Q: Can you give me the recipe for your BHSHPT nymph?
A: You betcha. As a point of procedure, it is not “mine.” People have been tying this fly for generations. I’m just another in a long line who discovered the magnetic mojo of adding webby brown hen to the mix. I’ve really got to do a video of this pattern.
The bead head soft-hackled Pheasant Tail:
Hook: Size 8-16 1x short 2x strong scud
Thread: Tan or brown 6/0 or 8/0
Head: Copper brass or tungsten bead to size
Tail/body: 6 (less as the hook gets smaller) pheasant tail fibers
Rib: Fine copper wire counterwrapped over body
Thorax: Peacock herl
Hackle: Soft brown hen
Tying notes: Old faithful, old reliable. Over the years. this fly has accounted for a significant percentage of the trout I’ve caught. Tying should be fairly intuitive. Lately, I’ve taken to tying in the hackle after I wind the peacock herl thorax. A few stray hackle fibers here and there on a nymph looks lovely to a trout. Once I get down to an 18 or 20 on this fly, I dispense entirely with the peacock herl. I also will use only three pheasant tail fibers on an 18 or 20.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the info. It’s almost identical to the way I’ve been tying them, but I’ve always used the pheasant tail tips for the legs/hackle. I like the idea of using hen or grouse — probably more lifelike.
Jim,
The soft-hackle will undoubtably give you more motion, and more things that are moving. Try fishing both of them and let the trout tell you what they like.