Hood Rat

Materials

How to Tie the Hood Rat

1. 1

   Step 1

   Secure the hook in the vise and start the thread at the rear of the shank. Tie in a short piece of ultra chenille as the tail to create a mouse-tail silhouette.

   The tail should be about 1.5x the hook shank length.

2. 2

   Step 2

   Cut a strip of 2mm tan foam approximately 1.5x the hook shank width. Tie it in at the rear of the hook, extending back over the tail.

3. 3

   Step 3

   Prepare two chinchilla or grizzly zonker rabbit strips. Tie one strip along each side of the hook shank, securing at multiple points to create the body bulk and swimming action.

4. 4

   Step 4

   Pull the foam strip forward over the top of the rabbit fur body to form the back and belly. Secure with tight thread wraps at two or three evenly spaced points along the shank, creating segmented body sections.

5. 5

   Step 5

   At the head, fold the remaining foam forward and tie down to create a rounded, bullet-shaped head. Apply Zap-A-Gap to the thread wraps for durability.

6. 6

   Step 6

   Whip finish behind the hook eye. Trim any stray rabbit fur fibers if needed, but leave the fly looking shaggy and natural for maximum water displacement.