As the nymph’s length needs to be close to the real thing, a size 8 or 10 standard wet fly hook is a good choice. The tail can still be long enough to create plenty of movement without making the fly too big.
HOOK: Size 8-10 medium weight wet fly
THREAD: Olive 6/0
EYES: Small green Damsel Eyes
TAIL: Olive marabou - various shades
RIB: Fine gold wire
BACK: Olive holographic tinsel
BODY: Olive marabou - as tail
THORAX COVER: Dyed olive pheasant tail
THORAX: Olive or green dubbing
HACKLE: Dyed olive partridge
- Run thread on at the eye and attach the damsel eye with figure-8 thread turns. Take thread to bend and catch in a pinch of olive marabou.
- At the tail base catch in a length of fine gold wire and a length of olive holographic tinsel plus a few slim fibres of dyed olive marabou.
- Wind thread along shank to cover waste ends of the materials. Stop thread just short of the eyes then apply close turns of the marabou.
- Tie in loose ends of marabou then trim off waste. Draw holographic tinsel over body and secure then rib with even turns of gold wire.
- Secure loose end of wire then remove waste end along with that of tinsel. Add olive pheasant tail fibres so tips project over eye.
- Position thread just behind eyes then strip fibres from base of olive partridge feather. Catch in feather upside down by its bare stem.
- Apply pinch of dubbing to thread and use to form small thorax. Draw partridge feather over top of thorax and secure its tip with thread.
- Trim off tip of partridge feather then pull pheasant tail fibres over top of eyes and thorax then secure them with a few thread turns.
- Cast off with a whip finish then reapply it winding a few turns just behind eyes. Cast off again then trim ends of pheasant tail.