The Wild Fishing Forum

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 ¾" 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 tinsel 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?






Step 18: Go catch a fish and of course happy fishing to you all!!!!!

First class.  :D

yes, very nice. partial to a bunny or two myself. big zonking ones, of course  :8)

Great looking fly. Pity about the treble.

Quote from: tomsampson on December 16, 2015, 09:58:00 AM
Great looking fly. Pity about the treble.

The fish really like them even with trebles  :tongue2

Added to index.

http://www.wildfisher.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4729.msg40374#msg40374 (http://www.wildfisher.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4729.msg40374#msg40374)

If compulsory catch and release comes into effect on most rivers in Scotland, as has been commented on, then I can see trebles being banned.

Quote from: Fishtales on December 16, 2015, 10:14:01 AM
Added to index.

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If compulsory catch and release comes into effect on most rivers in Scotland, as has been commented on, then I can see trebles being banned.

They are banned on all of my beats on the River Eden. I personally insist that anybody I guide does not use them while with me on my beats on the River Lune where trebles are still used. The fact is though poor handling of fish contributes  to infinitely more fish mortality than treble hooks. This is far more difficult to have people appreciate than the number of points on a hook. It is however at least a starting point. I would add that I moved away from trebles only about 3 or 4 years ago. I have not killed a fish in over 10 years.

Irrespective of whether or not  they are used / banned / unfair / instruments of sexual fetish  etc etc I like the photos of salmon tube flies  with trebles, they balance the composition of the photo in a way other hooks cannot.

Quote from: admin on December 16, 2015, 10:31:18 AM
Irrespective of whether or not  they are instruments of sexual fetish  etc etc I like the photos of salmon tube flies  with trebles, they balance the composition of the photo in a way other hooks cannot.

I suspect that this may the reason I photograph my flies with them. 


YOU HAVE A PM ABOUT SEXUAL FETISHES  :shock: :D :shock: :D :shock: :shock: :D :shock: :D :shock: :D :shock: :D :shock: :D

I don't use barbed hooks, but have no issues with pictures of flies  tied on barbed hooks.

I have no thoughts for or against trebles, it was just something that came to mind as I typed :)