Fly Tying Hub

Bunny Bug

The Bunny Bug, also commonly called a Pike Bunny, is a long-established rabbit-strip streamer designed primarily for northern pike. Its broad, mobile zonker tail and palmered rabbit body create a pulsing baitfish or leech profile even at slow retrieve speeds, making the fly useful when pike prefer a smaller, less aggressive offering. It is typically fished around weed edges, shallow bays, and other ambush cover with steady strips or a strip-and-pause retrieve. The pattern is exceptionally simple to tie, but the rabbit should be secured firmly, wrapped without trapping the fibers, and kept reasonably sparse because zonker strips absorb water and become heavy when cast.

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Recipe

Tying Instructions

  1. 1

    Secure the hook in the vise, start the thread behind the eye, and lay a firm thread foundation rearward to the bend.

  2. 2

    Tie in a sparse bunch of Polar Flash at the rear of the shank, leaving it long enough to move with the rabbit-strip tail.

  3. 3

    Cut a section of Magnum or Texas-cut rabbit zonker for the tail and taper the rear end of the hide without cutting the fur.

  4. 4

    Tie the front of the rabbit strip securely on top of the hook at the bend, with the fur extending rearward beyond the hook.

  5. 5

    Tie in a second rabbit zonker strip by its end at the rear of the body, positioning the fur so it will sweep toward the tail when wrapped.

  6. 6

    Advance the thread to the front of the hook.

  7. 7

    Palmer the rabbit strip forward in close turns, stroking the fibers rearward after each wrap to avoid trapping them.

  8. 8

    Secure the strip behind the hook eye, trim the excess hide, and sweep the rabbit fibers rearward.

  9. 9

    Build a durable thread head, whip finish, and apply head cement or adhesive if desired.