It imitates a large variety of olive, olive-brown colored aquatic insect larvae that many fish including trout and grayling feed upon.

[1] Skues used a soft-hackle fly with cock pheasant tail fibers for the body, but longer hackle for the legs.

[1] The pattern quickly became successful on trout streams in England and America as it was an excellent imitation of the nymphs of any mayfly species with olive or olive-brown bodies.

Frank's Pheasant Tail suggests many of the skinny nymphs that flourish in various habitats, exciting riffles to alluring deep holes in the rivers bed of chalk streams or spring creeks; and in stillwaters of all sizes.

Pay particular attention to shallow areas near weed beds In the UK, Sawyer's Pheasant Tail Nymph is an excellent imitation of "agile darter" nymphs, specifically Lake Olive (Cloëon simile) and Pond Olive (Cloëon dipterum) at any time of day, and can even be used during a midge (chironomidae) hatch.