How to Tie a Small Olive Pheasant Tail Nymph with Davie McPhail

Today we are having a look at the Small Olive Pheasant Tail Nymph tied by Davie McPhail. The original Pheasant Tail Nymph (PTN) was created by Frank Sawyer, an English River Keeper who devised the PTN for use on the chalk streams of Southern England.

He designed this nymph to imitate several species of the Baetis family, generally referred to as the 'olives'; it quickly became world-famous. Frank Sawyer tied the Pheasant Tail Nymph using just pheasant tail fibres and copper wire, the fly has undergone as many variations as there are fly-tiers. Many of these variations involve the addition of tying threads, peacock herl, dubbed thoraxes and many bead-head pheasant tail patterns are used all over the world.

All of the materials needed to tie this fly are available from Glasgow Angling Centre as listed below, but as always, if you need any help finding materials or substitutes then we'll be happy to help. Time to tie the Small Olive Pheasant Tail Nymph, with the guidance of Davie McPhail.




Materials Used:

Hook: Size 18 Wet or Nymph Style

Thread: Uni-8/- Olive Dun

Under-Body: Extra Small Wire

Rib: Copper Wire

Tail, Body and Thorax Cover: Pheasant Tail Bleached and Dyed Light Olive from Veniards.

Thorax: Dyed Olive Squirrel Dubbing

Additional materials: Additionally, Davie made use of Varnish, which he applied to the thread after completing the fly.

Davie's preferred type of whip finish tool can be found HERE!