Brassie, Brassie for sure! With a bead though? Yes, no doubt with a bead, tungsten even!
Red Brassie Chartreuse Brassie with Small Wire
The Brassie fly pattern for me is a favorite. I can tie them quickly, they help keep me disciplined with my thread wraps, and the color options are pretty much endless. Tie em green, gold, red, white, blue, copper, of course, and whatever color you feel mimics the water you fish the best. The Brassie is a fly that most likely is imitating different types of larva. For this reason I like to add a tungsten bead to help get them deep quick. I also tend to add the more modern peacock herl to this classic pattern for a leggy appeal vs the original shrink wrap tubing or garbage bag thorax.
Step By Step Copper Bead head Brassie:
Tiemco 2487 #16 w/ Black Tungsten 7/64 Bead Veevus 16/0 Black Thread secured behind bead
Slide the bead on the hook and fix in tying vise. Make just a few locking wraps to secure the tying thread to the hook behind the bead.
UTC Ultra Wire Brassie Copper Wire Secured Wire in place to be wrapped forward
Select a strand of tying wire a few inches long and secure it on one side of the hook. With the tip of the wire just inside the bead, wrap over top of it all the way down the hook shank. Make sure to keep very smooth tread wraps throughout this process so the wire can lay nicely over top.
Wrapping wire Tying off wire Thread thorax created
With tight, touching wraps, bring the wire all the way up, right behind the bead and secure. Spin off the excess wire and cover the wire creating a thorax region behind the bead.
Peacock Herl 7″ Peacock tied in with longer barbels tied facing down Wrapping Peacock Herl Clipping thread
Pull one strand of peacock herl from the pack and clip the first half inch off the tip. This makes your tie in point a little more durable. Tie in on one side of the hook ensuring the longer side of the peacock herl if facing down. (Image three above). Palmer forward a few times right up to the bead and secure with tying thread. Whip finish!
Copper Brassie (Left Side) Copper Brassie (Right Side)
Recipe:
- Hook: Tiemco 2487 16-24
- Bead: Countersunk Tungsten Black Nickle
- Thread: 16/0 Veevus
- Body: UTC Ultra Wire Brassie – XS
- Thorax/Collar: Peacock Hearl