With local waters warming and bass metabolisms rising, what better pattern to kick off the step by step flytying segment than the Zonker. Materials: suitably sized streamer hook, lead tape, rabbit strip, red saddle hackle, saddle hackle to match rabbit strip or contrasting colour, mylar tubing, thread to match rabbit strip, eyes (optional).
Affix the lead tape to the side opposite the hook point. This style resist snagging as it will slide over obstacles. Another alternative is to use standard lead wire over-wrapped with antron yarn to make a ’soft’ body as some feel the style in the example is ‘hard’ and may be dropped instantly by wary fish. One can also substitute closed cell foam for the lead to create a buoyant pattern. Fished with a full sinking line the Zonker floats up in plain view.
Trim the lead tape to shape so it will fit inside the mylar tubing. If using closed cell foam it must be trimmed to size prior to affixing to the hook again, recognizing the fact that the body must fit inside the mylar tubing.
Remove the core from the mylar tubing.
Slide the mylar tube over the lead tape body. Tie in at the rear, leaving some extra tubing to fray out as a tail. Lock down thread wraps with half hitches and I like to super glue it to keep everything in place.
Tie in the thread at the front and secure the mylar tubing. Trim the excess mylar tubing.
Tie in the red saddle hackle.
Make several turns of red hackle and tie it off, trimming the excess.
Drag all the red hackle down away from the hook point and tie it to hold it in place. These serve as the gills, in my opinion, but, whatever the fish see them as, I have found a splash of red helps many patterns. Take the rabbit strip and impale it on the hook leaving a small tail section.
Secure the rabbit strip to the front of the hook. Tie in the saddle hackle that matches your rabbit strip or one of contrasting colour. In the example, I have chosen a contrasting coloured saddle hackle. If I chose a bright orange hackle it would decrease the obviousness of the red gill hackling. Since I want the red to stand out I chose a hackle that would encourage this. Make several turns of the chosen hackle and tie it off and whip-finish a neat tapered head.
Once more move the thread to the rear of the fly to secure the tail-end of the rabbit strip. A little saliva on your finger tips will help separate and smooth away the rabbit fur to ease tying in.
Secure the thread wraps with several half-hitches and seal them with some kind of thread sealer (glue) both front and rear. The Zonker is now ready to test your local waters…unless you desire the addition of eyes, something I strongly recommend. Many feel predatory fishes key in on the eyes when attacking their prey.
Here I have added stick-on prismatic eyes and finished the head with 5 min. expoxy to make sure the eyes stay in place fish after fish. Good luck and tight lines!
