When do fly tyers prefer pine squirrel versus rabbit fur? What are the advantages of one over the other? In this quick fly tying guide, we’ll break it down. Two of our in-house fly tying junkies, Ben Baxter and Johnnie Trujillo, will help explain the best uses for each one.

If you’ve ever stood in a fly shop and felt overwhelmed by the selection of fly tying materials, you’re not alone. In an effort to simplify and sort out the options, we’ve published a handful of these quick guides. Check out previous articles on the following topics: Fly Tying Threads, Working With Chenille, Working with Dubbing, A Quick Guide to Chicken Feathers and Working with Marabou.

When selecting either rabbit or pine squirrel for a fly pattern, here are three primary factors to consider:

1. Size

When staring at an assortment of pine squirrel strips and rabbit strips, the differences aren’t immediately obvious. For a little help, we asked Anglers All crewmembers, Johnnie Trujillo and Ben Baxter.

“One of the first considerations is size,” Johnnie explained. “Pine squirrel is thin-skinned and has shorter hairs. This makes it ideal for small streamers and leech patterns. Barr’s Slumpbuster is a good example.”

That supple, thin skin of a pine squirrel strip makes it easy to work with on smaller sized streamer hooks. When we asked Ben, he agreed.

“The best choice in material often depends on the size of the fly,” he told us. “Pine squirrel has shorter hair fibers and is most often used on trout flies. On the other side of the spectrum if we’re talking about saltwater flies, pike flies or large streamers, it’s usually going to be rabbit, which has longer hair.”

On those larger streamers, rabbit strips can be palmered (wrapped) to create substantial body to the fly. Or they can be used to create the backs and tails of streamers. A good example of a palmered rabbit strip is on the Drunk and Disorderly. The Sculpzilla is a good example of rabbit used to create a streamer’s back and tail.

 2. Movement and Shape

Johnnie and Ben both pointed out that size isn’t the only consideration, however. Pine squirrel and rabbit fur have different movement and characteristics in the water.

“Pine squirrel is stiffer and denser than rabbit fur,” Ben explained. “It tends to hold it’s shape and stay out when it’s in the water. So in addition to the size factor, it depends on the look I’m trying to get out of it.”

Johnnie points out that the fibers of rabbit fur are thinner and softer than pine squirrel. “Rabbit is more fluid in the water,” Johnnie said. “Even though rabbit hairs are longer than pine squirrel, they’re finer and they create excellent swimming movement in the water.

“Also keep in mind that rabbit fur saturates and adds a lot of weight to a fly once it's wet,” Johnnie continued. “That’s an advantage if you're tying something that you want to be fishing on the bottom. Those flies will stay saturated while casting and sink faster once it hits the water. Rabbit fur is a great way to do that without adding lead eyes.”

3. Durability

One final consideration between rabbit strips and pine squirrel strips is the durability. For example, Ben says that a pike fly tied with pine squirrel probably won’t last very long. In situations chasing toothy critters, where durability is important, the thicker-skinned rabbit is a better choice. Johnnie agreed.

“Rabbit fur is extremely durable,” Johnnie said. “That’s one of its best advantages. Marabou provides similar movement in the water with great swimming action. But it’s not nearly as durable. Rabbit can really take a beating.”

Johnnie also points out that anglers shouldn’t worry when rabbit gets crusty after it dries.

“It does get crusty when it dries. When you take a stiff, dried up fly out of your fly box, don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s ruined. Rabbit fur rehydrates immediately in the water. As soon as it gets wet, it’ll have that same great movement and action.”

Contact Us With Questions

Have follow-up questions about fly tying materials? We’d be happy to help! If you’re here in the Denver area, visit us at 5211 S. Santa Fe Dr. in Littleton. If you’re not local, you can give us a call at 303-794-1104.