Wrap a few turns of lead-free wire to fill the bead void..
2. Secure the lead-free wire with some thread wraps and bring the thread back to the bend of the hook.
3. Clip off a section of zonker strip so that the tail is about 1-1/2″ past the bend of the hook. The strip should be placed so that the front end will sit just behind the bead. At the tail tie-in position, separate the fur so that you can anchor the zonker hide directly to the shank with 3-4 tight wraps over each other.
4. Dub the thread with the Lite Brite and wrap the dubbing forward to just behind the eye. At this point, you can add a wire frame made of copper wire, lead-free wire or heavy mono by securing the wire just behind the eye.
5. Dub back to the bend of the hook. On this fly, I did not make a wire frame. If you had….then you can anchor the rear portion of the wire frame at this position.
6. Slip a section of pearl mylar piping over the underbody. Bring the piping up against the tied zonker strip so that the unraveled pieces slip past the tie-in position. Secure with tight thread wraps just in front of the zonker tie-in.
7. Secure the rear tie-in with some half hatches and clip the thread. Place the thread about 1/4″ behind the bead and wrap about three times to secure. Tighten the piping so that the thread comes up to just behind the bead. Then secure with further wraps. You want a nice smooth body. That’s one of the reasons I don’t care for wire frames. 😉
8. Bring the zonker strip over the body as tightly as possible and secure with some more thread wraps just beind the bead.
9. Now, trim any of the overflow material, the piping, the end of the zonker strip. These tag end can be hidden with thread wraps just behind the bead.
10.Attach a clump of marabou fibers to the bottom of the hook shank behind the eye for a throat. The marabou fibers should not extend beyond the hook point.
11. Finish the head with thread wraps. Tie off and whip finish.
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | Daiichi 2220 #2-8 |
| Thread | Danville Black Flat Waxed Nylon |
| Head | Gold Bead |
| Underbody | Pearl Blue/Olive Lite Brite |
| Body | Pearl Mylar Piping |
| Wing | Black Rabbit Strip |
| Throat | Red Marabou Fibers |
Dan Byford
Zonker
Dan Byford of Steamboat Springs, Colorado came up with the Zonker pattern in 1975 while he owned the Dan Byford Fly Shop. It is one of the modern American Rabbit-lure patterns taken from the original Rabbit flies introduced from New Zealand.
Zonker Strip
The strip of Rabbit Fur is known as a Zonker Strip, usually about 1/8″ wide and trimmed about 1.5″ past the hook bend. The fur has the ability to undulate while submerged providing an irresistible action. The strip is usually secured with wire ribbing through the mylar body and around the hook shank. Some tiers will omit the wire ribbing and just secure the strip from behind the head and at the bend of the hook.
Body Profile
The body is usually Mylar tubing but this can also be changed for other body material such as dubbed Lite Brite or wrapping Crystal Chenille. The body profile can also vary considerably. Some will use a wire frame, metal tape, or lead wire to create a body form and taper. Other variations will omit this framing altogether but include an underbody which shows though the mylar piping and fills the void created by the Mylar piping with a substrate material. The Mylar piping is secured at the bend of the hook and can be trimmed flush with the thread wraps for a clean profile or left with loose ends providing movement and attraction.
Inverted Zonker
Often, some type of soft hackle material is used for a throat. Red is a common color, indicating the flash of gills from an alarmed baitfish. Dan Byford inverted the pattern. This gave the fly an addition benefit of hiding the hook and allowing the fly to flow along the bottom without snagging. He punctured the strip with the hook point and secured the strip at the head with thread wraps. The head was covered in epoxy and eyes were painted.
Double Bunny
Scott Sanchez of Livingston, Montana came up with an interesting variation called the Double Bunny, utilizing zonker strips both above and below the shank. In tying this fly, make sure that the hook point is centered over the strip and pull the strip lightly over the hook eye to bind just behind the eye. This will help keep the strip in line with the strip and keeps the hide from tearing when under pressure. Then, glue the two strips together with contact cement.
Presentation
The Zonker is used for all species of trout as well as large and small-mouth Bass. It can be used in either lakes or streams. They can be very effective stripping under the cut banks of the Owens River for Browns and large Rainbows or stripping in Crowley Lake for a perch fry imitation. Try to vary the retrieve. On some lakes, a wind drift with no retrieval can also be a good choice.
Variations
Purple Zonker
| Hook | Daiichi 2220 #2-8 |
| Thread | Danville Black Flat Waxed Nylon |
| Head | Gold Bead |
| Underbody | Copper Wire bent to shape |
| Body | Pearl Mylar Piping |
| Wing | Purple Rabbit Strip |
| Throat | Purple Marabou Fibers |
White Zonker
| Hook | TMC 300 #2-8 |
| Thread | Danville Black Flat Waxed Nylon |
| Head | Danville Black Flat Waxed Nylon |
| Underbody | Copper Wire bent to shape |
| Body | Pearl Mylar Piping |
| Wing | White Rabbit Strip |
| Throat | Red Marabou Fibers |
Grizzly Zonker
| Hook | TMC 300 #2-8 |
| Thread | Danville Black Flat Waxed Nylon |
| Head | Hard Head, Black |
| Eyes | Copic Marker |
| Underbody | Copper Wire bent to shape |
| Body | Pearl Mylar Piping |
| Wing | Grizzly Rabbit Strip |
Inverted Zonker
| Hook | TMC 300 #2-8 |
| Thread | Danville Black Flat Waxed Nylon |
| Head | Danville Black Flat Waxed Nylon |
| Eyes | Adhesive Eyes coated with Zap Goo |
| Underbody | Lead-free Wire bent to shape |
| Body | Pearl Mylar Piping |
| Wing | Gray Rabbit Strip |
| Collar | Crosscut Gray Rabbit Strip |
Double Bunny
| Hook | Daiichi 2220 #2-8 |
| Thread | Danville Black Flat Waxed Nylon |
| Weight | 0.035 lead-free wire over the center half of the shank. |
| Head | Danville Black Flat Waxed Nylon |
| Eyes | Adhesive Eyes coated with Zap Goo |
| Body | 2 1/4 bound at the eye. Top Dark strip (Olive, Brown, Tan, or Gray) pierced by hook point, glued to the shank with Tear Mender Bottom strip (White, Light Gray, Yellow, or Tan) for the belly glued to the to the shank with Tear Mender |
| Sides | Copper Flashabou |