Umpqua Hot Belly Pheasant Tail Bead Head Nymph Fly

Overview

The Hot Belly Pheasant Tail from Umpqua takes the Pheasant Tail, one of the most trusted nymphs ever tied, and adds a bright hot spot to the thorax. This version has a purple hot spot and a gold bead.

The Pheasant Tail works because its slim, segmented body and natural brown color look like a wide range of mayfly nymphs, from Baetis and PMDs to callibaetis in lakes. The hot spot adds one small trigger point that can make a fish notice your fly among all the naturals drifting past. Purple has become a favorite trigger color for many Western anglers, especially in clear water and on pressured trout.

Euro Specs

• Hook: Standard nymph hook.
• Role: Dropper. Fish it behind a heavier point fly or under a dry.

How to Fish It

• Indicator rig: fish it as the second fly behind a heavier stonefly or attractor nymph, 14 to 18 inches apart, on 5X or 6X tippet.
• Dry-dropper: hang it 18 to 24 inches under a buoyant dry in riffles and pocket water.
• Tight-line: use it as the upper dropper above a tungsten anchor fly.
• Stillwater: suspend it under an indicator near weed beds during callibaetis season, or retrieve it with a slow hand twist.

Choosing Color and Size

This listing is the Purple hot spot in size 16, a size that covers most mid-sized mayfly nymphs like PMDs and larger Baetis. Purple adds a subtle trigger that shows up well in clear water without spooking fish.