One of my favorite trout streamers is a simple rabbit strip zonker. This versatile streamer has also found a home in my warm water fly boxes. In late winter/early spring, when crappies first start to get active in my area, this is a go-to pattern for me. I also have caught quite a few bass and pickerel on these flies, not to mention the occasional slab bluegill. Swimming an unweighted zonker just under the surface around the branches of a fallen tree has resulted in some very exciting takes.
I never really gave this fly much thought until today. This morning I posted a picture on my social media feeds announcing that this pattern would be one of the flies we would be tying in a fly tying class I teach for Orvis in Princeton, NJ. After posting the above picture, my inbox blew up with requests for the pattern recipe, so I thought I would share it here as there will likely be interest in this audience as well. So without further delay, I present.
The Chartreuse Rabbit Zonker
Hook: Allen S402BL or Firehole Firestick #839 size 6
Flash in Tail: Hareline Ice Wing Fibers (Gold Blaze)
Body: Hareline Ripple Ice Dub (Bronze Peacock)
Wing/Tail: Barred Chartreuse/Black Rabbit Zonker Strip
Throat: Hareline Ripple Ice Fibers (Pearly Red)
Hackle: Ewing Chartreuse Deceiver Hackle
Optional: 3D eyes and UV resin head
Smaller largemouth bass, like this chunky girl, love these rabbit zonker streamers.
I tie these flies on a variety of colors and sometimes dress them up with the addition of some eyes. My two most popular colors are Black barred chartreuse and black barred olive
I tie these streamers in a variety of colors, including natural, black, purple, fire tiger, brown, orange, yellow and white. But the two colors I reach for the most are chartreuse and olive. The olive version is a great imitation of a juvenile yellow perch and it is a killer pattern for big pickerel on my annual trips to Maine.
Maine’s toothy critters love the olive Rabbit Strip Zonker, but tie-able wire leaders a must if you want to hold on to your flies!