Working with Rabbit II: Double Bunny
by Will Mullis

In Part One of this series I demonstrated how to tie a Bunny Leech; a very easy, yet extremely effective, fly to tie. The Double Bunny maintains that theme.

The Double Bunny is a deadly fly for any species that eats smaller fish; it can be tied in an unlimited number of colors to match the forage and it is really quite simple to tie. The Double Bunny was developed by Scott Sanchez and garnered immediate attention and popularity; over the years it has been accepted as being one of the best flies for taking trophy fish and has won the 1992, 1993, and 1994 Jackson Hole One-Fly Competition.

As with most flies I tie, I have taken this pattern and adapted it to the waters I fish. The stream that I frequent is filled with jagged rocks sitting at a variety of angles. The Smallmouth hold tight to these rocks and use them for both cover and as ambush spots for unsuspecting prey. To be successful on this stream the fly has to get in amongst these rocks without getting hung up. That is why most of my flies incorporate "dumbbell" eyes in some fashion; they allow the fly to ride "hook up", decreasing snags and allowing the fly to bounce off the rocks. In my experience, the ticking sound of a fly hitting a rock can alert a smallmouth to a meal close by. Smallmouth are attracted to sound and this is why spinners and buzz baits are so successful. The ticking may be subtle but I believe it gives just enough vibration to wake up any fish in the vicinity. Most of the double bunnies you will see are tied so the hook rides "normally" in the water, and are either unweighted or weighted with lead wire. You can take the information in this article and tie them to suit your fishing situation.

About the tail
One quick note about the tail on a Double Bunny. Sanchez developed this fly to have a very long tail. In an effort to keep the tail from fouling, and to maintain a baitfish profile, he glues the hide of the wing and tail together. He recommends using Tear Mender, but any glue that will hold and is flexible will suffice. Visit this topic to see what the members of FlyTyingForum.com suggest

Materials You Will Need

Hook: Mustad 3366 Size 2, or any Streamer hook.
Weight: Painted Dumbbell eyes.
Belly: Light colored Rabbit strip.
Wing: Dark colored Rabbit strip.


Step 1: Wrap the dumbell eyes onto the top of the shank. Be sure to leave plenty of room in between the eyes and the hook eye. Wrap thread back to the bend of the hook.

Step 2: Determine how long the tail will be; on this particular fly I chose to do a short tail. Where the tail begins, split the hair and secure it tightly with several wraps of thread.

Step 3: Advance the thread to the spot directly behind the eyes.

Step 4: Bring the rabbit strip forward and determine the point where the hide meets your thread. Split the hair as you did with the tail and secure with several tight wraps of thread.

Step 5: Advance the thread to directly in front of the eyes.

Step 6: Bring the strip forward and once again split the hair and secure in place with several wraps of thread. Trim the excess strip.

Step 7: Now, on to the wing. Hold the wing strip up to the tail and measure the distance from the end of the strip to the tie-in point.

Step 8: Take the hook out of the vise and pierce the strip at the point you measured to in Step 7.

Step 9: Put the hook back into the vise so that it is sitting with the hook point up. Bring the strip around the bend until it slides into the thread wraps for the tail. This should secure the wing in place (no additional wraps are needed.)

Step 10: Bring the wing forward, split the hair and secure it with several tight wraps of thread. Trim the excess strips.

Step 11: Tie in two or three strands of flashabou so they extend to the tail of the fly.

 

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