Headless Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle (Tutorial / SBS)

[letumgo]

Headless Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle
Hook - Mustad Model R50-94848 (Size 12)
Thread - Pearsalls Gossamer Silk (Light Yellow/#4)
Wingcase/Back - Pheasant Tail Fibers (Dyed Yellow)
Hackle - Indian Hen Saddle Feather (Speckled Brown/Ginger) - Stripped on one side
Thorax/Body - Hares Ear Dubbing (Pale Olive)
Rib - Pearsalls Gossamer Silk (Light Yellow/#4)

Note - Materials are listed in the order they are tyed onto the hook.

[letumgo]

Detailed Tying Instructions (Tutorial):
1) Mount hook in vice and attach the tying thread
2) Even the tips of 8 to 10 pheasant tail feather fibers and pull them off the stem. Keep the ends even and lay them along the hook shank to estimate the length (roughly 1.25 to 1.5 times the hook length). Tye in the bunch of fibers with the tips pointing out over the eye of the hook. Trim off the butt ends.
3) Prepare a small hen feather by stripping off the fluff from the base of the feather. Strip the fibers off the right side of the feather. Tye the feather in along the hook shank, with the tip pointing out over the eye of the hook.
4) Dub the tying thread and wrap the thread back towards the bend. Only use enough dubbing to form the thorax of the fly (front 1/3 rd).
5) Using hackle pliers, grasp the tip of the hackle and wrap it back to the tying thread in open wraps. Secure it in place with a couple wraps of thread and clip off the excess.
6) Thinly dub the tying thread and continue wrapping back to the bend of the hook, forming the abdomen of the fly.
7) Fold the pheasant tail fibers over the back of the fly. Using the thumb of your right hand, press the fibers firmly down over the thorax and then pinch the tail fibers in place with your left hand. Keep gentle tension on the pheasant tail fibers during this next step. Wrap the tying thread forward in open wraps, to form the segmentation of the rib.
8) when you get the the base of the thorax, tye off with a simple whip finish.
9) Clip off the tying thread and add a drop of head cement or clear nail polish to finish the fly.
Optional Step: 10) Clip off an extra tail fibers you do not want.

[DUBBN]

Neat procedure! I was scratching my head as to how that fly was tied off. I was looking very hard at the eye!

[Roadkill]

Nice tie Ray and I will buy it as headless but Hans will say that the eye contitutes a head.

[willowhead]

dang cool Ray.....but is there a point to it.............not having a head that is...............? fly is dynamite btw

OH, i forgot to ask you the other day after we has been in the museum.............did you get a chance to see the Italian exhibit.............i didn't really notice it that day, but have since had a chance to really check it out..........it's GREAT!
Live from the Best Western in Lebanon, PA.

[letumgo]

Your right!

[hankaye]

Ray, Howdy;

Once again, I amazed by the tyes you come up with.
The sbs is wonderful. I can 'see' exactly what you are doing by using the pic. as ref. Now that I know what some of the terms and vernacular are.
Keep'em comming....

hank

[tie2fish]

Great things from great minds ...

[William Anderson]

Ray, another beautifully executed fly. Great post.

w

[Old Hat]

Wonderfully tied Ray. It has the profile of a Skues nymph, not his technique but the overall shape is what he was looking for. Love it.