Simplicity with Pheasant Tails

In Most recent years I have been striving to simplify my fishing and the approaches I use, like less tackle to carry by moving to a chest pack from a waist coat and trying to create 3 dimensional systems to my leaders and setups so they can do more that one job and be used in several approaches when I am on the river.
This is one of the most important aspects I try to get across to any youths or people that ask me for some tips; " keep it simple " and try not to over complicate everything about your fishing. So I am constantly looking at my fishing and trying to stream line it all, this approach can also be applied to fly tying.

The simplistic patterns of nymphs and other flies can and are often the most effective when it come to catching fish. A couple of strand of pheasant tail fibers some copper wire with a bead and a turn or two of a collar or tag and you have one of the most effective nymph patterns you will ever fish.

These little fish treats couldn't be easier, I use globrite no 4 for the thorax and a few turns of flat lead in the under body to add a little weight so they get down to the fish quicker.
The can be fished on french nymphing set ups and also very effective hanging under a dry fly; the bead and thorax can be a variety of colours to match the fishes desires.

On curved hooks the same nymph with a strip of pearl up the back give the Pheasant tail a little flash to attract the lazier fish to the take.


Using CDC as the thorax also give the nymph a different dimension, mostly I like to use coq de leon for the tails of the majority of my nymphs as not just for the look but it dose not break off as easy as the pheasant tail fibers over time.

Wrapping the CDC is a popular approach to add a little extra to the pheasant tail nymph, it can add a little movement to the fly when its tumbling down the streams. I do find these nymphs very effective when they are fished down stream to the fish.



You can also experiment with the colour tails you use for the body, with the extensive array of colours available you can tie an entire box of these nymphs that will suit all trouts diets.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and can take something from it to enhance your angling. If you have any questions on the blog or any of the posts you can contact me here or on my details to the right. If you would like any of the flies on this blog tied or your own dressings do not hesitate to give me a shout and I will en-devour to accommodate your requests. Thanks for reading.