Description

The Pheasant Tail Nymph is a fly that no trout fly fisher should be without. It can be tied with or without a bead head, with or without a flashback wingcase and with or without legs. The thorax can be peacock herl or any type of dubbing. I chose to ti this one with dyed olive pheasant tail fibers, an olive brass bead and with the optional legs on each side of the thorax. Tie them to match the nymohs you see on the rivers or lakes you are fishing. Most of all have fun tying them and be creative!

Materials

Hook: TMC 3761 #10-#20

Thread: UTC 70 Black

Bead Head: Gold, Copper, Silver, Black, Olive Brass or Tungsten Bead To Match Hook Size

Tail: Ringneck Pheasant Tail Fibers

Ribbing: Copper Wire

Abdomen: Pheasant Tail Fibers Wrapped

Thorax: Peacock Herl

Wingcase: Pheasant Tail Fibers

Legs: Pheasant Tail Fibers Pulled Back Alongside the Thorax

Step 1

Place a bead on the hook and secure the hook in your vise.

Step 2

Start your thread on the hook right behind the bead and wrap slightly behind the bead.

Step 3

Tie in the copper wire ribbing and wrap over the wire with the thread back to where the bend of the hook begins.

Step 4

Select 7 to 12 fibers of the pheasant tail. Make sure the tips are even when you prepare to tie them onto the hook to form the tail of your fly. Tie the tail on the hook using approximately 3-4 tight wraps of thread. I like the length of the tail to be about one half to two thirds of the hook length. That means the tail should be that long from the tie in spot to the tips of the fibers.

Note: Make sure to keep tension on your bobbin so the tail stays tied in tight.

Step 5

Now hold the long ends of the pheasant tail fibers back with your hand while wrapping your thread forward just beyond the mid point of the hook. The point that you stop your thread will determine the length of the abdomen or body.

Step 6

Now wrap the long ends of the pheasant tail fibers around the hook and up to the point that the thread is at. Tie off the pheasant tail fibers so that they are on the top of the hook. This is going to become the wingcase.

Step 7

Wrap the copper wire ribbing forward over the pheasant tail abdomen and tie the wire off in front of the wingcase.

Step 8

Keep tension on the copper wire while rotating it so that it will break off and you do not have to trim it off with your scissors.

Step 9

Tie in several strands of peacock herl directly in front of the wingcase material.

Step 10

Now wrap the peacock herl forward from where it is tied in to directly behind the bead head with several tight turns of thread. Tie off the peacock with your thread and trim off the excess peacock herl. Make sure to trim it as close as possible.

Step 11

Pull the pheasant tail fibers forward over the top of the peacock herl thorax to make the wingcase. Tie off the wingcase directly behind the bead with 3 to 4 tight wraps of thread.

Step 12

Pull 3-4 pheasant fibers back along the near side of teh hook and wrap over them with a few turns of thread to from the legs on the near side of the fly.

Step 13

Repeat the last step to form the legs on the backside of the fly.

Step 14

Trim any remaining pheasant tail fibers off directly behind the bead.Make sure to trim them as close to the thread as possible to make a neat head on your fly.

Step 15

Wrap a few turns of thread to cover up any small fibers of material and to form the head of the fly. Then whip finsih or half hitch the thread.

Step 16

Trim your thread off. The only thing left to do is to trim the legs to the right length.

Step 17

I like to trim the legs so they are just longer than the thorax.

Step 18

Good Job! You just finsihed your Pheasant Tail Nymph. Tie a box full of these. The trout really like this fly.

Step 19

Top view showing the legs on each side of the thorax.