Irresistible
The Irresistible lives up to its name on rough, tumbling freestone water. Its spun and clipped deer hair body is virtually unsinkable, providing buoyancy that no dubbed body can match. Combined with white calf tail wings and mixed hackle, it rides high through the roughest pocket water. It is particularly effective in fast, oxygenated runs where trout are looking up and need a high-riding, visible target.
- Type
- dry fly (Mayfly)
- Hook sizes
- #10–14
- Target species
- trout
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall
Materials
- hook: Dry fly hook #10–14
- thread: White 6/0
- tail: Brown bucktail or moose hair
- body: Natural deer hair, spun and clipped to shape
- wing: White calf tail, upright and divided
- hackle: Brown and grizzly, mixed
Tying steps
- Mount a size 10–14 hook; start white thread and tie in a tail of brown or moose hair.
- Spin deer hair from just above the tail to the 2/3 mark; pack tightly after each clump.
- Clip the spun deer hair body to a smooth cylindrical or slightly tapered shape.
- Stack white calf tail and tie in upright at the 2/3 mark as divided wings.
- Figure-eight the wings apart and stand each with a post wrap.
- Tie in brown and grizzly hackles; wind 4–5 turns.
- Build a neat head; whip finish and cement.
- Apply a drop of head cement at the hackle tie-off point to prevent unraveling.