Materials
Hook: 1/0 Mustad 90degree jig, a Gamakatsu would be better but expensive
Weight: Medium dumbell eyes
Thread: Uni 3/0 or your favorite heavy thread
Tail: Crayfish Orange SLF, Rust Seal-Sub dubbing and Flor. Orange Rabbit from a zonker strip
(all in a furled dubbing loop)
Crayfish Orange Rubber Legs
Body: Rabbit from a zonker in a dubbing loop
Topping: Mini-Barred Marabou
Head: Crystal Chenille
Step 1: Start your thread and tie your dumbbell eyes with figure 8 wraps a little past the jig bend. Then run a layer of thread to the bend. I generally use size medium eyes. Size large are OK but you might have to bust out the 8wt.
Step 2: Now make a big dubbing loop. You want it a little bit longer than double what your tail will be.
Step 3: Get your tail materials ready. You want two different colors for a banded effect. If you want some flash use Ice Dub for one. You also need a little strip of zonker for the tip, not even 1/4 inch. I prefer a nice bright color. The original used more dubbing but I like the wiggle from the rabbit.
Step 4: Put your dubbing into the loop with the zonker strip at the halfway point separating them. Clip the hide from the rabbit and spin the loop up TIGHT. If you're not worried about your thread breaking it's not tight enough. This will keep all the dubbing secure. Keep tension on the loop.
Step 5: Stroke the rabbit all to one side and grab it. Keeping hold of the rabbit gradually bring your two colors of dubbing towards each other letting them furl onto each other.
Step 6: This is what you end up with. Instead of letting the loop as it is you want to clip it off and lash it back down. This not only makes a more durable tail but allows you to adjust the length. This is also a good time to brush out the dubbing with some Velcro.
Step7: You then want to tie a set of rubber legs on each side. Just use one leg folded around the thread on each side.
Step 8: Make another dubbing loop. Then catch a length of zonker in a binder clip or Magic Tool if you have one. Clip the hide away taking care to cut as close to the hide as you can. This is going into the loop and will be the body. The hide on zonkers absorbs a lot of water so this will cut down on that problem making it a little easier to cast.
Step 9: Using the clip put the rabbit into your loop. Let go of it with the clip. Depending on how thick your rabbit is you might want to spread the fur out a little. Spin the loop up nice and tight.
Step 10: Wind your bunny loop up the shank stroking the hair back after each turn. You want to end up just short of the eyes. If your loop wasn't long enough just make another. You could also do two different colors. This one is Rust in the back and Crayfish Orange in front. Tie on another set of rubber legs.
Note: The original has a shell-back made of Thin Skin that I generally omit. I like the look of the rabbit all the way around and haven't noticed a difference as far as catching fish is concerned.
Step 11: Tie in your marabou topping. It should go back a little past the end of the hook.
Steps 12-Finish: I don't really show this but tie in a length of crystal chenille and wrap a head making sure to figure 8 around the eyes covering everything. You could instead use one of your tail dubbings in a loop as the original does. Either way tie it off, tidy up and whip finish. These take some abuse so I usually do two whip finishes and then super glue the head. If needed trim the rubber legs.
Odd Fishing Note: If something goes wrong and the tail gets destroyed while fishing don't toss it out. I had this happen and was planning on reusing the hook and eyes but it just sorta stayed in my box. Long story short, I was smallmouth fishing and ran into a bunch of carp without anything "carpy" to throw at them. I trimmed the legs a little shorter on my tail-less fly and got a few of them to take my newly invented neutered carp lizard.
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