Fly Spotlight - Hot Wire CDC Pheasant Tail from The Fly Fiend

Step 1 - Grab a jig hook of choice and pair it with the proper sized bead, in this case a 3mm slotted tungsten bead with a size 16 jig hook. Start your thread behind the bead and dress your hook shank with wraps down to the hook point.


Step 2 - Pull 3-4 ringneck pheasant tail fibres off the stem keeping them aligned and tie them on to the top of your hook shank creating a tail a hook gap in length. Take touching thread wraps up the fly securing the rest of the pheasant tail then cut off any excess material.


Step 3 - Cut 2 pieces of Small UTC Ultra Wire in Olive and Copper Brown in 5 inch sections. Keeping the wire aligned, rest both pieces behind the bead and take securing thread wraps down the body to the tail, then return your thread back up the hook creating a smooth thread body.


Step 4 - Keeping both pieces of wire touching, take open spiral wraps up the body creating the flies rib. If the wire doesn’t want to stay together, take a wrap and use your nail and push the leading piece back so its touching. Lay down a small coat of thin Uv clear fly resin over the body section, you want to cover all thread wraps while keeping the profound segmented rib.


Step 5 - Take a single brown CDC feather, gently stroke all fibres downward exposing the tip, Cut a small triangular anchor point at the tip of the feather. Tie the feather on the hook behind the bead with serval tight securing thread wraps.


Step 6 - Grabing the butt section of the stem in your hackle pilers, pull the CDC feather up to vertical keeping the CDC fibres gently laying rearward, take one full wrap with the feather around the hook. Take tight thread wraps securing the feather down to the hook, lift the feather and continue taking a few more securing wraps in front.


Step 7 - Create a small dubbing loop and apply a generous layer of dubbing wax on the loop. Take a pinch of hares ear dubbing. Keeping the dubbing aligned in your fingers slide the hares ear into your dubbing loop.


Step 8 - Keeping your thread pinched tight with your opposite fingers, spin the loaded dubbing loop with your dubbing spinner. Take wraps with the dubbing loop right behind the bead, 1-2 wraps is ideal. Tie off your thread cut out the excess loop. Throw in a 4-5 turn whip finish and cut out your thread, you can take your bodkin and pick out any excess or stray fibres.

 

& there you have it.

We've partnered with our friend Jake, aka The Fly Fiend to offer this unique version of the pattern, that is only available from us. We have a limited amount in sizes 16 & 18 available here.