DJ2007
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zonker
Trying to do a few zonkers for the first time. I thought there was a tutorial, but my searches returned zilch. Anyone have link if there is one? Any tips? Thanks in advance
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DJ2007
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also trying some "woven body tubing" from fishUSA. Seems a little tough to tie one? Does anyone use this or just mylar or chenelle bodies?
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DJ2007
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Here's my first shot. Head needs a little work, not too good with them and the tubing sticks out.
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steely34
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"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it..... you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." John Gierach
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DJ2007
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Thanks steely. I think that was the post I remember seeing. I think the trouble I'm have is with cutting and attaching the strip of rabbit. Have seen a few different ways to do it. Guess i have to work on my whip finish.
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steely34
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DJ - looks good. Zonkers can be a bit tricky to tie for the first time. A few tips that I learned are to tie in the mylar tubing first @ the bend of the hook. Use as few wraps as possible to secure the tubing and cover the wraps with head cement or super glue. Then take the zonker strip and seperate the fur where you want to tie it in. Make sure you do not trap any fur when you wrap the thread and only tie in the hide. Usually only 5 or 6 turns of thread are all you need. Then use a long reach whip finish tool to secure the thread and tie this off and clip the thread. It's kind of tricky to whip this without trapping the fur so you kind of have to be careful doing that. Restart the thread at the front and tie in the other end of the tubing. It looks like the reason you have some sticking out is it was cut too long. Then pull the rest of the strip front and tie this in. Some tiers who use some other material for the body other than tubing palmer the thread through the strip from the rear to the front. Although this would better secure the zonker strip - I've never really had any problem with it coming loose by tying it in the front and back only. Check out the tute on covering the hide - it kind of better describes it.
"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it..... you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." John Gierach
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Cold
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It's kind of tricky to whip this without trapping the fur so you kind of have to be careful doing that. Its easy: just lift the strip and do your whip finish immediately in front of your tie-in point. It'll be covered by the strip when you tie down the front and you dont have to worry about trapping hairs. I started a thread about zonkers a while back...I'll have to look around for it tomorrow.
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steely34
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Duh - why haven't I done it that way before Cold? Good Point! Hah - I got your thing about the maturity and wisdom down but I gotta work on the common sense thing.
"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it..... you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." John Gierach
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Cold
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byahn32
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maybe its just the way i tie zonkers.. im not a fast tyer so this style doesnt bother me.. i prefer quality over quantity.. i tie in a heavy piece of wire tinsel in the proper shape of a body..its really quite simple. start the tinsel on the back underbody of the hook shank.. tie the tinsle in.. move the the fron of the hook.. then form the body and tie it off.. try to keep the wire on the underside of the hook..put some mylar on it.. tie it is.. and z-poxy it.. gives it a really sturdy body.. give it like 5 min to set.. then you can tie in the zonker strip and use a lil spey hackel after the zonker strip and voila .. perfect zonker everytime.if i had a camera id put a tutorial on this..
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doubletaper
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ORIGINAL: steely34 When tying these I like to use the thin cut strips and use the crosscut strips for leeches. since i haven't tied flies using zonker strips, but will start, what's the difference or effects from reg. zonker strips as compared to cross cut strips??
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Cold
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DT, are you familiar with the two? Zonkers lie straight across the top of the shank and the hair sweeps back. Cross-cuts are supposed to be wound around the shank for the hair to sweep back. If you tie a cross-cut across the top of the shank, all the hair will lean to the side. If you use a zonker in place of a cross-cut the hair will stand straight out, like the hackle on a dry fly (though not nearly as stiff). While using a zonker wound as a collar might actually work for a big bulky fly (think pike, bass, musky, etc), using a cross-cut in place of a zonker will make for a truly ugly fly. When I tie zonkers, I hate...HATE using the woven mylar tubing. I have a crapload of it too... Instead, I dub a body of ice dub, spectrablend, or other bright synthetic, sometimes over-wrapped with a thick wire (I dont rib down the strip, I rib under it), more as a way to use up this heavy gauge wire I got that has few practical uses. I tie in the front of the zonker strip well behind the eye (stretch it!), and leave myself room for a collar made from 1 or 2 wraps of cross-cut, either in an identical or contrasting color to the zonker. In a steelhead fly assorment I'm tying, I've included white zonkers w/ purple collars, 2-tone hot pink zonkers w/ purple tips that have a fluorescent chartreuse collar, and olive/black tipped zonkers w/ natural brown collars. I figure the white/purple is a good all purpose color scheme, the bright pink/chart ones will be good in stained water, and the olive/natural ones make a decent impressionistic sculpin/goby imitation.
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dano
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D, I only use cross-cut to wrap around the hook. cross-cut will give you a fuller collar at the head when you're looking for a larger proflie up front. I use it mainly for larger flies. Cold beat me to the puch. My, you're fast,Cold.
post edited by dano - 2009/10/07 09:00:46
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Plum Bob
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zonker-straight cut rabbit strips, tailing and winging flies cross cut-building bodies on leech style flies. Wound around the hook shank. I like zonker style flies in all white or all white with a fl yellow hackle collar. Size medium bead chain eyes add a bit of weight and balance to this style fly.
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Plum Bob
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Nice looking fly. I tie basically the same thing but use flat pearl braid for the body and add 2 or 3 turns of white schlappen or fl yellow neck hackle for a collar. Adding a collar gives it a bit more action and a small, neat head.
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doubletaper
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thanx guys.
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Cold
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Cold beat me to the puch. My, you're fast,Cold. *blows smoke from muzzle of pistol*
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D-nymph
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anchke
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>>>When I tie zonkers, I hate...HATE using the woven mylar tubing. I have a crapload of it too...<<< +1. The method Cold describes works fine -- i.e., tie off at the bend and tie in again at the head. I usually tie in a very thin piece of wire, do a whip finish at the bend over the strip, dub a body forward (use metal quick sink dubbing, then tie down through the zonker strip with the wire, and then tie everything down at the head. Yes, that means the first tie down point for the zonker strip is at the bend. The "tool" I use to "part" zonker strip fur is the little comb used to remove nits from dog fur. I think the challenge on Zonkers is maintaining proportions. I also agree with the poster who takes his time on flies. I tie for my own use, so wot's the rush? D'ruther get it right.
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DJ2007
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Ironhed
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D, The bottom pic of yours... Killer color combo. I add a gold or copper bead between the red dubbing and head. It's an absolute deathwish for Lake Ontario browns! Ironhed
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D-nymph
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ORIGINAL: Ironhed D, The bottom pic of yours... Killer color combo. I add a gold or copper bead between the red dubbing and head. It's an absolute deathwish for Lake Ontario browns! Ironhed It's actually a copy of a fly you tied for a swap years back. Except yours had pink where mine is red, and yea, yours had a bead or maybe it was a bead chain, I think. Good fly. Should I have given you credit in the original post? You're not going to delete it, are you?
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Ironhed
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Lol, no, not gonna delete it. No credit. I originally saw that pattern back in the day at the original Oak Orchard Fly Shop, now Orleans Outdoors. Ironhed
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DJ2007
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Do you guys think i need to hid the thread a little more. I've taken my time and done few wraps of thread, but it still seems pronounced. Any other tips beside the old threads? thanks
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steely34
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"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it..... you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." John Gierach
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Plum Bob
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Nice ties! Got some fish yesterday on white/fl yellow zonkers.
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swinger
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ORIGINAL: steely34 Love the collar feather. Not many use the tippet for this application. Did you dye it yourself?
Quality over quantity I am reality I>U JC Rules!!!!!!!
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steely34
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Thanks Swinger - actually it's lady amherst, stripped on one side and two wraps.
"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it..... you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." John Gierach
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swinger
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I would have put money on dyed tippet. But stand corrected. Still cool though.
Quality over quantity I am reality I>U JC Rules!!!!!!!
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