t.z. | Friday, 30 October 2015
PTN - Pheasant Tail Nymph
In the previous chapters of the Sexyloops Fly Tying School – «SFTS» for short – (one needs to have abbreviations) we talked about thread in general and the first fly – the Black / Griffiths Gnat. The next fly is hands down one of the most effective nymphs in a freshwater flyfishers fly box.
A nymph pattern is supposed to imitate aquatic insects in their larva stage. Aquatic Insects live under water between 1 and 3 years until they hatch and become flying insects for a short mating session. What a life. They must be very bored by all this waiting for the big day. They live off even smaller particles in the water and some of them, maybe even many - become fish food.
There is a huge variety of them in the water. Hooks one can use for the imitations ranges from size 22 to even 10. Funny though is that specifically smaller nymphs are very successful. A size 18 or 16 brings quite good fish to the net.
The key to a good nymph imitation is to hit the general proportions and shape, not to overdress them. Tying them simple and easy is a good idea. These things often get lost on the bottom of the water you are fishing.
The pattern I want to show you today consist of two materials (plus the hook). Fibers from a pheasants tail feather and thin copper wire. I find it tricky to tie. One really needs to pay attention to the power one applies when winding the materials onto the hook.
About weighting nymphs - It is a question of the fishing rig you want to use / cast. I think it is good to remember how light the actual insects are. This does have an effect on their behavior (the way the trundle / float about) Many choose to weight the nymph itself so it sinks as fast as possible. The other option would be to use split shots on your leader / tippet. I think one has to experiment a little to find out what works best for the fishing situations and the rod / line combinations one is using. Keep trying … the important part is to get the nymph down to the fish. Once your lure is at the water depth the fish are feeding – they take it.
The tying steps:
shown in picture is a size 18 hook - wind on a layer or two of thin copper wireI have used a bobbin holder for the copper wire.
select three or 4 fibres from a pheasants tail feather
tie them in with their tips pointing backwards, forming a little tail
wind the fibers around the copper wire and wind this "rope" onto the hook
stop after having covered 2/3rds of the hook shank
separate the fibers from the wire
continue winding the wire towards the hook eye
secure the fibers at the hook eye
bring the copper wire and the fibers back and secure
fold the fibers foward again
and secure them with the wire
and back again
... and the wire forward again
secure the wire with a whip finish knot or a drop of superglue
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