Frank Sawyer Pheasant Tail

Background: This nymph, created by Frank Sawyer, ranks, with the Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear nymph, as one of the most popular flies of its type in the world. It has stood the test of time and has proven itself on rivers and streams all over the world.

Frank Sawyer, who worked as the riverkeeper on the Wiltshire Avon in England, designed this nymph to imitate several species of the Baetis family, generally referred to as the 'olives'.

Being an utterly practical man, his aim was to focus on what he considered to be the key elements, and forgo unnecessary 'niceties' in the dressing. These key elements are:

• these nymphs are 'swimmers', hence a slim streamlined silhouette
• when swimming, the natural folds its legs flat against the body, as such no legs on the imitation
• gill movement along the abdomen
• very short, 'fuzzy' tails

And a final requirement was the need for a nymph which would have a clean entry through the surface film, sinking quickly to the depth required by the angler.

The nymph Frank Sawyer came up with is extremely elegant in its simplicity in materials and composition, using only a hook, dark copper wire and a few pheasant tail fibers.