Bunny jigs for Flaming Gorge lakers?

[DonInDenver]

I have heard of people fishing for lakers on Flaming Gorge with "bunny jigs". I've never seen one, but I assume they are tied with long strips of rabbit fur (like used in tying Zonkers). Has anyone used them? I'd like to tie some but I have no pattern. What colors of bunny fur? How long? Any other body material used? Do you fish them with rapid jigging or is it a finesse presentation with very little movement? Does anyone have or know of a place I could find pictures?

Don't wanta hurt 'em, just help 'em get a little exercise!

Thanks.

Don In Denver
[signature]

[icefool]

You need to ask TubeDude. If it is out there he will know where or he might make them I'm not sure.
[signature]

[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Try this link. This is TubeDude's post on Bunny jigs he made. Pretty nice jigs too.[/size][/font] [center][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=38658;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"][size 1]"Bunny Honey" Jigs [/size][/url][/center]
[signature]

[DonInDenver]

[] Thanks Guys! Wow! That was exactly the sort of information I was hoping to find!!! I've fished big tube jigs over those macks but have never done great with them and I've been intrigued by these bunny jig rumors. I did finally catch a decent fish on a tube jig last week - 17 lbs and 32.5" long. Attached is a picture I took before releasing the fish. I assume it was a female (based on the girth) but I'm not sure.

Thanks so much for the help!

Don In Denver
[signature]

[FlyFishingMoose]

Really nice fish, I jealous
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool]Hey, Don, hope you got what you needed out of the thread I started last April. PM me if you have any specific questions.

Since the bunny jig thread, I have been playing around with some other stuff for both deep mackin' and salt water jiggin'. Most of my newest experiments relate to my passion for Roadrunner jigs, in smaller sizes. I have not only acquired a mold to turn out large Roadrunners, but have played around with other molds to add spinner blades to tube jig heads and spear head rigs for large tubes and skirts.

Here are a few pics of some of my latest creations. I am working on two angles. One is for slow trolling or drifting...even using a "drop shot" rig to keep the jigs up off the bottom. The other is for finesse vertical presentations.

If you have good sonar, you can watch as those heavily fished macks will swim up to your lures and then reject them. Or, on a good day, you will both see and feel a taker. There are times when the fish respond best to a lot of flash and wiggle. Other days they shy away from anything but a "dead stick" presentation.

Having a range of sizes, colors and actions will let you experiment until you find what they vote for. Of course, that can change from hour to hour.

When the fish are aggressive, you can troll them up on several different spoons or large hardbaits. If they are not active, you need to tease them into yawning as your lure falls into their mouths.

That's where the bunny jig pros do best. They have perfected the almost motionless "cocked wrist" presentation...where they impart almost no action at all to the jig. The natural buoyance and pulsations of the wispy bunny fur is often all that is needed to entice a reluctant mack. Of course, some freshly filleted chub or sucker meat can help seal the deal. The point is, there are some big fish taken on the "know nothing" approach.

One technique that many pros have proven to their satisfaction is the horizontal jigging rig. Some spearhead jigs, and others, will ride only at a slight angle downward, when rigged with a tube or grub. But, by tieing a good knot, that wraps the line two or more times around the eye of the jig hook, for extra grip, you can make the jig ride close to horizontal by moving the tightened knot forward until you get the right level. You can check it beside the boat before sending it down. Then, you need to bring it up periodically...or after each hookset or hefty tug...to reset the level if necessary. I have seen days when the fish would munch a horizontal jig, but would not even sample a vertical or angled presentation.

I have just started playing with styrofoam inserts, to provide extra buoyancy for unbalanced jig rigs. The concept of level, or even floating tails, works well on largemouths and other species.

Just a few more ideas. Hope there is something there you can pick up on to add to your bag of tricks. You need all you can get when up against those wily macks.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool]Here's a followup. I got a PM from Don, with some additional questions about colors, width to cut the fur, types of adhesives, etc. Thought I could copy and paste my reply here for anyone else who might have questions along that line...or who might have additional info to offer. [font "Arial"]Hey, Don[/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]Good to hear from you. Hope you were able to extract some useful stuff from the BFT threads. [/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]You raise some good questions. As you correctly surmise, the final product is essentially a tube of bunny skin...sealed along the bottom edge...with a stinger hook wire running through it to the stinger hook (in the longer models). When you cut the strips, cut about twice as wide as you want the tube.[/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]And, as you have found out, the zonker strips are not wide enough for the classic bunny jigs. But, I am playing around with some designs that will incorporate two trailer strips of bunny fur...behind a palmer wrapped bunny fur body. I just haven't had time to crank out and scan pics of any models yet. I plan to make them in several sizes and colors for bass as well as macks. On some of them, I will also tie in flashabou or Krystal Flash strands for contrasting color and extra sparkle.[/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]I have fished macks/lakers all over the west. While there are differences, based on altitude, depth, temperatures, primary forage, etc., there are some constants in the color preferences of macks. I think their attraction to certain colors is often more a matter of what is most visible, rather than any particular light wavelength. That is sometimes why two-tone contrasting colors...or spots, lines or bars...can make lures more appealing on any given day.[/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]For bunny jigs, the all white has been the favorite single color on the Gorge. In fact, if you were limited to one color anywhere, white would be a good choice. It shows up at almost any depth and it can represent several different forage species. Similarly, chartreuse or even bright yellow are good options in many situations. Almost all trout are attracted to bright yellows and greens...and when you add a contrasting head or eye of hot red or hot orange, it can kick it up a notch.[/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]Black is a good color too. Use it by itself or in combination with chartreuse or red. I like to use black with a chartreuse eye jig head...and sometimes a black body with a chartreuse tail. Similarly, a black head with a red eye can be deadly...as can an all black jig with a few strands of red flashabou tied in. Works on big rainbows, cuts and browns too.[/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]Purple is an overlooked color for trout. But, if you can find some purple hair or feathers, and fish it on a purple head with a hot red eye, it will catch all species of BIG trout.[/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]The natural grey bunny fur is not as popular, but looks better to fish underwater than it does to fishermen in the air. If the fur is nice and long, it waves nicely and has a good effect underwater. I know of some big fish caught on the grey...of several species. I like it for topwater patterns for bass and big browns after dark. I trail a single zonker strip behind a bushy body and it looks like a mouthful of mouse.[/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]The adhesives can be a factor in the flexibility and longevity of the bunny jigs. You can put them together with anything from superglue to chewing gum. Epoxies work well, but tend to be stiff. Some glues are not waterproof and come apart after a bit of soaking. There are two things I have used that produce a good bond and a flexible, waterproof jig. [/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]One is Aquaseal, like I use for repairing waders. If you mix it with the Cotol accelerant, it sets up within about 2 hours. It is expensive and takes some working to get used to, but it is a super product.[/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]The other adhesive is Pliobond. I have used it for years in rod making and lure making. Again, it is not like a fast setting epoxy, but it holds well and does not stiffen up as much as some adhesives. [/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]No matter what glues you use, there will be a sacrifice of some of the natural suppleness of a well tanned and soft bunny skin. However, that is not all bad. These jigs are best when presented horizontally, without a lot of action, on days when the fish are being finicky. As long as the hair waves and flutters, the whole jig does not have to. And, if you have a piece of fish meat stuck on the hook, it will provide plenty of flutter. The bunny jig mainly offers a large profile and some sexy fluttering of the soft fur.[/font] [font "Arial"][/font] [font "Arial"]Hope that fills in some gaps for you. Let me know if there is anything else.[/font]
[signature]