Schmidt's Hex Nymph (Ray Schmidt)

Hook:     TMC 200R, #6, weighted
Thread:   Olive pre-wax, 6/0
Tail:     Cock ringneck pheasant tail fibers
Shellback: Cock ringneck pheasant tail fibers (butts from tying in tail) 
Rib:      Appliance cord copper wire
Abdomen:  Light olive/cream or cream wool or dubbing, at times with an orange cast.
Wingcase: Cock ringneck pheasant tail segment (spray with Tuffilm or Krylon)
Thorax:   Same as abdomen
Legs:     Single wrap of Hungarian Partridge through thorax
Eyes:     Burned black monofiliment
Head:     Same as abdomen and thorax, dubbed.
1) Weight hook with 12-15 wraps of .030 wire, then flatten abdomenare a and add a drop of Zap or superglue.
2) Tie in pheasant tail fibers for tail exactly at tail location, then fold back butts to be used later for shellback.
3) Tie in wire for ribbing. Tie in yarn and wind or dub the abdomen.
4) Pull the butts from tail forward over the abdomen as a shellback, tie off and trim. Wind the ribbing forward, binding the back to the abdomen. Tie the wire off, fold the wire back over the tie-down, tie off again, and break off the remaining wire.
5) Cut a section of the pheasant tail feather to be used for the wingcase and tie it in by the butts on top of the hook, dark side up, tips pointing to the rear of the fly. The actual tiedown location is where the abdomen and thorax meet, but it is helpful to tie the butts down throughout the thorax area to add some bulk.
6) Prepare and tie in a Hungarian partridge feather, by the butt, in the front part of the thorax area.
7) Complete the thorax with the yarn or dubbing used for the abdomen, making it a bit bulkier than the abdomen. Make sure you leave plenty of room to tie in the eyes, form a head, and tie down the wingcase. Fold the partridge feather and spiral it forward, making one wrap, and tieing it off in front of the thorax.
8) Burn a set of eyes and tie in immediately in front of the thorax. I find it very helpful to use the barrel of an old style ball-point over the hook eye to hold the eyes in place while tying, or to tilt the hook so the hook eye is pointing up.
9) Dub a few of the fibers from the yarn used in the thorax and cover the tiedown area behind, over, and under the eyes forming the head.
10) Either pull the wingcase forward, or, using a dubbing needle, fold it forward. Tie the wingcase off in front of the eyes, and finish with a couple of half-hitches or whip finish.

Dennis Burck (burck@dnrserver1.dnr.state.mi.us)