Pheasant Tail Nymph
This fly doesn’t need much of introduction. It’s one of the most successful patterns for trout throughout the world and the original was designed by the famous Frank Sawyer. The PT nymphs pictured are my most used variations on the subject. They differ from the original a bit since I’ve used tying thread as opposed to tying with the copper wire and I like to dub the thorax and fold the fiber tips from the wingcases to make tiny legs on the sides of the fly. I’ve also used dyed Pheasant Tail fibers on some to give slight tint to the flies. In Oliver Edwards Essential Skills DVD there’s great instructions how to tie the fly as Frank Sawyer wrote it in his book.
To get the body to look like pictured wrap the Pheasant Tail fibers around the Copper Wire before wrapping them both to the hook. This will make the body much sturdier and gives a nice segmented look to it.
Simple and effective!
Hook: Any wet fly hook, I used #16 TMC 3769SP-BL
Tail, Body, Wingcase and Legs: Pheasant Tail fibers with Copper Wire
Thorax: SLF Squirrel Spikey Dubbing
