Bunny Leaches

[Swandazi]

Do you use crosscut rabbit strips for the bunny leaches body or do you use plain old rabbit strips?:confused:

[Ringlee]

Both. I don't have a real preference unless the straight cut rabbit is crap then I prefer Cross cut. Straight cut wrapped on some flies gives the fly a larger profile IMO.

[Jerry Daschofsky]

I use just zonker strips (plain old rabbit strips). Have had better luck with them, especially actionwise. Though, it looks prettier tied up with crosscut, I have experienced better action with having the hair standing up. Breathes a bit as you work the fly. Why I don't use crosscut at all anymore. Key to palmering it is to make sure you are NOT overlaping the skins. I simply figure out how much of a tail I want. Tie that in with the thread. Work the thread to the head and then palmer the rest of the zonker strip towards the head. I'd say you want about a 45 degree turn on the skin and work it firmly onto the hook. If you tied the tail in tight it won't turn on you. I've tied literally thousands of these this way. I have used them both ways, and have found higher fishing rates with the zonker (that is on flies, tubes used for flyfishing and gear fishing, and on jigs as well). Just my opinion.

[Blue]

My experience has been, one lies to the side the other lays back. I use both however. Figure once they are wet they will look the same.

[dominic7471]

use regular cuts for tails....... cross cut for body its so much better and not so much build up

[Hal Eckert]

use regular cuts for tails....... cross cut for body its so much better and not so much build up

Same for me

:beer2:


BG

[Hywel]

I use both - although most of the time when I work with Rabbit fur it's cut from the hide and used in dubbing loop.

Hywel

[Davy]

I agree with those that use straight cut-- more action in water-- the crosscut gives a nice profile in the pictures however, so if you just wanna look at em on your bench,

[Derek Day]

I used cross cut for a while but hated it when I'd run out of zonker strips and only have cross cut left. So, I only use the zonker strips now. I also think the straight cut have more breathing action.

[Islander]

I use the straight zonkers strips if all I'm using is fur. If I put some krystal flash in them, then I use crosscut strips because it layers better over the flash.

[kodiaksalmon]

I'll mostly use cross cut, as on most of my patterns I don't use rabbit for the tail.

[Rory McMahon]

i dont mean to steal the thread, but if you put lead eyes on the top of the shank will it turn upside down in the water.

[kodiaksalmon]

i dont mean to steal the thread, but if you put lead eyes on the top of the shank will it turn upside down in the water.

If the eyes are heavy enough relative to the hook. Put 1/8" hourglass eyes on a 1/0, no it won't. The materials that make the fly will also make a difference. A sparsely tied fly with minimal materials will turn over easier than one tied with rabbit, bucktail and all kinds of stuff on it.

This just got mentioned in the Hooks for Clousers thread. I put a little reference I made up several years ago in that thread. Check it out.

Jeff

[Jerry Daschofsky]

Well, like Jeff said, depends on a few factors. What type of hook (upturned, straight, or downturned). Where you locate the eyes (on top or bottom of hook). What materials you're using. I tie up some of my downturned eyed hooks with barbells on top so the fly will roll with hookpoint up (and have experimented to make sure it worked). Have cut my "accidental snags" down to near nil doing this. Before putting the eyes on top of an upturned eye would be 50/50. Depend on bulk of materials used. Would turn the hook kinda on it's side, but not rolling it over all the way. Plus weight of the eyes made a difference too.

[Rory McMahon]

heres the deal, the hook is a size 6 TMC 5263, which is a downeye hook. The lead eyes are 1/40 oz. I dont know what type of rabbit strips they are, the package isn't specific about it. There from the hareline dubbin co. if that helps. And i tied the lead eye on top, i did this with out thinking, i want it NOT to ride upside down. You think they will fish right side up?

[kodiaksalmon]

Why not just try them out? Tie it to some tippet, fill your sink up, and see what happens.

[Rory McMahon]

i dont know why i didn't think of that, i have an aquarium right near my tying bench. So anyway, it ried it and it rides neither upside down or right side up. It goes on its side. At first it was perfect, only riding right side up, the problem was the rabbit strip would be straight up and trying to float, once it absorbed some water it fell on its side. Does anybody have any suggestions on what to do?

[kodiaksalmon]

Does anybody have any suggestions on what to do?

Heavier eyes, smaller hook, less rabbit, or redistribute the rabbit on the fly to "balance" the bouyancy. It's all balance. The eyes have to offset the hook point, and materials. Make that happen, and it'll ride right for you.

Jeff

[luv2fly2]

use an up eye hook and it will have more tendency to ride point down. mike w

[Chris J]

I like to use strait cut for the tail only, I dub the body with a mixture of colors, then rib it. I use a scud hook with wieght in the middle, so it rides upside down. I've had better luck with a slimmer profile,( for thout anyway).