(see the links at the bottom of the page for recipes and tying instructions)

The original Jiggler (Sarah's Jiggler by Louisiana guide Kirk Dietrich) was first shown to me by Troy Harrington of the Central Kentucky Fly Fishers, who saw it in Fly Tyer magazine (Summer, 1996).  That's a good fly and allowed for many modifications to achieve different looks and effects.  Freelance writer Brook Elliott suggested adding a rabbit strip along the back for more of a baitfish action and profile.  From there, I adjusted proportions and tying methods to more closely imitate local minnows and other younger fish, to arrive at this final version.  Though quite far from resembling the original Jiggler, its evolution from that pattern prompted me to keep the name in part as a variation of the original.

The Bunny-Back Jiggler is an outstanding fly for minnow-loving bass.  Using different colors and various body materials, you can match the local forage, or incorporate flash and bright colors as triggers for an attractor.  There doesn't seem to be any wrong way to fish this fly:  strip it fast or slow; steady retrieve or varied to make the fly rise and fall;  sharp tugs of the line for an injured look; floating line for shallow, sink-tip, or even full-sinking line to drag across the bottom (hook-point-up helps prevent hang-ups); rivers, where you can mend line to make it dart between the currents or on the bottom to swim among the rocks and the fish holding there;  lakes, working all kinds of structure and open water.

Naturally, imitating forage fish so well, the Bunny-Back Jiggler is certainly not limited to bass... any fish that eats other fish will attack this fly, from big bluegill and crappie to trout and even saltwater species.  Just modify the size, materials, and proportions to fit the target species and their favorite meals.  I've even sold heavily weighted versions to spin-fishermen who claim dozens of river bass in one day, limiting out on white bass in half an hour, crappie on every cast when nothing else was working, larger than average catches, and sore arms from fighting so many fish.  If you take the standard 30% reduction for fisherman exaggeration that's still pretty good!

It may not be a quick tie, but the reward is a very durable fly, which means you don't need to tie as many.  You also get a fly this is nice to look at and show off to your friends, not to mention the nod of approval from the fish.

I tie two different versions.  One is constructed use mylar tubing (or piping) commonly available in silver, gold, and pearl, size medium for #10-6, large for #4-2.  The other uses body tubing.  Specifically, here I've used Gudebrod's Super G Body Tubing.  This is becoming harder to find, and in fact I bought out one of my suppliers of the rest of their inventory.  Similar tubing can be used, though, like Corsair Tubing (also hard to find), or Flexi-Cord Light Body Tubing, E-Z Body, and Flashabou Minnow Body.  Most of these are woven monofilament with strands of flash and/or polyester interwoven in the tubing.  It constricts to very narrow when pulled tight, and expands dramatically when pushed inwards, making it ideal to get a nice tapered body shape.

The size of shot used as weight (and help produce the rounded belly) depends on the size of the tubing used, the desired shaped, and how heavy you want the finished fly.  A little bit of experimentation may be in order.  A standard size BB shot works well with #4-2 and large mylar or medium mono-tubing, while a size 2 steel shot is ideal for medium mylar and hook sizes 10-6.  A smaller size shot on larger hooks will produce a thinner profile, while larger shot (provided it fits inside the tubing) can make a chubbier body.

Go ahead!  Take your time and make one.  You'll be amazed at the results and the fish you'll catch.  You can also impress your friends with your tying prowess (you don't have to tell them how easy it really was).

Special thanks to Kirk Dietrich for the inspiration.