Submitted
by Randy Lage
Original by Mike Prekel.
Recipe
Thread: 8/0 or
smaller, gray, I use 14/0 on #18 and smaller
Hook: scud style,
sizes 14-20
Bead: gun metal
or gold glass or metal to size
Tail: 6 black or
green pheasant tail fibers
Rib:
small copper wire
Thorax:
chartreuse flat waxed thread (UTC 140)
Wingcase/legs:
pheasant tail fibers. ( use
2 on each side for legs and trim 2 )
Collar:
50/50 mix of UV gray ice dub and other gray or just the UV is o.k.
1. crush barb
2. bead the hook
3. start first thread (gray)
4. tie in tail (tips of pheasant tail well down the bend of the hook
5. tie in rib material
6. wrap abdomen ½ way up shank with pheasant tail and tie off. Don’t trim as this will be used for case and legs.
7. wrap rib, tie off and trim wire.
8. tie in chartreuse thread and build up a good thorax and tie off and trim. It’s a good idea to avoid crowding the eye and bead with too much material. After tying a couple you will figure out the amount of space to leave between the last material and the bead.
9. bring the working gray thread over the top of the thorax to the bead.
10. pull the excess pheasant tails over to make the case and tie off.
11. split the fibers and select two for each side for the legs. Secure the legs on each side with a couple of wraps. Trim the remaining 2 fibers. (I use the 2 extra because quite often you will damage one along the way when you snag the hook point!)
12. apply a tiny amount of blended dubbing to the thread. Enough for about 2 or 3 turns. Keep it sparse and buggy looking.
13.
whip finish.
The original design of the pheasant tail was changed to cover a variety of insects which reside in home streams in Minnesota/ Wisconsin. The fly has since made it to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Arkansas, Missouri, and British Columbia. It has proved to be quite successful in lots of fishing situations and a change from the standard pheasant tail that we know so well.