LeechConehead Bunny Leech
The Conehead Bunny Leech adds a gold cone head to the classic rabbit strip leech design for faster sink rates and an enticing jigging action. The cone head creates a distinctive up-and-down swimming motion on the retrieve, triggering aggressive strikes from predatory fish. This versatile pattern excels when targeting larger trout in both moving water and stillwater environments.
Year Round
Intermediate
Trout, Bass
Dec 2025
Overview
This tightlinevideo pattern demonstrates how adding a cone head transforms the classic Bunny Leech into a more versatile searching pattern. The lead-free wire wrap behind the cone provides additional weight without affecting the natural movement of the rabbit strip. The dubbing noodle technique creates a seamless transition between the cone and the zonker strip body, producing a uniform profile that fish find irresistible.
Materials
Hook: 2X-long streamer/nymph hook (Lightning Strike SN1), #2–#10
Thread: Black, 6/0 or 140-denier
Head: Cone head, gold, small
Weight: Lead-free round wire, .020
Tail/Body: Rabbit-fur zonker strip
Body Dubbing: Rabbit-fur dubbing, in a noodle
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: From an angling perspective, leeches pulse forward using full-body contractions, then coast momentarily before resuming their wave-like propulsion. These brief pauses between swimming bursts make them vulnerable, signaling easy calories to prowling trout. Their soft bodies and predictable rhythm create consistent feeding opportunities.
Where Trout Eat It: Fish intercept leeches at all depths in lakes, from the surface down to weed beds and rocky shoals. Target weed edges, drop-offs, and structural transitions where leeches migrate between resting and feeding zones.
How to Fish It: Use strip-pause retrieves to activate the cone head's jigging motion. The cone creates an exaggerated up-down action that triggers aggressive strikes when fishing deep pools, channels, or along lake structure.
Best Water: Concentrate on weed edges, drop-offs, shoals, and channel swings in lakes. In streams, work deep pool tail-outs and undercut banks where current slows.
Strike Type: Expect a solid pull-down or steady line draw as fish turn away with the fly.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Fish on 7.5-9 foot leader with 2X-3X fluorocarbon tippet. Use a floating line in shallow water, sink-tip or full sinking line for deeper presentations. Can be fished as a single fly or as the lead fly in a two-fly rig.
Seasonal Timing: Effective with peak performance during periods when larger fish are actively feeding. fishing is productive during low-light periods and after rain events.
Pro Tips: The gold cone head provides rapid sink rates and serves as an attractor element. The rabbit fur maintains lifelike movement throughout the water column, pulsing even on the slowest retrieves.
Entomology
Leeches exhibit a distinctive diving and rising pattern when disturbed, creating an erratic vertical motion that stands out to hunting fish. This jigging behavior signals vulnerability to predators, triggering instinctive strikes from trout and bass that key on the leech's inability to maintain consistent depth.
- Organism Type
- leech
- Life Stage
- general