How to Tie the PMD Trigger Point Usual

Producer: tightlinevideo

I call this fly the PMD Trigger Point Usual because it bears a striking resemblance to Fran Better’s fantastic pattern The Usual. The original Usual was tied using snowshoe rabbit for both the wing and tail of the fly to help it float. On this version, I’ve substituted the snowshoe rabbit with EP Trigger Point fibers, which also help the fly to float.

The pattern starts with a size 14 Fulling Mill 5050 dry fly hook. Begin by getting the hook firmly secured in the jaws of your tying vise.

For thread, I load a bobbin with a spool of Veevus 10/0 in a pale yellow. Get the thread started on the hook shank behind the eye and, after taking a few rearward wraps, snip off the excess tag. Take a few more thread wraps rearward then end with your tying thread hanging a full 2 hook-eye-lengths behind the back edge of the hook eye.

Pale yellow Beaver Fur dubbing is used to form the body of the fly. I also like to use it to better anchor the EP fibers to the hook shank. Using just the smallest amount of dubbing, create a very slender, inch-long noodle on your tying thread. Take wraps with the noodle to build up a fuzzy little base for the wing, ending with your tying thread in the same location as before.

EP Trigger Point fibers don’t absorb water and, because of surface tension, actually help the fly to float. They’re quite unique in this regard. The color I’m using here is called Western Caddis grey but a variety of colors can be used to represent the wing and tails of a PMD. It’s very hard to gauge amount with Trigger Point fibers but a clump about this size is a good place to start for a size 14 fly.

After snipping the clump free from the hank, get hold of one end so it points toward the tail of the fly. Measure to form a tail a little more than a full hook in length then transfer that measurement rearward to the start of the hook bend. Using a pinch wrap, anchor the material to the top of the hook shank with tight wraps of tying thread. The dubbing beneath really helps to keep the slippery fibers from spinning around the hook shank.

Pull the forward-pointing portion of the material back and take a few tight thread wraps right in front of it. Now pull that portion up to vertical and give it a real good clockwise twist, as if you’re looking down on it. Fold the material over, leaving a twisted wing post that’s about a half-inch tall. Anchor the material at the base of the post with nice tight wraps of tying thread then snip the forward-pointing material off and save it for the next fly. Take a few wraps of tying thread to clean up the area in front of the wing post then pull the post up to vertical and take a few wraps behind it.

There’s way too much material for the tail of the fly, so pull up about 1/3 of it and snip it off close. Pull up another 1/3 a little ways down the hook shank and snip that off as well. This also adds a little taper to the body. Take thread wraps rearward all the way to the start of the hook bend. Then pull the rearward-pointing material tight and snip it off to a hook shank in length to form the tail of the fly. Take a few tight wraps of tying thread up the hook shank until the thread hangs at about the hook point.

Retrieve a more ample clump from the packet of the same dubbing as before and use it to create a slender 3” long noodle on your tying thread. The thinner you can make it, the better. Start taking wraps with the noodle so the dubbing begins right at the base of the tail. Then take touching to slightly overlapping wraps up the hook shank to create a lightly tapered body on the fly. If you’re a little shy of dubbing, don’t sweat it. Just go back to the packet and make another noodle to fill in where needed. Reach for your whip finish tool and use it to do a 4 or 5 turn whip finish behind the hook eye, seat the knot well and snip or cut your tying thread free.

Pull the wing post back and trim it in line with the back edge of the hook bend to produce a wing of the correct height. Preen the material down so it creates a 180 degree arc on top of the fly, like so. The fibers work as outriggers to help support the fly in the surface film.

It’s really amazing how such a simple pattern floats so well. And if it does start to sink, just a few rapid false casts will shed enough water to get the fly floating well once again.