Hot Spot Pheasant Tail
The Hot Spot Pheasant Tail takes Frank Sawyer's legendary pattern and adds a fluorescent dubbing collar — pink, orange, or yellow — just behind the bead as a strike trigger. This simple modification transforms an already effective nymph into one of the most productive Euro-nymphing patterns ever fished. The hot spot draws attention and triggers strikes from fish that might otherwise ignore a plain PTN. Essential on any European competition-style rig.
- Type
- nymph (Mayfly)
- Hook sizes
- #12–18
- Target species
- trout
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall, winter
Materials
- hook: Nymph hook #12–18
- thread: Copper wire or brown thread
- bead: Copper tungsten bead
- tail: Pheasant tail fibers
- body: Pheasant tail wound forward
- ribbing: Fine copper wire
Tying steps
- Slide a copper tungsten bead onto a size 12–18 nymph hook.
- Start copper wire thread at the bend; tie in pheasant tail fiber tail.
- Wind pheasant tail fibers forward as the body to the 2/3 mark.
- Counter-wrap fine copper wire rib in 5–6 spirals over the body.
- Fold more pheasant tail over as the wing case to the 2/3 mark.
- Dub a small bright pink, orange, or yellow hot spot collar against the bead.
- Pull the wing case forward over the hot spot and secure against the bead.
- Whip finish and cement.