Brassie

 

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 quickly or an anchor fly for a team of two or three flies.

If this fly isn't heavy enough for your application try the bead head version  QUICK LINK

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. Lay down an under-body of thread the same colour as the wire that will be used for the body from the 95% position to half way round the bend of the hook.
  2. Tie a length of the body wire 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 eye of the hook, 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 the 95% position.
  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.

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 90% 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 tapers down to the eye of the hook.
  2. Tie the herl off behind the eye of the hook and trim the excess.
  3. Build up a net thread head.
  4. Whip finish the thread and varnish the head of the fly.



Last Updated: May 3, 2011
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Categories: Flies, Nymphs
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