Description
Fly Type: This is a heavy, sinking streamer and attractor pattern. Its design allows it to sink quickly and create a life-like swimming action.
Best Suited For: An exceptional fly for targeting aggressive, predatory fish. It's a go-to pattern for large trout (especially brown and rainbow trout), bass, and pike. The purple color is also a classic for salmon and steelhead.
Best Time to Fish: The Bead Zonker Purple is effective year-round. The combination of its weight and color makes it an ideal choice in low-light conditions such as dawn, dusk, or on overcast days, as well as in murky or stained water.
Water Type: A classic freshwater fly.
Best Location: This fly works best in deeper water, such as river pools and runs, or along lake drop-offs and submerged structures. Its weight allows it to get down to where the big fish are holding.
Other Value: The key to this fly's success is its two main features. The rabbit fur "Zonker" strip provides incredible, pulsating movement in the water, perfectly mimicking a swimming baitfish. The bead head ensures the fly sinks fast and stays in the strike zone. The purple color acts as a powerful attractor, creating a strong silhouette and often provoking an aggressive, territorial strike. It should be fished with an active strip-and-pause retrieve to maximize its lifelike action.