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The Pheasant Tail Nymph is a New Zealand pattern designed to suggest a small "Deleatidium Vernal" Mayfly. Whilst that family doesn't extend to Australia I suggest you still carry Pheasant Tail Nymphs or one or two of its variants in a couple of sizes because they are very buggy and particularly useful in faster water. Whilst the original non-bead head version is a pretty heavy fly if you add a tungsten bead head you can be more certain of getting it down to where the action is.

Materials

Process

A	Most beads have a large opening at one end and a smaller opening at the other. Slide a bead over the point of the hook small opening first and position it behind the eye of the hook. Wind the thread in touching turns to the bend of the hook. Understanding hooks Tie in 3 to 5 long Pheasant tail fibres with the tips forming a tail no longer than the length of the hook shank. Resist the temptation to make the tail too bulky and only tie it in at rear 1/4 of the hook. Tails on flies

B	Take the but end of the Pheasant tail fibres and pull them back down the fly facing over the back of the fly. Tie in a length of copper wire along the top of the hook shank all the way to the bend of the hook. As you do this lock the Pheasant tail fibres in with the copper wire.

C	Take just one twist of the butt ends of the Pheasant tail fibres around the copper wire to form a loosely defined rope which includes the, the Pheasant tail fibres, the copper wire and the fly tying thread. This is similar to making a herl rope. Making a herl rope Wind the  Pheasant tail fibres, copper wire and thread rope forward half way along the shank of the hook and tie the rope off. Trim the remaining butt ends of the pheasant tail hackle but leave the copper wire and the thread.

D	Tie in a second bunch of pheasant tail fibres, to be used as the wing casing, directly in front of the rope body. Tie in 3 or 4 peacock herl in front of where the wing casing fibres are tied in.

E	Form a herl rope incorporating the herl, the copper wire and the thread. Wind the herl rope forward building up a neat herl rope thorax between the body and just short of the bead head.

F	Turn the hook over in the vice. Tie in a beard of around half a dozen pheasant tail fibre tips directly behind the bead head.

G	Turn the hook upright in the vice. Pull the wing  casing material over the top of the thorax and tie if off just behind the bead. Tie a single peacock herl in directly behind the bead.

H	Form a herl rope with the thread and the single peacock herl and fill in the gap between the thorax and the bead. Tie the herl off and trim the excess. Whip finish behind the bead head and varnish the thread behind the bead and the bead itself. If you don't varnish the bead it will tarnish quite quickly.

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