Tyin' The Merc Head Flash Back Pheasant Tail Mayfly Nymph 20May18

I am out of many bugs and need to do some tying. So during some replenishment I'll do low-tech tying instructions for grins... here are the tying instructions for one of my favorite mayfly nymphs (it's great during pre-emerger times, but Destiny's Child and the merc head RS2 are better during emergence IMO). During spring my desired size is typically a #20 and during fall it drops to a #22. By using mainly natural materials for most of this fly, a very "buggy" and swishy imitation results... it is often not as durable but its a deadly mayfly-alike especially dead drifted through the riffles above a deeper hole or run.

In The Box Ready To Deploy

Recipe/Ingredients

• #18-#22 Tiemco 101 hook
• 70 rusty brown UTC UltraThread
• Head: mercury glass bead
• Tail: ~8 pheasant tail fibers
• Body: wrapped PT fibers with counter-wrapped S copper wire
• Thorax:2 peacock herl pieces twisted together
• Wing Casing: pheasant tail fibers pulled over thorax with M opal mylar mirage tinsel on top
• Legs: pheasant tail fibers split and tied in pulled down

Here We Go...

Place bead on and bind on rusty brown thread

Tie in copper wire and wrap to bend;
I like to just stick wire 1/2 into bead to secure

Select 6-8 PT fibers; align perpendicular to stem
and yank them off

Size tail = shank, then tie in fibers with 2 wraps,
then wrap thread in from of PTs to bead
(I'm a little long in the tail here)

Carefully wrap the clump of PT fibers around
shank smoothly & bind in @ 4/5 point

Counter-wrap (strengthens fly) copper wire 5-7X
and bind down; helicopter off tag end wire
(take care binding as counter wraps tend
to unwind on bind-in)

Tie in pearl or opal M mylar tinsel facing to tail

Wrap over PT fiber to point them rearward
in prep for a thorax and wing casing

Tie in 2 pieces of peacock herl and move thread
forward to just behind bead

Twist/spin peacock herl pieces together ~6X
(again, for strength)

Wrap peacock ~4X then bind in behind bead and
trim excess (I usually just bust it off)

Pull PT fibers over peacock thorax flattening
and widening them; bind in behind bead

Separate PT fiber evenly to each side with
mylar in the middle and bind in mylar 

Hold PT fibers down and back with thumb and
index finger and take 2 extra wraps

Whip finish fly (hold fibers down & back if you can)

Read to slay 'em