Tying Tuesday: Stoneflies, Eggs, and Pheasant Tails

Tying Tuesday is here, and we’re treated to some fantastic little patterns this week. We start out with a stonefly, get treated to a fun egg pattern, and end with a nice pheasant tail variation. Watching these videos this week really has me inspired to sit back down at the vise after far too long away.

I know we started off with a stonefly pattern from Fly Fish Food last week, but I wanted to share this one as well, because the title got me thinking. Are we fishing, and tying, large enough stonefly nymphs? I’ve always felt mine were decently sized, but after this video, I wonder if I need to add some bulk to my go-to patterns.

Egg patterns are a hot item right now, and will stay that way through mid-November. This little pattern, from AvidMax, is a great way to tie up an egg and still get it down deep enough without adding too much split shot to your rig.

This next pattern is the Japanese Pheasant Tail nymph from Davie McPhail. I love the addition of the soft hackle, and tying it on a curved hook. I think that’ll make the basic idea of the pheasant tail easier to tie in smaller sizes (especially since small nymphs can be so effective this time of year).