Show IntefmounuinHr I April 2004 13 Brent Stevens Intermodhtain Angler columnist fishermen led to the design of the pheasant tail nymph At the time - which was long before strike indicators 'splitshot and beadheads fishing flies were presented subsurface with exacting representations that never reached fish In his early the nymph-feedin- g Intricate fly --tying patterns will improve your chances -- at your favorite fishing hole fishing years Sawyer only occasionally used a flyrod His first priority was to be a riyerkeeper As the steward of the river his main concern here are flies that are the basis ' of a fly box patterns that will give you a fighting chance on all waters Images of watching an elk hair caddis on thesurface of the water or cinching up a pheasant tail nymph to bounce the bottom enter the mind They are the flies yoti are always reaching for because they always seem to produce fish Not surprisingly these little heroes of the box have common traits They represent fly many food items by their shape they are easy to tie with' readily available materials and they weredeveloped through fishermen's observationsThe Pheasant Tail nymph first created by an obseryant British fisherman named Frank Sawyer is a classic example of this ‘ then was to “reduce the hordes of course fish and grayling from the best pools of the " : piscatorial genesis of a pattern Sawyer was a riverkeeper on the Wiltshire Avon in the early part of the 20th century His observations of fish aquatic insects and - old-scho- '' ' fishery" He wasroaxed by other fly fishermen to take up the fly rod in earnest In the process he began to notice that the patterns of silk and artistry were not doing the job Feeling that the flies need not be such detailed representations he set off tying his own designs ' Observing that to catch nymphing trout a needs to have a “quick entry and get down to fly the level of the feeding fish" he began tying the flies with copper wire So came the pheasant tail nymph The original version was tied of copper wire as thread starting at the eye of the hook ol oue am and forming a ball of wire for the thorax Sawyer then moved down to the bend and tied in the rooster pheasant tail fibers and wrapped the fibers back to the thorax pulling them over the bail and tying off the fly In keeping with his minimalist approach he didn't concern himself with adding imitation legs If you visit the Federation of Fly Fishers Museum in' Livingston Mont you can see ' a plaque of fly patterns tied by Sawyer (including his legendary Pheasant Tail) along with the creations of many other well known flyfishers In a way its the hall of fame of fly tycrs The pheasant tail is one of the best imitations for mayfly nymphs This was made clear to me during one season when fishing the ' stubborn Logan River in northern Utah during a mayfly hatch I pumped the stomach of a brown trout that took a size 18 pheasant tail When I flushed the indiscernible blob from the pump into my palm I was a little confused because I couldn't tell what it was or had been : Continued on next page op an — Authorized Orvis Dealer Mtn Hardware i Hardware I® Outdoor Sports Shimano You Provide the Dreamt We’ 11 Provide the Tools r Shakespeare 222 S 5th 232-872v 2 Pocatello |