Rosenbauer's Rabbits Foot Emerger
Rosenbauer's Rabbit's Foot Emerger
This pattern can be used to represent a variety of may fly emergers, and perhaps some caddis too. The material colors and hook size used below are for a baetis (BWO) emerger.
- Hook: curved emerger hook in size 16
- Thread: brown olive
- Shuck: chocolate brown antron
- Abdomen: olive brown rabbit fur dubbing (or similar)
- Collar: natural dun CDC
- Wing: light dun snowshoe rabbit's foot (preferably from the toe area)
- Head: olive dubbing
Start the thread about a two eye length's space behind the eye and cover the shank with thread. Tie the shuck in place somewhat down the bend of the hook and cut off the excess so that it is slightly longer than the hook gap. Create a slightly tapered dubbing "noodle" and begin wrapping so that the body begins right at the base of the shuck. Select a CDC feather and snip off the tip. Stroke the longer fibers against the feather quill, attach to the hook in front of the body with two wraps, and then grasp the feather by the base and pull it so that the fibers extend slightly beyond the shank of the hook. Work the fibers with your fingers to distribute them around the hook and then snip off the base of the feather and apply a few more wraps to secure the CDC. Next snip off a small clump of rabbit's foot hair from the toe section and place on top of the hook so that the hair extends to the base of the shuck. Try to distribute the hair so that it covers the top of the body and secure it. Finally apply the dubbing to the head and tie off. To see a video of this fly being tied go to the following link: