Category 3 Flashback Pheasant Tail - Copper Tungsten Bead

A pheasant tail that stopped pretending to be subtle

A plain pheasant tail is an imitation. Add legs, UV dubbing and a flashback and you have something else: a fly that goes looking for fish rather than waiting to be inspected. That is a useful thing to carry alongside the plain version, because the two do opposite jobs. Wire wraps under a tungsten bead get it down fast, so it works as the point fly in a double nymph rig or hung under a dry on a dry-dropper.