Yellow Rabbit
Bind the hook shank. Add a pinch of red hackle fibres. Tie in oval tinsel followed by yellow chenille. Wind the chenille to 4mm behind the hook eye and tie off.
Secure the strip of rabbit skin (natural) at the head with the fur lying to the back. Then spiral wind the tinsel through the fur to fasten it to the body. Add a few strips of pearl Mylar for a spot of flash before completing the head with cement.
Some anglers prefer a hackle collar, but it makes no difference to the lures effectiveness as a fish catcher!
Yellow Lady Searun Trout, Salmon, and Harling Fly
The Yellow Lady is basically the same fly as the Yellow Rabbit except that other than the red tag and the red head all the materials used are yellow.
Both the Yellow Lady and Yellow Rabbit are typically fished with the Canterbury Lure Rod.
Other colours for Rabbit Lures.
Taupo Tiger
Freshwater Trout Fishing Spinners, Crankbaits, Minnows and Lures
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| A searun trout taken on a Yellow Rabbit lure. Note Fenwick Feralite rod. |
Once the rabbit pelt strip becomes wet it has a very fish-like sinuous action as it is worked through the water. You have to see this to appreciate just how much it does look like a little fish when retrieved up through the current of a stream or river!
Large searun brown trout averaging 4 - 6 pounds are a feature of the New Zealand trout fishing scene in spring and summer. Some of these searuns are very big indeed with double figure fish entering the mouths of the big east coast rivers such as the Hurunui, Rakaia, Waimakariri, Rangitata and Waitaki, to name just a few.
Insect life is just starting to emerge during September and October. A sunken lure fished to imitate a silvery (small bait fish) is the best way to target these searun browns well into November. At this time of year they will be gorging themselves on silveries. Brown trout eat these little fish in enormous numbers. It is not uncommon to lift a trout from the water and have it disgorge dozens of silveries.
Over the years we have found that perhaps the best lure of all to use when targeting these big searun browns is the Yellow Rabbit. This lure works! Equally popular with searun trout anglers would be the Hope's Silvery Lure.
There are several reasons for the success of the Yellow Rabbit. The yellow body is relatively easy for the trout to spot if there is a bit of "colour" in the water, and there usually is at this time of year. For the same reason don't be afraid to fish this lure in reasonably large sizes up to size 2. Should the river levels drop and the water become clear you can go down to a size 6 or even an # 8. A good hook to use is the Kamasan B830 Classic Trout Long Lure.
The rabbit fur wing becomes saturated with water after a few minutes and "wriggles" through the water with a very sinuous action each time the line is jerked forward. This looks amazingly like a fleeing silvery.
As you can see from the pictures this is a simple lure to tie. It is a great fly for the beginner as you don't have to worry about choosing and matching four feathers for the wing. You can buy the rabbit skin already cut into strips but you will find it much cheaper to work with a whole skin. This will provide enough for several hundred lures.
Cut the skin from the back, along the grain of the fur, with a very sharp scalpel blade. Just follow the edge of a ruler cutting just through the back of the skin but not into the fur. The strips should be about 4mm wide and roughly twice the length of the hook. Be sure to taper the skin as shown so that the tail wiggles well.
Finally a few whisks of pearl Mylar on each side complete the lure. At this stage the lure is ready to catch fish. However some anglers prefer hackle collars, and even a topping of peacock sword. If you can get it the addition of jungle cock eyes make a particularly attractive fly.
You can also buy this lure in several other colours notably: red, fluorescent lime green, orange, and olive brown. Of these colours I have only tried the fluorescent lime green which seems to work just as well as yellow for searun brown trout.
Fish the Yellow Rabbit by casting up-stream and allow it to sink as it swings around. Then begin retreiving in short jerks to simulate a silvery. Be ready at all times for an enormous searun to take the lure. Many do; right at your feet. Good luck!
You might also be interested in these New Zealand trout lure patterns: Hope's Silvery, Mrs Simpson and Hamills Killer, Silicon Rubber Trout Flies, Beetle Trout Flies, Luminous Trout Flies, Muddler Minnow, Canterbury Searun Trout Lures.
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