Peacock Nymph - simple, yet effective

~By: Lance Dean | September 7, 2014

In his early teens, my brother received a fly tying kit for his birthday.  My Dad showed us that wrapping peacock herl around a hook and then whip finishing the thread on the hook created the peacock nymph.  He told us it was one of the only flies he fished as a teenager when fly fishing.

After that evening I saved up my money and bought my own  vise and materials and started tying flies.  Although the Peacock Nymph isn’t my favorite fly to tie, it was my first and it is an effective pattern.  As I became a more experienced tyer I added a bead and lead wire to get it down deep faster.  I find that the beaded version of the Peacock Nymph is a bit more effective than the non-beaded version.

At any rate, here is the step-by-step for the Beaded Peacock nymph.  Please share any comments you may have.

MATERIALS:

PEACOCK NYMPH
HOOK:	TCM 5262 size 12
THREAD:	UTC 70 - Black
BEAD:	1/8" Bead
BODY:	Peacock Herl
WEIGHT:	.020 Lead Wire

1. Place bead on hook and secure hook in the vise.

2. Wrap the hook shank with ten wraps of lead wire.

3. Push lead wire into opening of bead until it will not slide down the hook shank any further.

4. Wrap thread around the lead wire and the hook shank, creating a taper from the end of the lead wire to the bend of the hook

5. Starting at the bend of the hook, tie in three strands of peacock herl. Stop wrapping the thread behind the bead.

6. Wrap the three strands of peacock herl up the up the hook shank to behind the bead.Secure the peacock herl with three tight wraps of thread.

7. Trim the peacock herl. Wrap the thread a few more times behind the bead and whip finish.Then cut the thread. Apply head cement.Finished BH Peacock Nymph

Peacock Nymph without the bead.

VIDEO TUTORIAL: