This pattern is a brilliant variation of the Frank Sawyer/Al Troth timeless Pheasant Tail Nymph. I'm not sure who first created this variant, but since the use of soft hackle collars for nymph legs is longstanding it is likely not a singularly unique credit.

A few decades ago when the competition market popularized the use of beads to weight hooks anglers embraced the concept, especially so in the United States. I do feel that beaded flies contribute to the success of many anglers by forcing flies deeper into the water column faster, and by creating a point of contrast, or "hot spot." If there is a greater proponent of hot spots than myself I'd like to meet him!

However successful once wet, tying beaded flies presents some issues for many tiers. The two greatest issues, aside from bead sizing, are how the bead effects proportions, and how to finish the fly behind the bead.

Hopefully this tutorial will successfully provide solutions to those issues, as well as offer a look at a very effective variant to an already awesome pattern.

MATERIALS

Hook: Mustad 80200, 80250, C49S or similar shrimp/caddis hook

Bead: Copper (I prefer Tungsten)

Weight: Fine lead wire to hold bead in place

Tail: Cock Pheasant Center Tail Fibers

Rib: Fine Copper Wire

Abdomen: Cock Pheasant Center Tail Fibers

Thorax: Peacock Herl

Hackle: Favorite Brown Soft Hackle (Dark Mottled Hen Back Shown)

Debarb hook, slip on bead and place in your vise. Wrap fine lead wire around thorax portion and slide in to the bead cavity. This will later act to fill the void and prevent the bead from sliding down over the slim body.

Cover the lead with tying thread and lay down a base of thread to the rear. I carry the body well past the barb position when using scud hooks.

Select 6 or so fibers from the center feathers of a cock pheasant tail as these will provide the longest fibers. Pull the group away from then stem to align the tips. Once the tips are aligned, clip the bunch away using your scissors as close to the stem as possible.

Measure the tips to be equal to 1/2 the shank length.

Switch hands, keeping the tips pointing to the rear, and position the measured point at an angle against the thread location as shown.

Allowing the thread (a tool, not a material!) to catch the fibers and rolls them into place on top of the hook, make 2 tight wraps to secure the tails in place.

Gently lift the excess fibers butts and advance the thread in front of them, then wrap forward to the thorax area. If you pull the fibers too hard when lifting they will pull out of the 2 thread wraps.

Catch in a piece of fine copper wire...

...and bind it to the far side of the hook all the way back to the tail position. Be sure there are no gaps between where the tail is secured and where the wire ribbing material is secured.

Return the thread to the thorax position which is the mid-point of the hook shank, ignoring the bead. Now, since you have laid a number of tight thread wraps since securing the PT fibers, the fibers will be torques to the shank fairly tightly.

Go ahead and wrap the PT fibers forward to the thread position. I do not bother twisting them prior to wrapping as they will twist upon themselves with each wrap. Make the last pass in front of the thread on the far side of the hook, under the hook and then pull slightly back on the nearside of the hook. Take two wraps of thread to secure the body.

Clip the excess fibers.

Counter-rib the body with the fine copper wire by wrapping the wire in the opposite direction around the hook. I like to make my first wrap under the tail fibers to make them stand away from the hook's bend. The ribbing is for durability, so make your wraps open and even, but rather closely spaced

Select a soft hackle cape or patch. The choice is yours as to which type of bird you use. Since I rather like the overall brown hue to the PT nymph I like to stick with a dark mottled han back for this pattern.

Select a feather whose barbs will extend from the bead to a bit past the hook point when on angle. This will maximize the action of the "legs" but will not make the fly appear oversized.

Turn the feather over to expose the underside and stroke down the barbs to expose the very tip of the feather.

Tie the feather in just behind the bead, with the underside facing up, by the exposed tip. Be sure you do not leave a gap between the bead and hackle!

It's OK to use enough wrap to fully bind down the hackle, you'll be covering the thorax in the next step. If you do not use enough wraps, you'll risk pulling the hackle out later--and that sucks!

Clip the excess hackle tip that is facing the rear of the hook.

Select 3 or 4 well-flued peacock herl feathers and roughly even the tips.

Clip off the top 1-inch or so of the herls to both square the tips and remove the most fragile sections. Be sure you are working with the slim, well flued tips and not the thicker, thinly flued bases.

Secure the tips to the hook just behind the bead and wrap back with your thread to the rear edge of the thorax, which is the 1/2 point of the hook shank ignoring the bead.

Advance your thread forward again to a location tight behind the bead

Wrap the bundle forward to form the thorax and a shoulder against which the soft hackle will rest erect. Last pass goes on far side of hook and in front of the thread...

...passes under the hook and is drawn slightly to the rear where...

...it is secure with 2 wraps of thread.

Clip the excess.

Gently lift the soft hackle and move thread between it and the bead. It should be a tight fit!

Make two wraps of the soft hackle, stroking the fibers to the rear between wraps.

After final wrap secure with 2 tight wraps of thread. Immediately whip finish--resist the temptation to form a "head" which is 100% unnecessary when making beaded flies.

If you were prudent in the construction of the fly and minimized the thread wraps as instructed, you should not have an unsightly thread collar behind the bead.

Completed Bead Head Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail Nymph!