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| Brown Bunny tied by Steven Bird |
Back in the day, way back, when I was a young flyfisher sampling the local brook with an old window screen, I couldn’t help but notice that brown is the dominant coloration of most nymphs inhabiting running water. And, of those shades of brown, chestnut-brown (reddish-brown) is a prevalent shade. I needed a basic-brown all-purpose nymph. A nondescript brown nymph to simulate the spectrum of brown nymphs. I tied the originals with some chestnut raccoon that had once been a collar on my grandmother's coat, & those fit the bill & became one of my bread & butter patterns. Then I ran out of the raccoon & acquired a dyed chestnut-brown hare’s mask, tried that, & found the result just as good if not better (good ol' hare's mask). This is a basic anywhere, & it is a good big-fish fly tied in sizes to simulate larger mayflies, stoneflies & emerging sedges. I usually weight this one with lead or copper wire wound under the thorax, & often fish it as a heavily leaded depthcharge (#6-#10), trailing a smaller unweighted nymph -- a potent combination for prospecting freestone streams.
Brown Bunny
Hook: #6-#18
Thread: Rusty-brown or camel
Tails: 3 or
4 pheasant tail fibers (optional)
Ribbing: Copper
wire wound over the abdomen (olive or chartreuse wire make good versions as well
Abdomen: Chestnut-brown hare's mask with guard hairs on claret (wine) dubbing loop
Thorax: Chestnut
brown hare's mask
Hackle: Mottled
brown hen, grouse or partridge – & finish
