Zonker strip sculpin

Materials needed:
Hook:  Any standard 3x long streamer hook.  Size's #12-2.
Weight:  Lead, or lead-free wire, and a cone head bead.
Thread:  Gel spun thread.  I'm using white, but any color could be used.
Tail:  Olive midge flash/olive zonker strip.
Body:  Olive Senyo's laser dubbing, zonker strip, and red flash.
Head/collar:  Spun and trimmed olive deer body hair.

Start by putting your bead on your hook.

Wrap some weighted wire around the hook shank.  Leave some room between the bead and the hook bend as shown.

Secure the wraps to the shank with some thread wraps across the wire wraps.  Apply a drop of zap-a-gap or super glue.

Tie in 5 or so strands of olive midge flash.

Fold back the butt ends of midge flash and tie those in as well.

Trim the flash so it's about the length of the hook shank.

Measure your zonker so that it equals one hook shank.  Separate the hair on the strip of leather at your tie in point so you don't trap any fibers.

Wetting your fingers makes separating the hair much easier.

Tie in the zonker strip at your tie in point with 3-5 tight thread wraps.

Pull back the front part of the zonker strip, and wrap 3 tight wraps of thread in front of the zonker strip around the hook shank only.  This will lock it in place.

Create a dubbing loop with your olive Senyo's laser dubbing.

Twist, and brush out the fibers.

Wrap your dubbing loop forward to build the under-body.

Tie in some red flash on the under side of the hook shank.

Fold the zonker strip over the dubbed body, and separate the fur at your tie in point just in front of the dubbed body.

Secure the zonker strip to the hook shank with 3-5 tight wraps.

Trim the butt end of the zonker strip, and wrap 5 or so more tight wraps to ensure the zonker strip will not move.  You can apply some zap-a-gap to the tie in point as well.

Cut, clean, and stack a clump of deer body hair.  Put the clump on a 45 degree angle from the hook shank, and the tips of hair pointing to the rear of the hook.  Put one loose wrap over the clump and hook shank, then pull tight.  The deer hair will flare out.  Make 2 more tight wraps through the butt ends and the hair should "spin" around the hook shank somewhat evenly.

Don't be afraid to use your thumb nail to get the hair where you want it.

Cut and clean another clump of hair.  No need to stack the hair, just cut the tips off leaving you with a one inch or so clump of deer hair.

Do the same as the steps above to spin the hair.

Keep spinning hair until its tight enough to hold your bead tightly in place.

It took 3 big clumps (larger than a #2 pencil) to complete this head.






















Now, carefully trim a tapered head, leaving the tips of deer hair as a collar.











...A little at a time....

Be sure to stop after every trim and take a look at the fly to make sure you don't trim too much.

When you get it looking pretty good, stop.

At this point, you can whip finish just behind the bead.

Apply a one drop of zap-a-gap by placing your fly vertically in your vice with the bead at the top.  Put the drop on the hook eye, and let it run into the inside of the bead.

Double bunny

Materials needed:
Hook  Size #8-2 bass hook.
Thread  Gray Uni-tread 6/0.
Bead  Brass cone head bead with eyes.
Under-body  Senyo laser dubbing gray.
Over-body  2 zonker strips, one gray, one white.  Silver flash.

Put your bead on your hook.

Wrap 20-30 wraps of lead wraps, and press them into the bead.

Rotate your hook 90 degrees for this step.  Get the eyes where you want them.  Put a drop of thin super glue or zap-a-gap on the lead wraps and let it run down into the bead.

Measure your white zonker strip to about the length of 2 hook shanks. Separate the hair fibers at your tie in point, then tie it in with 4-6 tight wraps, then 3 wraps around just the hook shank.  Leave enough room upfront to tuck into the cavity of the bead.

Make a dubbing loop.

Twist...

Brush out the dubbing fibers with a toothbrush or dubbing brush.

Wrap evenly to build an under-body.

Trim the fibers from the end of the strip of leather and tuck it into the cavity of the bead.

Make sure the leather of the zonker strip is tight up against the dubbed body, and secure the leather to the hook shank with 4-6 tight wraps.

Flip the fly over, and measure your gray zonker strip to equal the length of the white one including the tag end that is tucked into the bead.

Lay the gray strip on the underside of the body.  Mark the spot of the zonker strip that lays over the the point where the dubbing meets bare hook shank.  Pierce the zonker strip on that mark.

Put the zonker strip in place along the bottom of the fly.

Trim the fibers off of the end of the zonker strip, and tuck the leather into the cavity of the bead.

Secure the zonker strips with 10+ tight thread wraps.

Tie in 3 strands of silver flash on both sides of the fly.

Whip finish, and trim your thread.

Apply head cement to the thread wraps.

The Hornberg Special

The Hornberg special is a fly developed by a game warden from Wisconsin named Frank Hornberg. The fly was originally meant to be fished either dry or wet, although I've only fished it wet.  Despite some of it's non-typical streamer characteristics, it fishes surprisingly well.

Materials Needed:
Hook:  3xl-6xl streamer hook.  It was originally tied with a standard dry fly hook.
Thread:  Orange 8/0 UNI-thread
Body:  Silver tinsel.
Under wing:  A segment of bucktail tips dyed yellow.
Wing:  Two mallard flank feathers of similar size.
Eye:  Jungle cock.  Jungle cock is hard to find these days, but there are many substitutes.
Hackle collar:  Grizzly dry fly hackle.

Start your thread near the eye of the hook.

Tie in your silver tinsel.

Wrap your tinsel to the back of the hook shank.

Wrap the tinsel back to the front of the hook.

Tie the tinsel off with your thread, and trim the butt end.

Tie in a clump of bucktail.  Wrap the thread through the butt ends of the buck tail to secure them tightly to the hook shank.

Wrap your thread tightly over the butt ends of the bucktail fibers.











Select 2 similarly sized mallard flank feathers, and strip the fibers from the base of the feathers.

Measure the feathers so they extend about half the length, to the full length of the hook shank, beyond the actual hook shank.

Flatten the stem on the feather with your pliers so it's easier to tie in.

Tie the feathers in one at a time with the concave side facing the hook shank.





















Trim the butt ends of the mallard flank feathers.
























Tie in your jungle cock on either side of the wings.











Trim the butt ends.

Tie in your grizzly hackle.

Wrap 8-10 wraps of hackle to build a collar.

Tie off the hackle with thread, and trim the butt end.

Whip finish and apply head cement.