Bodkin / Patterns

Don's Killer Rabbit

Streamer · Trout · Advanced · 1 version

Tyer Recipe

  • Hook Stainless steel streamer hook, 1
  • Thread Black 6/0

Materials

  • Marabou tail Black marabou (Two feather tips, one shank length)
  • Marabou tail overlay White marabou (One small tip per side)
  • Polar flash Pearl flashabou (6-8 strands, split to each side)
  • Rabbit strip, rear body White rabbit zonker strip (Enough to cover the rear two-thirds of the shank)
  • Rabbit strip, front body Peachy pink (Enough to cover the front third)
  • Head cement Clear head cement (One good coat)

How to tie it

  1. Start the black thread and run it to the bend. Marry up two black marabou tips. Use the stiff tips, not the soft base fibres, so the tail wiggles rather than flows. And tie them in one shank length long, then trim the butts.
  2. Split off two small white marabou tips and tie one along each side of the black tail, positioned so about half an inch of black still shows past the white.
  3. Take 6-8 strands of polar flash, tie them in on top, then split them down to each side of the tail and wrap back over them so they stay flanking the tail. Trim them to varied lengths, nibbling with the scissors so the highlights are uneven.
  4. Tie in the white rabbit at the bend with the fur flowing back, take a wrap or two right at the tail, then palmer it forward, stroking the fur back on every turn, stopping at about the 65% point and tying off.
  5. Tie in the peachy pink rabbit at that point and wrap it forward to just behind the eye, again stroking the fur back on each turn so it lies down over the white, and tie off. Trim the excess strip.
  6. Wet your fingers and stroke all the rabbit back, then build a big black thread head.
  7. Whip finish the head, cut the thread, and work in a good coat of head cement.
  8. Run a bodkin through the hook eye a couple of times to clear out any cement, which finishes the fly.

Tying videos

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