How to Tie: the Fat and Funky Pheasant Tail Fly

Fly Tying

Mar 18

If you’re looking for a fly that combines three of the best materials—pheasant tail, wood duck, and pine squirrel—then the Fat and Funky Pheasant Tail is for you. Here’s how to tie this funky little gem!

Materials:

Hook: Tiemco 3508 Barbless Nymph Hook (Size 16)
Thread: Veevus 12/0 Thread (Super Thin, Strong)
Tail: Wood Duck Fibers
Ribbing: Copper Ultra Wire (Small)
Body: Pheasant Tail Fibers (Dark and Light)
Thorax/Legs: Pine Squirrel Zonker Strip
Head Cement: Sally Hansen Hard-as-Nails

Step-by-Step Guide to Tying the Fat and Funky Pheasant Tail

1. Prepare the Hook and Thread

Secure the hook in your tying vise. Load your bobbin with Veevus 12/0 thread and begin wrapping it around the hook shank, leaving space behind the eye. Snip off the tag end after a few wraps.

2. Tie in the Tail

Pull down 12 or so wood duck fibers, keeping the tips aligned. Snip them off the stem and measure them to be a little longer than the hook gap. Tie them onto the top of the hook shank, using the thread’s counterclockwise spin to secure the butt ends.

3. Add the Ribbing

Cut a 6-inch piece of small copper ultra wire. Place it on the far side of the hook and secure it with a few wraps of tying thread. As you wrap forward, the thread will push the wire around the hook shank. Use the wire to rib the abdomen, creating 5-6 segments.

4. Attach Pheasant Tail Body

For the back of the fly, take dark pheasant tail fibers and snip off the tips. Secure them to the top of the hook shank, leaving the thread at the rear of the body. For the lighter-colored pheasant tail fibers, tie them in the same way, taking touching wraps to form a smooth body.

5. Build the Wing Case

Once the body is built, pull the dark pheasant tail fibers forward over the top of the hook to form a wing case. Secure the fibers with thread wraps, and trim the butt ends neatly.

6. Add the Pine Squirrel Thorax

Take a ½-inch piece of pine squirrel zonker strip. Preen the fur perpendicular to the hide and place it in a dubbing loop. Twist the loop to form a micro dubbing brush, then build the thorax with touching wraps. Make sure the tips of the squirrel fur are angled rearward to mimic folded hackle.

7. Finish the Fly

Once the thorax is in place, secure the pine squirrel fibers with thread wraps. Take the pheasant tail fibers forward and form the wing case. Tie everything down, clean up the head area, and use a whip finish tool to tie off your thread. Apply a drop of head cement to seal the fly and enhance durability.

Fly Tying