The Brave

The Brave

Hook: TMC 8089, Size 2 bass bug hook or stinger hook

Thread: black, waxed 210 denier

Body: white rabbit zonker strips, black barred rabbit strips olive variant from Hareline

Head: large brass cone head

Collar: webby black hackle and red hackle 

I tie this fly on a pretty big hook, but you could size down to a shorter shanked size 4 if you would like.

I highly recommend the Hareline's olive rabbit strips with black bars.  It looks great in the water and the black really breaks up the olive to make it look like it is moving even more in the water.

Put the conehead on the hook first.  I have been guilty of skipping this step before and it ticked me off every time.

Start at the head and lay down a thread base back to the bend in the hook.

Measure about a hook's length of black barred rabbit strip.  This will hang off the back and has some great action when stripped through the water.

Separate some of the fibers and tie in the strip with about 5 tight wraps of thread.

Pull the strip back and advance your thread in front of the strip.

As close as you can, tie in a white rabbit strip.  Make sure that the hairs are facing towards the back of the hook.  this will give the fibers both volume and movement.

Advance your thread to the cone.

Wrap the white rabbit strip all the way to the cone.  Make sure that you are pulling the fibers back towards the rear of the hook as you wrap.  This will keep fibers from getting wrapped and create a nicer looking body.

Almost there.

Tie off the white rabbit as close to the cone as you can.

Clip off the strip after you tie it off.

Using some tool, scissors in this case, part the white rabbit strip down the shank of the fly.

After parting the hairs, pull them down so the olive strip can be pulled over the top of the hook.

Lay the olive strip over the top of the hook.

Tie off the olive strip on the same area that you tied off the white rabbit strip.

Snip off the olive tail after tying it off.

Tie in a black hackle feather.  For this fly, I prefer hackle that is webby, black, and iridescent if you have some on hand. 

Now tie in a red hackle feather.

Wrap the red hackle forward, tie it off, and snip off the excess.

Wrap the black hackle forward, tie it off, and snip off the excess.

The Brave

Hook: TMC 8089, Size 2 bass bug hook or stinger hook

Thread: black, waxed 210 denier

Body: white rabbit zonker strips, black barred rabbit strips olive variant from Hareline

Head: large brass cone head

Collar: webby black hackle and red hackle 

I tie this fly on a pretty big hook, but you could size down to a shorter shanked size 4 if you would like.

I highly recommend the Hareline's olive rabbit strips with black bars.  It looks great in the water and the black really breaks up the olive to make it look like it is moving even more in the water.

Put the conehead on the hook first.  I have been guilty of skipping this step before and it ticked me off every time.

Start at the head and lay down a thread base back to the bend in the hook.

Measure about a hook's length of black barred rabbit strip.  This will hang off the back and has some great action when stripped through the water.

Separate some of the fibers and tie in the strip with about 5 tight wraps of thread.

Pull the strip back and advance your thread in front of the strip.

As close as you can, tie in a white rabbit strip.  Make sure that the hairs are facing towards the back of the hook.  this will give the fibers both volume and movement.

Advance your thread to the cone.

Wrap the white rabbit strip all the way to the cone.  Make sure that you are pulling the fibers back towards the rear of the hook as you wrap.  This will keep fibers from getting wrapped and create a nicer looking body.

Almost there.

Tie off the white rabbit as close to the cone as you can.

Clip off the strip after you tie it off.

Using some tool, scissors in this case, part the white rabbit strip down the shank of the fly.

After parting the hairs, pull them down so the olive strip can be pulled over the top of the hook.

Lay the olive strip over the top of the hook.

Tie off the olive strip on the same area that you tied off the white rabbit strip.

Snip off the olive tail after tying it off.

Tie in a black hackle feather.  For this fly, I prefer hackle that is webby, black, and iridescent if you have some on hand. 

Now tie in a red hackle feather.

Wrap the red hackle forward, tie it off, and snip off the excess.

Wrap the black hackle forward, tie it off, and snip off the excess.

Whip finish and your fly is done.

Another view of your completed fly.