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During the summer, PMDs play a huge role in a trout’s
diet on many streams across the Rocky Mountains.
These mayflies can range in color from a pale to
bright yellow depending on location, but one thing
that doesn’t change is the trout’s appetite for them.
PMDs usually hatch at mid-morning, and will continue
to emerge anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours
depending on weather and stream conditions. Trout
like to stack up in the eddies and tailouts of pools
to feed on the newly-hatched or still-hatching
insects. I like to fish this emerger twelve to
fifteen inches behind a Parachute or Cripple PMD with
a nine-foot 5x leader so I can cover two stages of the
hatch at the same time. I prefer to pick out
individual fish versus “flock shooting” into a group
of risers. What many anglers don’t realize is that
each individual fish within the pod may be keying in
on a different stage of the hatch, so blind casting
into the group is not a technique the prudent angler
practices. This short tie is a great imitation of a
PMD emerger that can be fished dry in the surface film
or wet with an indicator and weight. Tie up a few
PMDmergers and be prepared for the hatch this summer.
I don’t think you will be disappointed!
Directions
- Start your thread a third of the way down the shank
and tie in two to three pheasant tail fibers.
 - Wrap back slightly into the bend, taking care to
keep the fibers directly on top of the shank.
- Tie in three to four wood duck fibers the same
length as the pheasant tail fibers and wrap forward to
the starting point.
- Tie in two to three more pheasant tail fibers and
wrap back again, securing the fibers on top of the
shank.
- Bring the thread forward and wrap the pheasant tail
fibers up the shank to create the abdomen.
- Secure the fibers with two to three tight wraps and
cut off the excess.
 - Even the tips of two CDC feathers and measure them
against the hook so they extend just past the end of
the abdomen. Tie them in atop the shank.
- Tie in four or five wood duck fibers over the CDC
feathers.
- Add a small thorax of pale yellow dubbing and whip
finish.
JD Miller is the Managing Editor of Rocky Mountain
Fly and a guide for Henry's Fork Anglers. He lives in Island Park, ID
and can be reached at
jd@rockymtnfly.com
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