Bodkin / Patterns

Flashback Pheasant Tail

Nymph · Trout · Grayling · Intermediate · 9 versions

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Standard nymph, 14-20
  • Thread Brown 8/0

Materials

  • Tail Pheasant tail fibers (4-6)
  • Rib Copper wire (4 inches)
  • Body Pheasant tail fibers (wrapped)
  • Wingcase Pearl flashabou (folded over)
  • Legs PT fiber tips (swept back)
  • Bead Tungsten bead (1)

How to tie it

  1. Slide the bead on. Tie in 4-6 pheasant tail fibers at the bend by their tips, tail about three-quarters of a shank length; the butts become the body.
  2. Tie in the copper wire, wrap the fiber butts forward to the 65% mark, and counter-wrap the wire in 4-5 turns.
  3. Tie in a strip of pearl Flashabou at the thorax, pointing back.
  4. Wrap a peacock or pheasant thorax, slightly fatter than the body.
  5. Fold the Flashabou forward as the wingcase, divide leftover fiber tips as legs each side.
  6. Whip finish behind the bead.

Substitutions

  • Wingcase instead of Pearl Flashabou: Holographic tinsel — More color-shifting flash; Mirage Flashabou — Subtle color change; Black Scud Back — Dark, shiny. No flash version
  • Body instead of Pheasant tail fibers: Turkey biots — Segmented look, different texture; Brown Veevus Body Quill — Thread-based, fast
  • Bead instead of Tungsten: Copper tungsten — Classic PT look; Black nickel tungsten — Subtler head; Fl. orange tungsten — Adds hotspot

Other versions

8 more in the app: Classic Recipe (2), BCFlyguys, Barbless Beadhead, Barbless, Gold Bead, Tungsten, Beadhead, Flashback.

Tying videos

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