Whitlock's Hare Sculpin

Top: Dorsal view - Bottom - Profile
Finally got a name on this pattern! This was a
REALLY cool pattern I came across at Kingfisher Fly Shop in Missoula,
Montana while fishing out west during 2002. The fly looks UNREAL,
that is it truly looks ALIVE in the water. The pattern rides clouser-style,
with the hook bend up, so it's a great pattern for bouncing the
bottom with; very FEW snags! A monofilament weed-guard could be
added to further prevent snags with this large fly. This pattern
was too large for most of the Steelhead I came across in the fall,
but the Chinooks should REALLY dig it! I'll be fishing this pattern
A LOT come next fall!
The tie is surprisingly easy once I figured it
out. Insert the hook right-side-up. First, wrap the hook shank down
and start back up with white thread. Approximately 1/3 away from
the eye, tie in the gills (red marabou or hackle), then tie in the
pectoral fins (pheasant body feathers, stripped to size). Yes, the
GILLS are tied in first, behind the pectoral fins (don't ask, I
didn't come up with this pattern!). Wind to 1/4 away from the hook
eye and tie in the presentation eyes. Wind forward and half-hitch
or whip finish but do NOT cut the thread off.
At this point we're going to add the upper rabbit
strip, which is cut to roughly 1.5 X the length of the hook shank.
I use the Magnum Cut vs. Cross Cut strips (Ideally you want strips
even a bit wider than the Magnum Cut...but that involves cutting
your own.) Remove the hook from the vice, and line the dark rabbit
strip up along the shank...you are going to want to figure out where
the hook should come through the rabbit strip so that the strip
settles at the base of the hook bend. Once you've figured out where
this is on the strip, pierce the strip coming through the back side
(furless side) and bring it down to rest on the shank.
You can then reinsert the hook it the vice, right-side-up.
The dark "upper" rabbit strip will be beneath the hook
shank. Tie in the strip at the front of the fly. Next we take our
white rabbit strip and tie it in topside, along the back of the
shank. The white strip is cut slightly shorter than the dark strip...roughly
1.25 X the length of the hook shank. I also like to trim down the
front portion of the white rabbit strip to maybe 1/8" in length.
At this point we can whip finish the head of the
fly after we have securely wrapped down the two rabbit strips...this
is a large head and that's OK! Finish the head with Flexament or
other Flexible-drying product. So now what you have is the fly with
the dark strip in place, and the white strip tied in and loose.
To FINISH the fly, liberally coat the hook shank, lead-eye tie down,
and skin-sides of both strips with Flexament. Line up the strips
and press them together, sandwiching the hook shank, eyes, fins
and gills between the two strips of rabbit. Now you should have
something that looks just like the flies below (show from the dorsal
view and profile). These flies take a lot of abuse and continue
to look great.
Hook - 2 or 6
Eyes - Lead Hourglass Presentation Eyes, Size Sm
Gills - Originally Red Hackle (I subbed Red Marabou)
Pectoral - Ringneck Pheasant Body Feather
Upper Body - A Dark Rabbit Strip (Magnum Cut- on a size 6 cut the
strip in half down it's length)
Lower Body - White Rabbit Strip (Magnum Cut- on a size 6 cut the
strip in half down it's length)
Thread - White, ideally 3/0 but 6/0 will work.
Some additional tie variations with weed guards
(add them in when you first tie down the hook shank, and thread
both the 30lb. mono and hook point through the hole in the "upper
body":


|