American Pheasant Tail Nymph Tying Tutorial

by Gabriel I. Askew
7 November 2021
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Tying The American Pheasant Tail Nymph

The pheasant tail nymph was invented by an English stream keeper on the Avon River, Frank Sawyer (Matt,
2020). The original fly was tied with two materials: small gold wire and pheasant tail fibers (Matt, 2021).
Today, there are many adaptations of this fly including the American pheasant tail nymph, which utilizes
thread and peacock herls in addition to the gold wire and pheasant tail. The American pheasant tail fly is an
effective subsurface trout fly that is commonly used with an indicator nymph rig or an intermediate fly line.
The following tutorial will give you a step by step guide on how to tie the American pheasant tail nymph
including necessary safety information.

Safety Information
Handle Sharp Objects With Care:
● Small, sharp hooks
● Sharp scissors
● Wire cutters

Be mindful of sharp hooks, which can puncture the skin. Dropped hooks could also cause a walking hazard.
If a hook is dropped, vacuum or hover a magnet over the area where it was dropped. Do not leave the area
without picking up the hook, unless it is suspected to have dropped in an inaccessible area.

When using scissors, make sure the blades are visible. If you cut yourself follow normal first aid procedure.

Keep the wire cutters free of your fingers when in use. Wire cutters have the potential to crush fingernails
and bone.

Keep all sharp objects away from small children.

Tools:
A. Thread Bobbin
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B. Fine tip scissors

C. Tying vice

Materials:
a. Daiichi 1710 wet/nymph hook 2x long
b. 0.020 mm lead wire
c. UTC 70 denier brown thread
d. UTC small gold wire
e. Strung peacock herl - natural or UV
f. Brown dyed ringneck pheasant tail feather
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Adding Weight to Your Fly

Caution: If dropped, and stepped on a small hook can lodge itself into the skin. Be careful
when placing it into the vice.
Step 1: Place the hook in the vice, and tighten down firmly.

Caution: Use wire cutters with care around your fingers.

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Step 2: Make 5-6 wraps with lead wire an eye length from the eye of the hook. You may add more or
remove some wraps of lead depending on how heavy you want your fly to be. When you have finished
making your wraps, twist the excess lead off until it breaks, or use your wire cutters.

Step 3: Start your thread on the eye side of the lead wire, and make a few wraps through the lead
to secure it.

Caution: Use scissors with care around your fingers.

Step 4: Wrap a base of thread down the shank of the hook ending just before the hook starts to bend.
Make sure not to wrap into the bend of the hook. Snip off the tag end of your thread.
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Securing The Gold Wire

Step 1: Cut off a 5 cm piece of the gold wire, and secure it onto the hook with the cut end starting at the
point just before the hook bend.

Step 2: Make covering wraps until you reach the lead. Then fold the wire over towards the hook bend, and
make covering wraps until just before the hook bend. Wrap your thread back to the start of the lead.
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Tying in The Tail and Building the Thorax

Step 1: With your scissors cut five or six barbs off the pheasant tail feather (a), and line up the tips (b).

Step 2: Tie in the tips half of a hook length from where the hook starts to bend. Once the fibers are
secured with a couple of wraps, make sure the tips are at the right length and adjust if necessary. Continue
wrapping the thread towards the bend of the hook until you reach the point where the hook just starts to
bend.
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Step 3: Fold the fibers over towards the hook bend (a), and make securing wraps until you reach the base
of the lead (b). At this point if there is a ledge between the lead and the rest of the material towards the
hook bend, smooth it over by creating a taper with your thread up to the level of the lead.
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Step 4: Make covering wraps with the pheasant tail fibers up the shank of the hook until the fibers reach a
third of a hook length before the eye.

Step 5: Tie off the pheasant tail fibers with a few securing wraps, and snip the ends off close.
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Step 6: Grab the gold wire and make counter wraps (opposite direction as pheasant tail fibers) up the
shank of the hook until you reach the end of the thorax.

Step 7: Tie off the gold wire by wrapping in front of and behind the end of the wire. Cut the excess with
your wire cutters, or break it off by twisting it until it snaps off.
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Tying in the Wing Case

Step 1: Take 6 fibers from the pheasant tail feather and line them up at the tips.
Step 2: Place the tips between the tips of the tail and the bend of the hook, and secure with a couple tight
wraps. Check the length of the fibers by folding them over towards the hook eye. You will want the tips to
be able to reach back to the start of the wing case. Adjust if necessary.

Step 3 and 4: Make covering wraps to the eye of the hook. Create a smooth taper from the eye to the
start of the wing case ending the thread at the start of the wing case.
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Building the Abdomen

Step 1: Take two barbs of the peacock hearl, and snip off the tips so that you have a clean tip to tie in with.

Step 2: Tie in the herls making sure they are tight against the thorax. Wrap your thread towards the eye.
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Step 3: Wrap the herls up the shank stopping just before the eye of the hook.

Step 4: Tie off the herls, and snip off the excess.
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Finishing the Wing Case

Step 1: Take the pheasant tail fibers you tied in during the Tying in the Wing Case section, and fold them
towards the front of the fly. Pull them taught to the eye, and secure with a couple of wraps.
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Step 2: With your thumb, press the tips of the pheasant tail towards the abdomen so that the tips part
over the abdomen. Make sure the tips are evenly divided with three on each side. Secure the fibers with a
few firm wraps.

Finishing the Fly

Step 1: Build a head on the fly by making 7-10 wraps of thread just before the eye. Make sure not to wrap
over the eye. Tie 4 or 5 half hitches over the head of the fly with your thread.
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Step 2: Snip off the thread flush with the head of the fly. To make the fly more durable you may put a
small dab of super glue or head cement on the head of the fly. However, the fly as is will hold up well.

This fly is ready to use. Enjoy!

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References
Matt [Savage Flies]. (2020, July 10). American Pheasant Tail - Trout Fly Tying for Beginners [video].
Youtube. https://youtu.be/_oo8guU0vYA
Matt [Savage Flies]. (2021, January 18). Sawyer's Original Pheasant Tail - Fly Tying Simple Flies
[video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/Ti7c8KGNYd4