Pleasant Tail

Hook

Tiemco 100 size 16

Thread

Brown 8/0

Tail

Pheasant tail fibers

Body

Cream dubbing

Shellback

Peacock herls

Rib

Medium Pearl Mylar

Thorax

2.8 mm gold bead

Caseback

Pheasant tail

Legs

Pheasant tail fibers

 

 

 

Step 1. Insert bead onto hook. Attach thread behind the bead and wrap to the bend of the hook. Attach 6 to 8 pheasant tail fibers at the bend of the hook extending off the a hook gap length

Step 2. Tie in a piece of pearl mylar and 3 peacock herls at the bend of the hook.

Step 3. Attach dubbing to thread and dub a body a little past half way. Pull peacock forward and secure with wraps, trim excess. Stretch mylar until it turns a bluish color. Rib forward with 3 wraps. Tie off and trim excess.

 

 

 

Step 4. Trim 20 (1/2 inch wide) to 1/2 inch length from the tip. Attach fibers by the butt in front of dubbing. Whip finish and cut thread.

Step 5. Slip bead over pheasant tail fiber butts. After insuring a tight fit, apply head cement to the butts. Re-attach thread to the front of the bead. Pull fibers over the bead and secure with several wraps in front of the bead.

Step 6. Double back ½ of the fibers on the far side and tie off forming legs. Double back other half on the near side and tie off forming legs. Build a thread head and whip finish. Cut legs to length if needed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merne Judson lives in Gunnison where he has guided fly fishermen on the Gunnison for years. Merne is also a great tier (lots of time in the winter in Gunnison). This is one of Merne’s patterns. Merne says he thinks one of the reasons this fly is so effective is that as it is tumbling down the riffles the fish see the dark back, the light belly, the flashy rib, the gold bead is also seen from the underneath. Finally the legs add the final touch. This fly has also placed in the top in Gunnison Superfly contests. I have used it for years and it is always in my fly box. It is a great producer on the Lake Fork of the Gunnison.

Gale Doudy