The Olive Zonker streamer Mylar tubing imitates the scales on a bait fish's stomach and reflects light to grab the attention of nearby hungry bass, trout, steelhead or salmon.

ZONKER STREAMER FLY PATTERNS. Hook size 8 10 - $US each

OLIVE ZONKERS - RABBIT STRIP AND MYLAR
I love stalking big sea run brook trout using a rabbit strip olive Zonker streamer fly pattern. One of my most memorable fly fishing trips was on the east and west branches of the Petite Cascapedia river in Québec’s Gaspé Peninsula, Canada. The ability to spot your target trout in clear water and fish at it in my eyes is true fish hunting. You can do this type of sight fly fishing from a boat, float or by wading. I have observed that many of the bigger brookies liked to hang around close to wood cover. Sometimes you can spot them right in the middle of log jams. These fish are not silly. The wood provides an obstruction that slows down the water flow so they do not have to exert as much energy in staying on one position. They wait for their next meal to swim past them in the faster moving water.

You will also find them the slower moving water found in runs and pools. Swimming an olive Zonker past the nose of one of these big brutes is normally all that is required to entice a strike. The silver body and natural movement of the rabbit strip fur on the retrieve just looks natural. It shouts out to the fish, this thing is alive and will provide a substantial meal.

You can still foul your fly fishing chances of a hook up if your approach and presentation is poor. These fish are on the look out for food and predators. If you do not approach their location stealthily they will just swim away. Cast your fly upstream away from their watching eyes so that the current and your swinging line presents your olive zonker naturally. You want to make the trout believe you fly is a real bait fish swimming with the current in search of food. Do not cast your fly directly at the fish or keep hammering the same pool with repeated casts. If you do you will have a very poor days fishing.

CUSTOMER'S COMMENT
This is one of the flies I use in September when the fry of many coarse fish species will have been building up weight as fast as they can throughout the summer. When they start to shoal they become a very tempting target. The trout force them up to the surface as they try to escape. They 'boil' up on the surface and seabirds can be seen picking up fry from the top of the water. This is where I cast my Olive Zonker streamers. John Wilson. Birmingham

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