The Woolly Gentleman

Broad sourceStrong match

Fly Fish Food

Matched on nymph flies, trout, mayfly. Strong technical tying and trout catalog coverage, especially nymphs, dries, and stillwater flies.

nymph fliestroutmayfly

Broad sourceStrong match

Fulling Mill Flies

Matched on nymph flies, trout, nymph. Large pattern house with broad freshwater and saltwater fly categories.

nymph fliestroutnymph

Broad sourceStrong match

Big Y Fly Co.

Matched on nymph flies, trout, nymph. Broad by-type catalog useful for common benchmark patterns and inexpensive backups.

nymph fliestroutnymph

Regional shopStrong match

Dette Flies

Matched on nymph flies, trout, dry. Catskill lineage fly shop with deep dry-fly, wet-fly, and Northeast trout relevance.

nymph fliestroutdry

Frank Sawyer tied the original on an English chalk stream using nothing but pheasant tail fibers and copper wire -- no thread, no vise, just fingers and a hook. The American version added a bead head because we cannot leave well enough alone, but the principle remains: pheasant tail fibers look like every small mayfly nymph that ever drifted through a riffle. It is the fly you tie on when the fishing slows down and the fly you forget to take off when the fishing picks up.

Quick Facts

TypeNymph

Difficultybeginner

SeasonsSpring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Target SpeciesBrown Trout, Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout

Sizes#14 - #20

Best LocationsWhitewater River, MN; White River, AR; Current River, MO

Where to Fish It

Whitewater River

MN · Spring Creek

White River

AR · Tailwater

Current River

MO · Ozark River

Map unavailable. Locations for Pheasant Tail Nymph: Whitewater River, MN; White River, AR; Current River, MO

Related Reading

region guide

Driftless Area: Spring Creek Paradise

Tucked into the unglaciated hills of southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, and northeastern Iowa lies the Driftless Area — a landscape of cold spring creeks, limestone bluffs, and wild trout that rivals any destination in the country. This is the complete guide to fishing the Driftless.

seasonal playbook

The Spring Playbook: First Hatches to Full Send

Spring is the most dynamic season in fly fishing — water temperatures swing daily, hatches emerge in waves, and fish that have been dormant for months begin feeding with increasing urgency. This is your region-by-region playbook for fishing the awakening.

hatch guide

The Complete Guide to Mayfly Hatches

Mayflies are the foundation of trout-stream entomology. This guide covers every major hatch — BWOs, PMDs, Green Drakes, Sulphurs, Tricos, and Hendricksons — with the biology, timing, and fly selections you need to fish them effectively across the country.

hatch guide

Caddis: The Underrated Hatch

Caddisflies outnumber mayflies on most trout streams, yet they receive a fraction of the attention. From the explosive Mother's Day caddis hatch to the giant October caddis of the Pacific Northwest, understanding Trichoptera transforms your fishing from spring through fall.

hatch guide

Emerger Patterns: Fishing the In-Between

Trout eat more insects during emergence than at any other stage. Emerger patterns — flies that imitate the critical moment when a nymph transforms into an adult in the surface film — are the most consistently effective dry flies in fly fishing. Here is the science and the technique behind fishing the in-between.

technique

Reading Water: Finding Fish by Reading Structure

Every river tells you where the fish are, if you know how to listen. Reading water is the fundamental skill that separates productive anglers from persistent ones. The ability to look at a stretch of river and identify the handful of spots that hold fish — and dismiss the vast majority that don't — is worth more than a lifetime of fly pattern knowledge.

technique

Nymph or Dry? The Decision That Changes Everything

Ninety percent of a trout's diet is consumed subsurface. Yet ninety percent of the magazine covers show a dry fly floating on calm water. The decision between nymphing and dry-fly fishing isn't about preference — it's about reading the situation and making the choice that puts your fly where the fish are actually feeding.

Driftless Scud

Find a tier or trusted source

Midwest & Driftless

#14 - #18

Curved-hook scud pattern for upper Midwest spring creek trout, from Wisconsin and Minnesota Driftless water to Iowa limestone creeks. Olive or pink. The daily bread of Driftless brown trout.

OlivePinkTanGrayOrange

Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Rainbow Trout

SprSumFallWin

Sow Bug

Find a tier or trusted source

Midwest & Driftless

#14 - #18

Isopod imitation for spring creek trout. Flat, segmented body with antennae. A staple food source in limestone-rich waters.

GrayTanOlive Gray

Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Rainbow Trout

SprSumFallWin

Zebra Midge

Find a tier or trusted source

Midwest & Driftless

#18 - #22

Simple thread-body midge pupa with a bead head. Deadly in winter and early spring when midges dominate the drift.

BlackRedOliveCopper

Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Rainbow Trout

SprSumFallWin

Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear

Find a tier or trusted source

Midwest & Driftless

#12 - #18

Buggy, impressionistic nymph tied from hare's ear fur. Imitates mayflies, caddis pupae, and assorted creek debris.

Natural Hare's EarDarkOlive

Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Rainbow Trout

SprSumFallWin

Mop Fly

Find a tier or trusted source

Midwest & Driftless

#10 - #14

Chenille mop strand on a jig hook with a bead head. Controversial among purists. Devastatingly effective in stocked and wild water alike.

CreamChartreusePinkTan

Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

SprSumFallWin

Black Hills Pheasant Tail

Find a tier or trusted source

Midwest & Driftless

#14 - #20

Pheasant tail nymph adapted for South Dakota's Black Hills spring creeks. Tungsten bead and slim profile sink quickly in the fast-flowing freestone runs of Rapid and Spearfish creeks.

Natural Pheasant TailFlashbackOliveCopper

Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

SprSumFallWin