Some ‘variations’ of fly patterns that I tie…
Pheasant Tail Leech (modified):
Hook:Mustad 9671, umpqua 3761, whatever—sizes 6-10 (I also tie some 1x)
Tail, Beard and Wing: Pheasant tail fibers
Body and Rib: Peacock herl, gold tinsel (some prefer fine gold wire too)…
I suppose that it could somehow represent a leech, this pattern has always worked well on lakes…It’s classified as a ‘wet’ fly or ’streamer’ but I’ve always thought that (specific variations) represent a dragonfly nymph more than anything…The pattern was supposedly created by an eastern Washington fisherman and I’ve seen numerous variations of it…This fly is great for brook, rainbow and cutthroat trout…I’ve also caught some warm water species with it…They’re easy to tie and a staple in any fly box…Basically, if you can’t catch fish with this fly, you’re helpless because it works damn near everywhere…
Beaded Pheasant tail Nymph:
Hook: Umpqua 3769, whatever…sizes 14-18
Tail, body and wing casing/thorax: All pheasant tail parts and peacock herl. Fine copper wire ribbing and brass bead head…
I’m not a fan of ‘nymph fishing’ (long story) but the pheasant tail nymph is a staple in my fly boxes…It’s a proven producer more times than not so I always have a few available if need be…The bead helps it sink faster and sometimes I’ll also wrap the hook with fine lead wire…These little buggers are a pain-in-the-ass to tie so it’s a good thing I don’t go through very many every year…
To give you an idea of how tiny they are:
-The two top ones are a size 16…I think I’m going to start buying the flies that are smaller than a size 16 because it takes me too long to tie them…They sometimes don’t turnout looking very good either…
…I’ll be sure to pinch the barbs on those hooks too…
The top fly looks VERY familiar…I’m pretty sure I’ve caught fish with one of those…
Did you make enough for me too??
Yep, the top fly (well, a close variation of it) is what I started you out with…I wanted you to catch fish!
Of course I have plenty of flies for you…
Hey, break a leg! Haahaa.
Man, perhaps soon… I gotta get my hands around normal fishing first…
Snakeye! You summabitch…I’m happy to have you back stateside safe my friend…
Go hit-up the BASS fishing! It’s gotta be ‘hot’ in your neck of the woods…Have you ever heard of…Um, Gary yamamoto? (I’m droppin’ hints dude)…
Well, use crawlers and corn. I assume that shit always works on gators.
Very nice! How long does it take to make one of those?
Thanks Gerry! I can tie about a dozen of the ‘leeches’ in an hour…They’re pretty basic and easy to tie so I can blaze right through them…
The nymphs take me about 15 minutes each because they’re a little more ‘detailed’ and so damn small…