17" Rainbow Trout Caught With Copper Tinsel Brassie Pattern

Prior to heading to Grande Prairie for the Canadian Fly Fishing Championships, Captain Ernie Kalwa asked me to tie up something very "sparse and skinny" but using primarily the colour copper. Well, he didn't ask for a specific pattern so I tied up something based on the "Brassie" fly. There are so many variations of this fly and probably my variation has been done before. Indeed, all sorts of chironomid patterns are now called "Brassies," although the original uses copper or brass wire to form the body.

But I didn't have any copper wire - and with the liklihood of using mostly full sink fly lines, I could see that less weight might also be an advantage especially also using copper or gold beads in the pattern.. But what I did have was lots of Uni French Oval tinsel in size large. I also had a bunch of copper beads.

Tying the pattern is quick and easy - but if using small beads, you might want to substitute some spooled antron for the white floss I used to create the gills. As well, a thin diameter thread (8/0) to attach the floss or antron so that you will be able to pull the bead up over where you've tied this down on the hook. So although I'm providing a material list, try some others and experiment a bit.

I used Daiichi #1150 size 10 hooks, but you can try other brands and sizes.

Material

Hook: Daiichi #1150, Size 10
Thread: Black, Size 8/0 or 6/0
Body: Uni French Oval Tinsel, Copper
Head: Copper beadhead with three or four peacock herls below
Gills: White floss

Instructions

1. Slip bead over hook and then place hook into vice.
2. Take a few inches of floss off the spool, and double it over twice in such a way that you are tying on four strands.
3. Secure the floss to the hook with thread just below the eye. Whip finish and cut thread.
4. Trim the floss trailing below where you secured it to the hook.
5. Slide the bead up and over where you've tied the floss on. You want it as snug as you can against the hook eye with the floss between the eye and the bead.
6. Re-attach the thread behind the beed and wind it well down the hook shank. At this point, you could trim the floss gills. I've heard it suggested that the length should be about the same as the diameter of the bead. I've used different lengths - the fish still took the fly.
7. Tie in the copper oval tinsel.
8. Wind thread back up to just below the bead, remembering you are going to tie in the peacock herl.
9. Wind the oval tinsel back up the hook and tie off, trim tinsel.
10. Tie in peacock herl by the tips.
11. Wind peacock herl around, about four times. Tie down peacock herl right behind the bead. Trim the peacock herl.
12. For security, apply some head cement to thread and then wind thread around peacock herl.
13. Whip finish behind the bead.
14. Trim the gills formed by the floss.

Fishing The Pattern:

Where allowed, you could fish this pattern as your point fly and/or any number of droppers above as well. Fish it very slowly - try hardly any stripping of your line at all in stillwater situations. You could try a very slow figure of eight retrieve.

But as always, experiment - your results may differ at various times.

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