[Hamish Young]

I pussied out on the idea of a 3" copper tube and went with 1.25" instead.

It is fugly and clearly I need to tie more flies to get my eye in again, but I like it and it settles something that's been bugging me for a while..... time to use more zonker strip in my Salmon flies 

H

[Eddie Sinclair]

H,
that is indeed Fugly, however I am inclined to invite you to my February week on the Dee just for shits and giggles. it might be my last for a while as I have been offered a post overseas so it would be fun to see if this works.

I will PM you with the dates.

Eddie.

[Barry Robertson]

That looks braw for the rainbows!!

[Hamish Young]

Thanks Eddie, I'll be in touch 

Baz - aye,  that's kind of the history of that pattern. Long long time ago I tied up (amongst many other things) some matuka plastic tubes for a family friend who went Sea Trout hunting in the Falklands. The pattern above is a kind of a derivative of that but tied with the materials I wish I had at my disposal then, I'm kind of scratching a fly tying itch that's been bugging me for .....errr..... 20+ years.

I like the idea of zonker/matuka flies for Salmon fishing. Partly for mobility, partly for size and partly just for the hell of it.
Wet rabbit will be a pig to cast but I have to give it a go. As I recall Ken Sawada had plenty of matuka style tube patterns which I'll look up and (for shits and giggles) I'll adapt some 'traditional' tubes into a zonker/matuka style. Because I can and it's fun

H 

[Ben Dixon]

H,

Save that thing for the next time you are out in the boat 

Some of the Scandi's and Yanks have been using rabbit strip on salmon flies for a while.  I saw a lot of flies a few years back there were just a short strip of rabbit behind a cone, simple but seemingly very effective.  Fulling Mill catalogue is full of rabbit strip flies at the moment, some of them are quite nice.

I think you have some of that Finn Racoon strip?  I had always intended to wind some of that stuff as a hackle in a split thread but have not got around to it as yet.  Welsh Lee has some nice pike flies hackled with that stuff.

Cheers

Ben

[Hamish Young]

Now you come to mention it I think I do have some of that Finn Racoon stuff somewhere, R has been 'tidying' again  I'll have a look.
Ultimately, I want a Rapala tied as a fly 

H

[Duncan Inglis]

If you think about it the original Monkey wing was tied using part of the "skin" - not far away from a zonker strip.

[Rob Brownfield]

Ultimately, I want a Rapala tied as a fly 

Done..and easy! Use EP fibre on a plastic tube. Dress slightly wider than you want, then pour boiling water over it. This "slims" the fly down and also "sets" the fibres into a typical rapala minnow shape. Add Angel hair under the Ep for flash.

If you really want to go overboard, you can incorporate a plastic diving vane, but I have not tried that as I think the fly works great on a sinking line as it is. Add one of those reverse cone plastic things and the fly has the classic rapala wobble.

Hope to try them for Salmon in the spring

[Rob Brownfield]

I think you have some of that Finn Racoon strip?  I had always intended to wind some of that stuff as a hackle in a split thread but have not got around to it as yet. 

Classic Pike fly technique. Wind on as a supporting hackle for other materials such as ostrich, then use to create a head.

One of Simon Grahams amazing flies. Loads of bulk and movement. Normally dressed on a tube and rigged with a single, small hook that is set up a bit like a stinger hook towards teh rear of the fly.

[Hamish Young]

Interesting looking pattern that.
As it happens I have been experimenting with zonker strip wound as a body hackle...... and I like it.
More on these freakish creations later, but lets say they scare me witless

H

[Allan Liddle]

Lookin forward to seein them H 

[Hamish Young]

Put your sunglasses on chaps......

There are some wacky flies in there.......

H

[Allan Liddle]

Sure to brighten a dull day Hamish 

[Rob Brownfield]

I would willingly use them.

Are you using cross cut or standard Zonker for winding?

May I suggest a slight tweak? Make a dubbing loop and place the zonker strip in it, cut off the skin, spin and wind. You get a much neater "hackle" and thinner "body". The fly also remains lighter as there is no skin to soak up water.

Use Magnum strip for big flies and squirrel or mink strip for small, 1/2 inch tubes. They move lovely in the water

[Hamish Young]

I'm using cross-cut rabbit strips Rob.
I hear you, I could try the dubbing loop 'thing' but I've never used one yet and, at the moment, bulk in the patterns is actually part of what I'm after.
I know they're going to get heavy as the skin becomes water-logged so I reckon I will end up using the dubbing loop method but mainly I'm getting to know how the material 'works' this way.
I tied one last night about 1am which is about 4" long on a plastic tube which looks the mutts nuts, even if I say so myself.
More anon.

H