Rabbit Strips

[Phil Lilley]

Question about rabbit strips - when do you want a cross cut and when do you want a regular cut? And why?

I'm looking for an explaination on application.

[jdmidwest]

Crosscut is for winding the rabbit strip on similiar to hackle. Classic example would be the Flesh Fly. Straight cut is for a zonker type fly. A little of the strip is left off the back as a tail and the rest is tied in along the top of the hook.

[Kansas Fly Fisher]

Interesting! I didn't know that. That explains alot about my rabbit strip fly's. Now I'll have to set down at the bench and do some more tying. Darn the bad luck. Thanks for information.

John

[jdmidwest]

Rabbit looks great in the water, flows like marabou. The guys at Feather Craft in STL also use mink strips for smaller zonker style flys. You can buy whole rabbit pelts at Hobby Lobby and cut strips any direction you want with an xacto knife, just cut along the back of the pelt. I found a ginger pelt before I went to Alaska last time that made great Flesh Flies.