From North 40 Fly Shop:
“The pheasant tail nymph is synonymous with fly fishing. It has been my go-to fly for a long time. I really favor it though in a larger format. The typical ones you’ll see in the fly shop bins are anywhere from size 20 on up to a 12 if you are lucky. I fish in the west, and we fish big bugs often. So, I started deviating from the traditional pheasant tail nymph recipe.
I tie them up to a size 8 3X long hook. I like a dubbed thorax versus the original peacock herl, and what better color dub to go with? -purple u.v. of course! Lastly, I like it to have a “hot spot.” I use fire or hot orange thread for the collar. The rest of the fly uses the traditional specs. Pheasant tail for the actual tail of the fly and also for the abdomen and wing case. The abdomen is ribbed with your standard variety copper wire too. This fly has probably accounted for the larger portion of the trout in my fly fishing career. I do fish others when necessary, but, man this one is tough to beat.”
Materials list:
Hook: Umpqua U Series Nymph Hook U103 size 10
Thread: Denier Danvilles 210 Hot Orange
Bead: Brass Cyclops 1/8″
Ribbing: UTC Wire Med Copper
Tail: Pheasant Tail – Natural
Body: Pheasant Tail – Natural
Thorax: Brown UV Dubbing
