Tips for Fishing with Pheasant Tail Nymphs

Series Summary

Modern fly fishing is centuries old, having begun in North England and Scotland; however, the history of fly fishing can be traced back over one thousand, eight hundred years to the now mysterious Astraeus River in the Roman Province of Macedonia. In the 2nd Century A.D., Marcus Aelianus described Macedonian fishermen's use of fastening feathers and wool to hooks to attract fish to their lines. Fly fisherman today continue the adventurous, yet relaxing sport of fly fishing in some of the most beautiful and tranquil places on earth, casting their flies in waterways of the Colorado Rockies, where all that is heard is the flowing stream and soft breeze in the Aspens. Would you like to learn how to fly fish and vacation in peaceful places, casting your line in clean mountain streams? Learn from a certified fishing guide.

The Pheasant Tail is a widely used Nymph for fly fishing. It is used to imitate a wide variety of creatures that many fish feed upon. In this free video series, our expert will provide step-by-step instructions on how to make a pheasant tail nymph. Beginning with tools and materials for making nymphs, and moving on to wire ribbing, body material, and wing cases, you'll learn how to prepare and attach all of the parts of a popular fly fishing nymph. With these tips for making effective fishing lures, you'll be catching more and more fish in no time!

Video Transcript

"ALVIN DEDEAUX: Okay, what we're going to tie now is called a Pheasant Tail Nymph. And it's a kind of what we call a generic, a tractor-type nymph. It doesn't look exactly like any particular bug, but it looks close enough to a lot of different bugs that a lot of fish will take it and you can use it in a lot of situations. As far as the tying of it goes, it's a little bit more complicated pattern to tie. There's a few more steps involved and a few more sort of advanced techniques. But once you master the basics, this is a good one to help you move on a little bit further in your tying skills. And it's just--this is a great fly, so, you know, this is one that's been around for a really long time. Mostly a trout fly, but in the larger sizes, you know, it could be used for a bass or a panfish. You know, we've even caught one time in a pretty big, pretty good size and pretty heavily weighted, we've caught some nice small-mouth bass with it. And it's just a really, really good all-around, really kinda buggy-looking fly. I'm not really sure what the fish think when they're eating it, what they think it is, but plenty of fish eat it. So it's definitely a fly to have."