Frank Sawyer’s Original Pheasant Tail Nymph (variant)

June 15, 2025 Published by

Frank Sawyer’s Original Pheasant Tail Nymph (variant)

Nymph

Tied By Joe Glessner

Hook: Any 1x long, 1x heavy Nymph (Eupheng size 14 shown)

Thread: Copper wire, extra small (silver 0.01″ shown)

Materials- tail: Pheasant Tail Fibers x6 body: Pheasant Tail Fibers x6 wing case: Pheasant Tail Fibers x6

Notes:

This is the original version of Frank Sawyer’s Pheasant Tail Nymph, tied as he described, using no thread.

It is a true two material fly, consisting entirely of extra small copper wire and pheasant tail barbs.

I did not have extra small copper wire so I substituted Semperfli 0.01″ silver wire.

Tying instructions

  1. The wire is tied in at the midpoint of the hook, wrapped forward, then back to the bend. You can secure the wire to the hook using a jam wrap, same as you would with thread.
  2. At this point the 6 Pheasant Tail barbs are tied is as a tail on top of the hook shank, less than a hook gap in length using three wraps of wire.
  3. Take hold of the pheasant tail fibers and wire together, and wrap them forward in touching turns to just behind the hook eye.
  4. Secure the barbs with two wraps of wire.
  5. Separating the wire from the barbs, wrap the wire only back to about the midpoint of the body, using wide open spirals.
  6. Secure the wire with one additional wrap of wire, and fold the pheasant tail barbs back creating a wing case, catching them with two additional turns of wire.
  7. Wrap the wire back forward to the hook eye again using wide open spirals.
  8. Fold the pheasant tail barbs forward again, completing the wing case, catching them in at the eye with two turns of wire.
  9. Secure the barbs by taking one wrap of wire in front of them, and one behind before trimming them off as close as possible.
  10. Complete the fly with two half hitches in the wire.

This is NOT a very durable fly and is rather difficult to tie as wire has zero stretch. To increase the durability of this fly I finish the “head” with a drop of head cement or UV resin (or in this case Sally Hansen’s).

I broke wire at least five times the first time I tied one of these. It can be a frustrating tie. If you are going to try it, I very much recommend using a bobbin holder for the wire.

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