Step 1
Place hook in the vise and attach thread at the point of the hook.
Step 2
Tie in a one inch piece of the rabbit zonker on the far side of the hook.
Step 3
Add an identical piece of zonker to the near side of the hook. Half hitch, then whip finish. Cut tying thread. Coat thread in super glue.
Step 4
Reattach tying thread one hook eye's length from the hook eye.
Step 5
Wrap about a dozen turns of .035 lead wire. Cover the wire with thread. Half hitch, whip finish. Cut tying thread. Coat thread and lead wraps in super glue.
Step 6
Place a piece of 50 lb hard mono about 2 inches in length in the vise. Attach thread near the jaws of the vise. Build up a decent sized thread base here.
Step 7
Add two rubber legs. This mimics antennae or legs.
Step 8
Add a tuft of black marabou, which resembles the crawdad's mouth.
Step 9
Tie in the olive estaz at the same place as the legs and marabou.
Step 10
Wrap the estaz forwards while stroking the fibers back, creating a full body. Half hitch, whip finish. Cut the thread. Coat the thread in super glue. Trim both ends of the mono, only trimming the front end after you have judged the length using your hook.
Step 11
Remove the hard mono from the vise and set aside. Place the prepared hook into the vise. Attach your thread, once again, just behind the eye of the hook. Find the orientation of the hard mono you like and clamp it flat with pliers. This is so the hard mono can be easily placed and secured on the hook.
Step 12
Place the hard mono on the hook and secure tight with thread wraps. Trim the rubber legs to just shorter than the rabbit zonker strips. Half hitch, whip finish. Cut the tying thread. Coat the head with super glue.
Step 13
The rabbit zonkers, rubber legs, and fuzzy body forms a very convincing impersonation of a crawdad. The lead wraps in the front help it to almost stand up and "walk" along the bottom. This fly is a weedless, durable crawdad pattern. Experiment with different color combinations to match the crawfish in your rivers. This fly is meant to be a smallmouth bass pattern but largemouth and brown trout will eat it just as easily. View more...
