Best Nymph of all - is flashback needed ?

[Spider]

Hi all

Havent posted in a while but just wanted your thoughts on something.

Having recently been advised by a guide ( and salesman of these nymphs ! ) that the very best nymph in his experience is the Pheasant Tail Flashback ( and the flashback makes it noticeably better in his experience ) , can anyone comment on this ?

What is the one nymph ( for river trout fishing, not on limestone unfortunately! ) that you would not be without ?

Is the PTN better than the Hares Ear ( he was 100% certain that it was )

Is the Flashback version much better than the original ?

I want to tie some up as i cant fish with a cracked rib!

[urbanflyman]

their are that many diffrent variations of both the hares ear and the phesant tail nymphs but from time to time their does seem to be one that works better than the others but i wouldnt get caught up in wether your nymph needs this or that just stick to the original pattern to start with and on both these nymphs you will catch fish then try variations in what ever manner you like ,im sure most will catch fish ,but mostly have fun experimenting with your tying

[Adz]

PTN better than a hares ear? I wouldn't like to be without either. True, I find the PTN very slightly faster to tie and have always found dyed pheasant tail easier to use than dyed hares mask, but then combinations of pheasant and hare have been really effective for me in the past and my best brown, from the Kennet, fell to a hares ear ribbed with some old maxima nylon.

Tie 25 of both... then tie up some mixtures of both... now tie a load in different sizes from really small to flippin' mahoosive stonefly immitations... when you're really bored of tying 'traditional' shaped nymphs invent some skinny damsels on long, curved shank hooks... now tie a load of dubbed hare sedge pupae with pheasant wing cases and shucks... trust me, your rib still won't have healed before you're well and truly sick of tying every variation of PTN or Hares ear you can dream up.

Cheers,

[royvs]

I do find the PTN to be my most effective river fly and I do find the flash back to be more effective than any other.

I have no idea why..could it just be that I have confidence in it and use it more than any other

[Taniwha]

#16 beadhhead ptn WITH flashback is my most successful UK river nymph pattern

hare and copper #12 heavily weighted in NZ, never tried a flashback variant but will next trip

[Gander]

Originally Posted by Spider

Is the PTN better than the Hares Ear ( he was 100% certain that it was )

Is the Flashback version much better than the original ?

I suppose the answer is yes and no. In certain conditions for certain prey, flashbacks will have the edge, but the original will have its days also. Tie up both.

[MichaelL]

I find a small sz 19 ptn with a orange thread thorax to be a my most proficient fish catcher, tied as the trailing fly when nymphing NZ style. I'm experimenting with sz 20 copper john (replacing the biots with pheasant tail at this size) this season, but don't have a big enough sample of fish to make an accurate comparison. I suspect the note about the PTN is near the mark.
One thing I do find, a large-ish hare and copper with a read bead (translucent kind) seems to work wonders for me when the river is slightly coloured. No idea why, or if my observations are statistically valid!

[North Country Angler]

In low, clear river conditions oop north, I find the flashback can be counter-productive. I save these for those days when there's a slight peaty tinge in the water and fish the unadorned versions otherwise....