Photo of the back - intended to show the how the pheasant tail fibers form the dark dorsal line of the pattern
Olive-Gray Duster (Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle Nymph)
Hook - Mustad 3906 Heavy Wet Fly Hook/Size 8 and 10 (debarb/optional)
Body - UNI-Yarn (Insect Green)
Tag/Rib - Ultra Wire (Gold/Small)
Thread - 8/0 UNI-Thread (Camel)
Tail/Dorsal Strip/Wing Case - Pheasant Tail Fibers (Natural)
Hackle - Hungarian Partridge (Natural)
Thorax - Ostrich Herl from a Feather duster (Natural Gray/Dun)
Head - Double 3-turn whip finish using the tying thread
Materials are listed in the order they are tyed onto the hook. Quite a few materials, but once you get the hang of tying them, they go fairly quickly.
These could easily be tyed in a range of colors, by switching out the yarn and/or the herl color. Give them a try. Hopefully they are as fun to fish, as they are to tie.
Note on hook choice: I chose the Mustad 3906 because it is a nice heavy nymph hook. The 3906B would also be a good choice, if you want a longer bodied nymph. When designing how the fly behaves in the water, I want to be able to fish this fly deeply for steelhead. I wanted a durable hook which would sink quickly (thus the narrow body profile). If I was clever, I'd find a way to underweight the thorax area with the ribbing wire, but when I tried it had ended up with a little more bulk than I wanted. I'm sure I can figure something out. I just need to play around more with a few ideas. All part of the fun.
These little puppies are just begging to go fishing. Just add water...
