BH Brassie

 

The bead head  version of the Brassie fly has been around for a long time and certainly has a place in ever river fly box. It's a handy fly to have on hand if you need a buggy looking fly that sinks like a brick or an anchor fly for a team of two or three flies.

If this fly is a little heavy try the non bead head version 

Materials

Hook Under-body Thread Body Head Thread Thorax
Hanak Grub hook or equivalent Same as the wire Copper wire coated or uncoated Black Peacock herl

Process

A
  1. Most beads have a large opening at one end and a smaller opening at the other. Slide either a tungsten bead or brass bead over the point of the hook small opening first and position it behind the eye of the hook. I use Tungsten beads for most of my river bead heads.
  2. Lay down an under-body of thread the same colour as the wire that will be used for the body from behind the bead to half way round the bend of the hook.
  3. Poke the end of the body wire into the bead and tie it in along the top of the hook shank. If you keep the wire slightly elevated directly above the hook shank and tie it in progressively down the hook shank with touching turns you finish up with a thread and wire base that is smooth and symmetrical.

B
  1. Take the thread back to the bead, tie it off with a couple of half hitches and trim the excess.
  2. Its much easier to manipulate the wire into a tight body if your not negotiating the under-body thread as you make each wrap of the wire and by having an under-body thread that is the same colour as the wire your using even if you have a little gap between wraps of body wire it is nor so obvious.

C
  1. Wind the wire forward to behind the bead.
  2. In order to ensure that the wraps of wire are in touching turns its best to lay each wrap of wire slightly overlapping the previous wrap of wire and pull it down into place by apply firm pressure on the wire.
  3. If the wire is not painted or anodised its a good idea to apply a thin coat of varnish to the body so that it wont tarnish.

D
  1. Before you trim the wire tie in the black thread.
  2. Take a couple of firm wraps if the black thread to lock the wire into place and then worry off the excess wire.
  3. Take the thread back to the 80% position and tie in the peacock herl for the thorax.
  4. Depending on the quality of the herl you have and the size of the fly you may need one or two herl. On this size #10 hook I have used two herl tied in by the butt end whereas for the size #14 green brassie above on the right side I used one herl tied in by the thin tip end.

E
  1. Form the herl and the thread into a herl rope and wind it forward in close and, if necessary, overlapping urns to form a thorax that fills the gap between the 80% position and the bead.
  2. Tie the herl off behind the bead and trim the excess.
  3. Varnish the whip finished thread and the bead if it is not painted or anodised.
 BH Brassi (bloodworm)



Last Updated: May 4, 2011
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Categories: Bead head nymphs, Flies
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