Fly Tying a Squirrel Zonker (Slumpbuster, Streamer Pattern)
Рет қаралды 13,531
3 жыл бұрынThe Zonker fly pattern was created by Dan Byford of Steamboat Springs, Colorado in 1975. The "Slumpbuster" is a similar variant created by John Barr. The distinguishing feature of either is a fur strip, either rabbit or squirrel, cut in thin strips called "zonkers." Who knows why.
Hook: #4-10 streamer
Thread: Black
Weight: 0.020" lead-free wire
Rib: Wire, sized to match the hook
Body: Yarn or dubbing
Wing: Squirrel zonker strip
Hackle: Squirrel zonker strip
** Some of the popular books used on this channel: **
Dave Hughes, "Essential Trout Flies," 2017, amzn.to/3lbCZYX
Dave Hughes, "Wet Flies," 2015, amzn.to/33ac3lQ
David Klausmeyer's "Favorite Flies," 2020, amzn.to/3oeSNMa
Morgan Lyle's "Simple Flies," 2015, amzn.to/3qB1zW1
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: amzn.to/34U0rUe
Mike Valla's "Tying the Founding Flies," 2015, amzn.to/354oSir
Mike Valla's "Classic Streamer Fly Box," 2020, amzn.to/3n3Vakf
Randle Scott Stetzer's "Flies, the Best One Thousand," 1992, amzn.to/34Q15mp
Terry Hellekson's "Popular Fly Patterns," 1976, amzn.to/2L4IyvS
Dick Stewart's, "Flies for Bass and Panfish," 1992, amzn.to/3aGpFs1
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: amzn.to/34U0rUe
Savage Flies is a project with the mission of encouraging and teaching fly tying to as many people as possible. The channel is named after one of my western Maryland homewaters, the Savage River. I've been uploading at least three new videos a week (usually Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday).
Thanks for stopping by. Please let me know in the comments if you have any tying tips you would like to share or if you have any patterns you would like to see tied here.
@DeboraExum 3 жыл бұрын
I swear, I giggled every time you said zonker. Comes from living with teenagers I think. I like the look of this one, in spite of the goofy name.
@DeboraExum 3 жыл бұрын
@@kerrypitt9789 Hi Kerry! No, I do not tie, and did not even understand what an art it is until I met Matt. He found my channel first and we have been supporting each other ever since. It has been fun learning all the creative aspects of fly tying. The history is pretty awesome, too!
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Ha! Thanks Debora. Maybe that's why people who tie patterns out of zonker strips give it another name. It does sound kind of goofy when you think about it. Have a great weekend!
@laytonmarvin3790 3 жыл бұрын
I like the looks of this fly. I will have to run to the fly shop and pick up some materials and give it a try. Thanks Matt for sharing
@edwardchavez5627 3 жыл бұрын
No fly shop close to me🙁, I'll have to order online.
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
You bet Layton, thanks for watching my friend! Have a great weekend. :-)
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
I hear you Edward. And I'll bet the fly shop in your closest Bass Pro or Cabelas has way more stuff for bass than trout. But yeah, I have to order most of my stuff online too. My closest fly shop is two hours and I only get there whenever I go fishing. :-)
@mikeboule1967 3 жыл бұрын
wild fly thanks matt
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Appreciate it Mike! Have a great weekend my friend. :-)
@OttoJulian_ 3 жыл бұрын
"Zonker"... mmm... 🤔 lol Nice. The cone thing for the head looks nice and the color just reminded me of Halloween 🎃😄
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Oh yeah Otto! And don't forget the Missoulian Spook we talked about last Halloween. I still want to tie that guy. :-)
@easttnflyfreak2870 3 жыл бұрын
very durable fish catching machine .Thanks Matt!!
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks James! A lot of people are saying how durable zonkers are. I've never fished them much but I could see that.
@dantailleur3597 3 жыл бұрын
SWEET tutorial, sir!!! Thanks for this one!!!!!!
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
You bet Dan; thanks for watching my friend!
@hotspotnymphing 3 жыл бұрын
Great fly, that was neat color you tied it in! I love using the Slumpbuster for bass and trout.
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Oh yeah, these are the kind of patterns you can easily use for our warm water fishing, Thanks for watching Justin!
@mikeney5113 3 жыл бұрын
Oooh yeah now that's a great one.love to fish them.thanks matt!!
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Appreciate it Mike! Have a great weekend my friend. :-)
@randycampbell3628 2 жыл бұрын
Thats a great fly Matt. I think I will try that. Randy
@leemowers9395 3 жыл бұрын
As you know Matt, I love these Pine Squirrel Zonkers. Looks great, thanks for the pattern lesson.
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
I figured you would Lee-- a pretty simple tie, but amazing fish catchers. And not just for trout either. Have a great weekend my friend!
@jeffreystone7327 2 жыл бұрын
Very cool streamer. Seems to be easier to tie than what first appearance would lead you to believe. Great video Matt. Looking forward to trying this one. Thank you.
@SavageFlies 2 жыл бұрын
Oh yeah Jeff, definitely an easy tie!
@hughiegraves8901 3 жыл бұрын
Definitely lots of action for sure .👍
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Oh yeah, thanks Hugh! I made the tail from a mouse pattern with a zonker strip one time and it looked pretty cool too. :-)
@flyrodhiker8326 3 жыл бұрын
Great tutorial sir, well done!
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Thank you! Now go get some zonker strips and tie up a bunch. :-)
@gimanibe 3 жыл бұрын
That’s what I can do with the squirrels that eat tomatoes in my garden :) Nice fly to tie. Thanks Matt!
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Oh yeah, and shaving one squirrel might give you a couple years worth of dubbing. :-)
@bigdaddy99929 3 жыл бұрын
I’ve done several to use on our big boys up here. 😀. Very cool looking zonk Matt. Thx!! Have a great weekend.
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Clyde! You have a great weekend too. :-)
@johnnylightning1491 3 жыл бұрын
Nice easy good looking fly. I was going to say that I need to start keeping the skins when I cut the tails off of road kill squirrels but I don't know how to tan the skins so I think I'll just buy them. Besides, the wife isn't crazy about the skins of dead animals in the house. Keep the good stuff coming.
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
I hear you man. I don't tan any roadkill skins either so wouldn't be able to make nice pliable strips out of them. I usually just shave them for the dubbing. :-)
@niwelezlusch9610 3 жыл бұрын
Uuuh interesting fly I will definitely tie one and give it a try. Thank you :)
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Niwel! Let us know if you ever get a chance to fish it. :-)
@edwardchavez5627 3 жыл бұрын
Good Morning Sir Matt, the zonker I always wondered about this ty, and still have questions about it. I always thought it was a bass fly and not for trout. And now my view of it has changed. I see how effective this fly could be in any style of fishing. Thank you now I know I need some of these in my box. Hav a great weekend Sir Matt.
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Absolutely right Edward... this thing can definitely be a great bass fly. Smallmouth or big mouth will go for it. :-)
@davehall2160 3 жыл бұрын
Great looking fly Matt I've tied up a few with rabbit but I have never tried squirrel Will have to give it a try Thanks for the video
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Dave! And same here. I've done a few over the last several years with rabbit, but this was the first I've used squirrel. The fur is shorter but I thought it was still easy to work with and a very cool material. Have a great weekend my friend!
@Jd-yc3gw 3 жыл бұрын
Good morning Matt. I saw these zonker strips in fly shops but didn’t know how they were used. For me I think these strips in some brighter colours would be very effective for Pike flies. I could use two different colours too. I think they might stand up to the Pikes teeth better than feathers would too. Feels good to back home after 7 weeks away. Now I can get back to tying again. Have a great day Matt.
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
John- I'd say you are right and these would stand up well to some big pike's teeth. Now you've got me wondering what else these strips might be used for. I have seen them used as the claws for crawdads, and as the tails for mice, but I'm wondering if there are any other uses. Thanks for the note!
@PiscatorFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Looks great Matt. One thing to add is that a Zonker is usually in reference to the cut of the hide with the hair being inline with the hide as opposed to the cross-cut where the hair lays away from the hide. The Zonker is good for tails and Matuka (like here) and cutting for loops while the cross-cut is agreeable for wrapping as a body. Squirrel is fantastic to use as the hair has a pleasant speckling to it. Cheers!
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Interesting Darren, I've never heard that. What the heck do you call a strip that's cut opposite the grain of the fur? I can certainly see how fur cut like that would have a different application. Thanks for the note!
@PiscatorFlies 3 жыл бұрын
@@SavageFlies That would be the cross-cut when it's against the grain. :) I've only really ever seen it with Rabbit though. You can still wrap with a zonker strip, but the hair tends to stand a bit more. I actually prefer that as is gives more action on the fly than the cross cut. the cross-cut wrapped looks a bit nicer on a fly tbh. Cheers
@JamesMcCutcheon 3 жыл бұрын
Hey Matt, you make it look easy. I never have used Squirrel Zonker. I am sure this is a fish catcher. Nice video, thanks!
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Jim, and I only make it look easy when it IS an easy fly. :-) Have a great weekend my friend!
@rollinlapoint4554 3 жыл бұрын
Most of the zonkers I have tied I've used rabbit. Definitely will have to try squirrel next time. Love the look. Just a tip that I use is a small piece of flat lead on the underside of the tail. It comes with an adhesive backing and keeps the tail down allowing it to "flutter" somewhat giving it a nice natural action.
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
That's a great tip Rollin. Bob mentioned something similar with using heavy monofilament to strengthen the tail. Have a great weekend my friend!
@huntingmissouri5420 3 жыл бұрын
Good tie Matt!! The Slumpbuster is awesome fish catching machine here in Missouri! Im on my third pine squirrel pelt for them , in 10 or 12 years lol! I do a dubbing loop and material clip on the front hackles, it just cuts down on the bulky leather!!! Thanks for sharing!!
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Holy cow Franky! If you're on your third pelt, you must tie the heck out of these things. I've probably tied half a dozen with that olive rabbit pelt, and probably still have two of the flies left. (Four are probably on the bottom of the river or a tree somewhere.) Great idea of using it with a material clip and dubbing loop. I'll bet that would look really good. Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
@huntingmissouri5420 3 жыл бұрын
@@SavageFlies ya the trout out here hit them so hard the break tippit right off, you really got to up your tippit size 2 or 3 times. I give alot away to people that i talk to on the river!! Its a good bug!! Im hoping my new fly will do just as good on the river !!! About the same profile!! Figers crossed!!
@barbaraemerich1921 2 жыл бұрын
I like zonkers!
@philipvankampen3394 2 жыл бұрын
In Barr's book he says that the rust is his most productive color for this pattern. Knowing you, I bet you did that as a quiet homage.
@SavageFlies 2 жыл бұрын
Ha! I don't think I did it on purpose. :-) If I recall, I had this rust and an olive zonker strip and thought the rust looked cooler. I actually bought these zonker strips for a crawdad pattern. That I've never caught anything on. :-)
@philipvankampen3394 2 жыл бұрын
@@SavageFlies Of course... ha ha
@jamesvatter5729 3 жыл бұрын
An olive died pine squirrel zonker is an awesome streamer. Black conehead with cream yarn underbody and gold rib works well for me.
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Oh man, a black conehead sounds pretty cool. The only pine squirrel strips I had were natural, olive and this crawdad orange. I can definitely see the olive being a killer. Thanks for the note Jim!
@michaelmerlino6753 3 жыл бұрын
Been making zonker strips for years now(bith ways crosscut and straight).Even tried it with deer hair.If you use a crosscut on the head it will lay a little better.Fish a zonker sny where you want cold water,warm water,salt water always productive.
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
You know Michael, you just gave me a great idea. I've got several possum, raccoon, fox and even muskrat pelts. I wonder if I could make some zonkers out of those I'm going to have to give it a shot! Thanks for the note. :-)
@michaelmerlino6753 3 жыл бұрын
If you search around you should find something on making a zonker cutter rather than buying one.I used double edge blades,screws and washers for specers(more between the blades gives a wider strip).A little caution is needed when working with it but I haven’t had any emergency room trips,yet,after doing it for quite some time now.
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
@@michaelmerlino6753 Michael, I love this idea! I think I could rig up a cutter with two blades and some washers. And that's a good idea for a video... DIY zonker strips. Thank you for this!
@michaelmerlino6753 3 жыл бұрын
I’ll dig mine out the next day or so and send you a pic of it.Use more blades than two.It’s hard to get second and third cuts with only two.Just be mindful of the exposed part of the blades,I guess the could be protected somehow but haven’t figured out a good way yet.
@arthurskim7898 3 жыл бұрын
As always, Bravo Zulu
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks chief! Always appreciate it. :-)
@jasonbeary5771 Жыл бұрын
Try an Estaz instead of chenille for body wrap. It's flashy and doesn't hold water. They make some smaller gage stuff. I've been a fan of that stuff since I learned about it in the late 90s. Lefty tied the Cactus Minnow. Al Miller at the Little Lehigh called it the "shit fly" because the black one and the root beer one looked like shit. Flash, bulk, ease, speed durability, doesn't soak and get draggy and it works.
@FlyTyer1948 3 жыл бұрын
That squirrel hide looks like it has really nice & evenly cut zinger strips. If you have a long tail & if your casts are as bad as mine, you can prevent tail wrapping by tying in some stiff monofilament almost tail length under the body, then super gluing the tail to the mono.
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Wow Bob, that's an outstanding tip because I have indeed gotten my tail wrapped around the bend of the hook plenty of times. I use a rabbit zonker strip about four inches long, and stripped of fur for the front three inches for the tail of a mouse pattern I've tied. And that tail is always getting fouled up in the hook. I'll bet this trick would help for that too. I imagine 20-30 lb test would do the trick. Thanks for the note!
@FlyTyer1948 3 жыл бұрын
@@SavageFlies The mono should be shorter than the tail, maybe 1/2 of the length to preserve the action. If you want to take the trouble, use your bodkin to poke a hole in the tail & insert the end of the mono before using the glue. Also, nowadays, I’d use a flexible UV glue to “glue” the mono to the tail. With those nice strips, I’d be more inclined to wrap the hook with them rather than use them on a Matuka. They look perfectly cut.
@alloutdoorsnovascotia8791 3 жыл бұрын
Yeah i tyed a couple of those in grey rabbit ..
@slickydicky 3 жыл бұрын
Rabbit is a good material, pine squirrel looks a little better though:p
@alloutdoorsnovascotia8791 3 жыл бұрын
Yeah i used what i had lol
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Nothing wrong with that! I use both rabbit and squirrel and I love how the squirrel is really two toned. Most of the rabbit is solid, but you can make bigger flies out of it. Both have their uses. :-)
@edherrmann182 3 жыл бұрын
Where did you get the large pack of zonker strips? Small packs are ok in odd colors but it adds up $$$$
@SavageFlies 3 жыл бұрын
Ed- if I recall, I bought the big skin from my local Bass Pro Shop. J Stockard does have full squirrel skins cut in strips, in all the colors. They're a little pricey but if you tie a lot of these flies, could be worth it. Theirs are at: www.jsflyfishing.com/wapsi-pine-squirrel-skin-zonked