Darned Pesky Wabbit...................

[laffingravy]

Ok, ok I confess this is a very poor Elmer Fudd impression. I will stop it right here and now. I did seem a perfectly acceptable means however of opening up a conversation about the many virtues of rabbit fur and skin which makes excellent winging material for salmon flies. Its main advantage, at least for me is that it offers excellent mobility in even the slowest flowing water. When fishing the fly a long slow draw with a sudden twitch can certainly produce a fish or two or thr………………on with it.




Tying Materials



Tube: Veniard copper slipstream Ύ” long
Thread: Red
Tag: Large Opal Mirage tinsel
Body: Black floss
Rib: Medium French oval tinsel
Rear wing: Fluorescent orange dyed bucktail overlaid with 2 doubled strands of fine mother of pearl Krystalflash
Rear hackle: Orange dyed saddle hackle
Front wing: Tiger stripe barred dyed rabbit zonker strip
Front hackle: Yellow dyed hen saddle hackle
Cheeks: Jungle cock nails




Tying Method




Step 1: Secure the tube in the vice.

Step 2: Catch in red tying thread and wind back.

Step 3: Select a length of large Opal Mirage tinsel. Cut end to a sharp point and bind down. This should be started approximately 2/3rds down tube shank.

Step 4: Wind the tinsel to the rear of the tube and then back to start point to form a tag.

Step 5: Catch in a length of medium oval French tinsel and wind thread to front end of tube. Leave approximately 4mm of space on front end.

Step 6: Tie in a doubled length of black floss. Wind to the tag end and back to your start point. Upon completion the floss may be smoothed by burnishing with a tool or with the handle on a pair of scissors.

Step 7: Wind the French oval in open turns to form rib. Predatory fish have very sharp teeth. You may elect to run a smear of superglue gel along the fibre before winding for extra security.

Step 8: Tie in a slim bunch of fluorescent orange dyed bucktail. Trim waste ends and bind down.

Step 9: Overlay the bucktail with doubled strands of fine mother of pearl tinsel. Cut this to length which I suggest should be short of the ends of the bucktail.

Step 10: Select an orange dyed hen saddle hackle. Tie by the tip and double and wind.

Step 11: Prepare a length of tiger barred rabbit pelt by cutting to sharp point. Trim the pelt to required length.

Step 12: Tie in the rabbit fur over the top of the underwing. Tie in with 2 turns only then position the fur and bind down with additional thread turns.

Step 13: Select a suitable yellow dyed hen saddle hackle and tie in by the tip.

Step 14: Double and wind the hackle. Trim off waste hackle and stalk.

Step 15: Select and tie in a pair of jungle cock nails as cheeks.

Step 16: Whip finish and apply a minimum of 2 coats of clear varnish to the head.

Step 17: Does my bum look big in this?

[Highwater]

Looking good wish i could tie that well

[Teifi-Terrorist]

Good job LG |\

I was fishing those rabbit strips on big tubes in high water a couple of seasons back, using crystal hackle for the body then soft hackle on the head. Worked a treat and fantastic movement.

TT.

[silverstoat]

I was looking for shorter hair for smaller sea trout flies so might give this a go as an alternative to arctic fox. I might also try using rabbit as an underwing with a longer section of arctic fox as a top wing on tube flies. Thanks for posting!

[laffingravy]

I was looking for shorter hair for smaller sea trout flies so might give this a go as an alternative to arctic fox. I might also try using rabbit as an underwing with a longer section of arctic fox as a top wing on tube flies. Thanks for posting!

With all due respect I would be a little reluctant to use rabbit on or off the pelt as an underwing below Arctic fox. In a flow of water it tends to flatten down and unsupported risks fouling the hook points. The purpose of the bucktail underwing is to mitigate against this happening. When your Arctic fox becomes wet I think that you might find it puts more pressure on the rabbit fur risking jagging the hook points. You may want to consider an underwing of something like dyed calf tail which provides excellent support. I use it a lot under Arctic fox, goat hair and anything else that collapses when sodden with water.

A recent example of a calf tail underwing can be seen in a pattern that I posted on The Forum yesterday. Here is a LINK

[silverstoat]

With all due respect I would be a little reluctant to use rabbit on or off the pelt as an underwing below Arctic fox. In a flow of water it tends to flatten down and unsupported risks fouling the hook points. The purpose of the bucktail underwing is to mitigate against this happening. When your Arctic fox becomes wet I think that you might find it puts more pressure on the rabbit fur risking jagging the hook points. You may want to consider an underwing of something like dyed calf tail which provides excellent support. I use it a lot under Arctic fox, goat hair and anything else that collapses when sodden with water.

A recent example of a calf tail underwing can be seen in a pattern that I posted on The Forum yesterday. Here is a LINK

Many thanks for that! I hadn't appreciated how the combination of rabbit and arctic fox might risk fouling the hook when sodden. I haven't got any calf tail, but will add that to my shopping list for BFFI.

Cheers

[Highwater]

Id much prefer to be on the river bank myself

[Teifi-Terrorist]

Id much prefer to be on the river bank myself

Wouldn't we all? The next best thing is talking about it and preparing for the season ahead by replenishing the fly boxes...

Great advice on the above LG. I guess you could get away with squirrel as a support too? A bit less stiff though. Then bucktail on the longer flies, which is often the way with sunrays etc.

Top job |\

TT.