Rabbit zonker strip Gray rabbit zonker strip (1 short strip for tail)
Leather or Ultra suede Gray/pink leather or ultra suede (1 thin strip for tail (optional))
Thread Gray thread (as needed)
How to tie it
Lay a thread base back to the bend. Tie in a thin gray zonker or suede strip one shank length long for the naked rat tail, then bind it flat so it lies straight off the back.
Cut, clean and stack a pinch of deer belly hair. Lay it across the shank just ahead of the tail, take two soft turns and pull tight so it flares and spins around the shank. Push it back hard with your fingernails to pack it.
Spin and pack successive bundles forward, half the hair you think you need each time, keeping every clump crammed tight against the last so the body stays dense enough to float.
Stop the packed hair at the 80% mark, leaving room to finish. Whip finish and cement the thread head.
Pull the fly from the vise and trim: flat on the bottom right at the hook point so it rides low, rounded and tapered on top, wider at the rear and pinched to a nose at the front. Leave a few longer hairs at the nose as whiskers.
Trim slowly, rotating the fly and checking the silhouette against the light until you have a fat teardrop mouse body.