Would this work for chrome?

[SBecker]

Flipping through a magazine and saw these brassy patterns, so I tied one up each to try for chrome this weekend, but would they work for steel?I don't want to waste my time tying them if it is not a pattern that is recommended. The one without the bead is on a 16 egg hook and the one with the bead is a size 14 nymph hook.

 

[jayL]

They'd work fine. They work well for trout too.

I would maybe get some thicker wire so that you can build the body in one pass, but that's purely for looks.

 

[SBecker]

Thanks J, Yea I was just looking for something different to tie with the materials that I had and this is what I came up with. Hopefully I will be expanding my materials next weekend at the fly show.

 

[gfen]

Cheap wire in the beading section of sprawlmart and craft stores.

The craft places will sell you an assortment of like 12 different colours for $10 or so, on par with "small" fly tying stuff. The beading section will have thicker stuff too, usually just gold and silver though.

Speaker wire core is a great place for copper wire of different gauges, too.

 

[osprey]

They will work just fine , one lil bit of advice the flies are good but copper wire if you don't make sure it's dry all the time will corrode easier than many other metals , besides making sure any you have used get dried , the ones youhave stored should stay airtight or you'll have a bunch of green brassies , which might work till the wire turns to powder.

 

[SBecker]

Thanks Jerry and Osprey for the tip!

 

[jdaddy]

I am often surprised at the number of people that I see putting wet flies away in their fly box. That is particularly problematic now that there are so many of the generic C&F waterproof/airtight boxes floating around. The moisture contained in a nice sized fly or streamer could easily rust ever hook in that box. If I put them back in the box, I open the box up on the car seat and let it dry out before closing the box for longer term storage.

Regarding the flies, they look like variations on the traditional Brassie. As noted you need a larger diameter copper wire, however to me the peacock herl looks very "non-traditional". Usually the peacock is much more compact on the head/thorax of the fly. Having said that, both of those things are in comparison of "traditional" look which of course isn't a drop dead replication of anything living in the stream, so you style may be better than the "traditional".

As Jerry notes, getting a wide variety of wire colours allow you to make some very quick and simple midge larva patterns that can get down in the water column quicker than thread bodies.

As far as steelhead . . . who knows? Again, not a "traditional" steelhead looking fly but then again look at a steelhead fly box! The HUGE steelhead fly tying section at All Seasons in Pulaski looks like a bunch of hippies ate acid and threw up on the wall. Seems anything bright/gawdy/flashy will interest steel at one point or another.

 

[gfen]

I learned a simple pattern with all wire body, a bit of scruffy dubbing, and then a collar of partridge or hen. It works, its easy, and its all metal so it'll drop down quick.

I've also done some touch dubbed wire bodies lately, but I need more experimentation with better wax (bought a toilet seat ring last night), but it definatly adds something to the pattern that all wire lacks.

 

[wsender]

jdaddy wrote:


As far as steelhead . . . who knows? Again, not a "traditional" steelhead looking fly but then again look at a steelhead fly box! The HUGE steelhead fly tying section at All Seasons in Pulaski looks like a bunch of hippies ate acid and threw up on the wall. Seems anything bright/gawdy/flashy will interest steel at one point or another.

True story. I wanted to tie some different steelhead flies then the traditional Eggs and such and was pretty much told by an oldtimer in a local fly shop the gaudier the better.

I like BIG stone flies too. Size 12-8 are usually productive.

 

[jaybo41]

I wouldn't hesitate to throw that for Steel, especially in low and clear conditions. PT's, Hare's Ear and Stones are always good choices to throw. Especially in tandem with an egg pattern.

 

[jdaddy]

I learned a simple pattern with all wire body, a bit of scruffy dubbing, and then a collar of partridge or hen. It works, its easy, and its all metal so it'll drop down quick. I've also done some touch dubbed wire bodies lately, but I need more experimentation with better wax (bought a toilet seat ring last night), but it definatly adds something to the pattern that all wire lacks.

Again, I question how you present these flies being the dry purest that you are?

 

[TUNA]

I tie tons of "Brassies". I tie them in Blue, Purple, White, Orange, Red, Green, Yellow, Olive, etc. I also use Peacock Herl and sometimes Ostrich Herl for the thorax. I also tie a few with a dubbing mixture usually containing some type of UV dubbing for the thorax. I tie them from size 14 all the way down to 22. You can also use 2 or 3 different colors of Ultra Wire for the body, kind of striped looking if you get what I'm saying. I tie all of mine with beads, different sizes and different color beads, sometimes make a different to the fish. The work great for trout, steelhead, and in bigger sizes Bass and Sunnies. IMO brassies are a great and under utilized fly, that should have a spot in every fly box. I will try to post some pics of some of mine.

 

[gfen]

jdaddy wrote:
Again, I question how you present these flies being the dry purest that you are?

Hanging 12" below a sz14 Royal Wulff, Patriot, or Usual, of course.

 

[jdaddy]

Hanging 12" below a sz14 Royal Wulff, Patriot, or Usual, of course.

So basically what you are telling us is that you are in fact a nympher at heart.

 

[ryguyfi]

Watch your thread build up at the eye of your fly. You've got so much thread on that top fly that it looks like the size of a bead. Just cover up the materials at the top, whip and cement and you're done. You'll have too much thread, and not enough fly with that much thread. Also look at the gap you produced by all the thread behind the bead. You'll learn to use "just enough" thread on your flies the more you tie. It's just something you get the hang of the more you tie.

 

[gfen]

jdaddy wrote:

Hanging 12" below a sz14 Royal Wulff, Patriot, or Usual, of course.

So basically what you are telling us is that you are in fact a nympher at heart.

No, because I'll inevitably wrap some hen feather around it and say I'm a big fan of soft hackle wet flies, but am too stupid to fish them without a bobber.

Also, when annoyance sets in (usually after the second roll-cast-pickup-to-back-cast inspired tangle), I cut it off and merrilly just go with a single dry.

 

[jayL]

50% of the nymphs I tie incorporate some sort of soft hackled collar, yet you criticize me for nymphing. Mhmmm.

 

[jdaddy]

I was thinking about that the other day. Using casts of wet flys with no indicator is awfully close to polish nymphing.

 

[Blake]

i have great luck with this style of fly in a little bit faster water due to the weight. the only problem i have and strongly dislike is tht in medium to slower current i get ALOT of fowl hook ups. so i put these away for the right conditions.

 

[gfen]

jayL wrote:
50% of the nymphs I tie incorporate some sort of soft hackled collar, yet you criticize me for nymphing. Mhmmm.

No, I criticise people who insist I have to stare intently at a piece of amnesia while a ball of lead and guard hairs bounces across the rocks.

I could care less what you do, so long as you acknowledge its boring.