NymphbeginnerPacific Northwest
Pheasant Tail Nymph (PNW)
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Pacific Fly Fishers
Matched on Pacific Northwest, nymph flies, trout. Pacific Northwest shop with a large online catalog and steelhead/trout regional relevance.
Fly Fish Food
Matched on nymph flies, trout, mayfly. Strong technical tying and trout catalog coverage, especially nymphs, dries, and stillwater flies.
Fulling Mill Flies
Matched on nymph flies, trout, nymph. Large pattern house with broad freshwater and saltwater fly categories.
Big Y Fly Co.
Matched on nymph flies, trout, nymph. Broad by-type catalog useful for common benchmark patterns and inexpensive backups.
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The Pheasant Tail needs no introduction -- it is the most universal nymph pattern on the planet. The PNW variant is tied heavier, on sturdier hooks, because the trout in Northwest rivers are not the delicate spring creek sippers of the East. They are freestone bruisers that eat mayfly nymphs with the same aggression they apply to everything else. The tungsten bead gets the fly down fast in the powerful currents of the Deschutes and Yakima, and the natural pheasant tail fibers do what they have always done -- look exactly like a mayfly nymph to everything swimming below the surface.
Quick Facts
Where to Fish It
Deschutes River
OR · Freestone River
Yakima River
WA · Freestone River
Rogue River
OR · Freestone River
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Related Reading
seasonal playbook
The Spring Playbook: First Hatches to Full Send
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species science
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hatch guide
Caddis: The Underrated Hatch
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hatch guide
Stoneflies: When Big Bugs Bring Big Fish
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