The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

Nymph

Beadhead Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail

Insect Species Icon Callibaetis, Blue Wing Olive, Green Drake and 10 others
Difficulty Icon Medium - 3-5 Min
Water Category Icon Coldwater

Tying Video

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Tying Recipe
  • Hook: Curved shank, down eye, nymph hook
  • Thread: UTC 70
  • Tails: Pheasant tail swords
  • Rib: Copper Wire
  • Body: Pheasant tail swords
  • Thorax: Peacock Herl
  • Hackle: Hungarian Partridge
  • Tails: Try hackle fibers for a different feel!
  • Rib: Flash rib is a great way to add sparkle to this fly
  • Thorax: Try using ostrich herl for a completely different feel
  • Hackle: Vary the feel of this fly by tying in your favorite hackle feathers

The Beadhead Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail is one of many flies that is constantly and consistently being varied and tied in different ways. Tie without the bead for a natural, more emerger-like fly behind your favorite dry fly or add in flash to fish with a Flashback Soft-Hackle Pheasant Tail. Even tie in rubber legs for a really buggy-looking fly. Guides may recognize this pattern as the “Guide’s Choice Pheasant Tail”- for great reason!

The Beadhead Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail is arguably the best fly ever invented. This fly will catch fish in nearly every river and countless lakes too. Really hairy and “messy”, the Beadhead Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail resembles a ton of insects in the water and is likely to find the lips of any trout feeding. Whether you use this fly to imitate a stonefly, mayfly, or caddis, the fish are certain to take this fly for many insects. When fishing new creeks, this fly should be one of the first flies you tie on as it is simply certain to catch fish.

Depth is key with the Beadhead Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail. Using a fly like this that imitates such a wide variety of insects is an advantage in the sense that it is able to imitate so many species, but chasing trout in this way adds emphasis to the depth of your flies. While this fly is very likely to get eaten by any feeding trout that sees it, the trout has to see the flies at the correct depth in order to feed on it. Simply put, the Beadhead Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail will catch fish as long as it is fished at the correct depth.

Blue Wing Olive

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: Northwest
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: East
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: Southeast
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: Midwest
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24

Brown Drake

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West
Brown Drake
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Northwest
Brown Drake
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: East
Brown Drake
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Midwest
Brown Drake
Sizes: #10 - #14

Caddis

General Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Caddis
Sizes: #10 - #22

Callibaetis

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West
Callibaetis
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: Northwest
Callibaetis
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: East
Callibaetis
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: Midwest
Callibaetis
Sizes: #12 - #18

Green Drake

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest, Midwest
Green Drake
Sizes: #8 - #14
Region: East
Green Drake
Sizes: #8 - #14

Hexegenia

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest, East, Southeast, Midwest
Hexegenia
Sizes: #6 - #12

Isonychia

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: East
Isonychia
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: Southeast
Isonychia
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: Midwest
Isonychia
Sizes: #12 - #18

Light Cahill

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: East
Light Cahill
Sizes: #12 - #20
Region: Midwest
Light Cahill
Sizes: #12 - #20
Region: Northwest
Light Cahill
Sizes: #12 - #20

Little Black Caddis

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West
Little Black Caddis
Sizes: #14 - #20
Region: Northwest
Little Black Caddis
Sizes: #14 - #20
Region: East, Midwest
Little Black Caddis
Sizes: #14 - #20
Region: Southeast
Little Black Caddis
Sizes: #14 - #20

Little Black Stone

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest, East
Little Black Stone
Sizes: #14 - #20
Region: Midwest
Little Black Stone
Sizes: #14 - #20

Mahogany Dun

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest
Mahogany Dun
Sizes: #14 - #20
Region: East, Midwest
Mahogany Dun
Sizes: #14 - #20

March Brown

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, East
March Brown
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Northwest
March Brown
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Midwest
March Brown
Sizes: #10 - #14

PMD

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest, East, Southeast, Midwest
PMD
Sizes: #14 - #20

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