What it is
Hareline UV2 Ringneck Pheasant Tail is UV-treated ringneck pheasant tail feathers, built from the long, fine fibers of a male ringneck pheasant’s tail. The UV2 double-dye treatment keeps the natural look but adds UV fluorescence and UV reflectance, which can show up as extra life in the water without changing how the fibers handle on the hook.
What to tie with it
Use it anywhere you’d normally reach for pheasant tail fibers: split or bunch them for nymph tails, tie them in along the sides for legs, or pull them over the top as a wingcase. The fibers knot well for grasshopper legs, and they work for longer tails on big mayfly imitations like Hex patterns. You can also palmer the fibers to build a segmented abdomen, and they make clean antennae on stonefly patterns.
Flies and the fish they're for
Pheasant Tail Nymphs are a go-to mayfly nymph imitation for trout in rivers and tailwaters, and they’re just as at home for panfish in ponds when you fish them smaller and shallower. Dave’s Hopper uses pheasant tail for the knotted legs and is a summer staple for trout on banks and cut edges, and it’ll also pull up opportunistic smallmouth in streams when hoppers are around. Pheasant Tail Soft Hackles fish as wet flies for trout and can be swung across riffles and runs when you want that subtle buggy profile. Pheasant Tail Dry Flies show up on trout water when you need a slimmer, natural-looking dry with a pheasant tail element in the profile.
How it compares
Compared to standard pheasant tail, the UV2 version adds UV fluorescence and UV reflectance through the dye treatment. Compared to turkey tail feathers, pheasant tail is less fibrous and gives you finer fibers, and standard pheasant tail remains more versatile across a wider range of fly sizes.