Hook 2X-long nymph hook (here a Fulling Mill 35085, 12-16
Thread UTC , brown-olive 70 Denier
Materials
Bead Cyclops bead, 7/64-inch, brown-olive
Weight Lead-free round wire, .020
Tail 3 Amber microfibbets
Tail splay Tying thread
Rib Ultra wire, copper-brown wire, small
Abdomen Natural Australian possum dubbing and Dave Whitlock SLF Squirrel Belly dubbing, mixed
Wingcase Natural pheasant tail fibers
Thorax Natural Australian possum dubbing and Dave Whitlock SLF Squirrel Belly dubbing, mixed
Legs Wood duck flank feather
How to tie it
Slip the Bead over the hook point small hole first and seat it behind the eye. Start the .020 lead-free Weight on the shank, take six or seven wraps, and helicopter the tag off close. A tiny drop of glue between the weight and the bead keeps the wraps from rotating.
Start brown-olive 70 denier thread behind the weight, take a few wraps rearward and back up to the weight, then snip the tag. Keep the tag end, a few inches long, for the tail splay.
Select three Amber microfibbets, measure them a full hook in length, and pinch-wrap them to the top of the shank. Lift the tails and take a single wrap under them around the bare shank, then advance the thread to the hook point and snip the butts. That one wrap under the tails splays them enough to separate.
Bring the midpoint of the saved thread tag up into the hook bend, hold the ends together, and lift so the center tail sits between the two strands. Pull the strand forward and take a loose wrap or two to anchor it; pulling gently on the strand increases the splay until the outer tails sit at nearly ninety degrees to each other. Lock the strand down with thread and snip it close.
Pick up a small amount of UV resin on a fine bodkin, apply it right at the base of the tails, and cure it. This holds the tails in their splayed orientation.
Secure the small copper-brown Ultra wire to the near side of the hook and take thread wraps rearward so the wire is pushed to the far side. This matters: it keeps the first turn of wire from disrupting the tails.
Blend the Natural Australian possum dubbing with a little Dave Whitlock SLF Squirrel Belly dubbing, build a slender noodle on the thread, and start wrapping so the dubbing begins right at the base of the tails. Take touching wraps forward to build the abdomen, stopping short of the bead.
Spiral the wire forward in open turns to segment the abdomen, six or seven turns, anchor it at the front edge of the dubbing, and helicopter the excess off.
Strip 12-14 Natural pheasant tail fibers for a wide wingcase. Snip the curly butts, then snip the brittle tips off. Lay the tip end on top of the shank behind the bead and bind it down to the halfway point of the shank; a slightly long wingcase looks better than a short one.
Build a slightly shorter noodle of the same dubbing blend and wrap a bulbous little thorax, ending right at the back edge of the bead.
Take a single Wood duck flank feather, isolate the tip by preening the lower fibers down, snip the tip free, and preen the fibers back up. Lay it curve down on top of the shank with two loose wraps. Lift the pheasant tail and pull it forward over the feather so the wood duck fibers separate to either side, then anchor the pheasant tail with one wrap. Spin the bobbin clockwise to cord the thread, take one wrap and pull down hard to lock both materials. Snip both sets of butts close.
Apply an ample drop of UV resin over the whole wingcase and out over the snipped ends, and cure it hard and clear. No whip finish is needed, so the collar stays small: just snip the thread free. Trim the underside of the nymph flat to finish.