Brad's Brat

[dillon]

This summer on my favorite steelhead stream i opened my leafed wheatley and looked for a fly to swing through the run. Out of all those flies I hard a hard time picking one I liked enough to fish. So, i culled my box, scraped the shanks of the flies i wouldnt fish and got to tying. I'm almost done.

After finishing up the small hairwings, I retied a few large spey patterns. A few years ago I watched Dave McNeese tie a hairwing spey at an expo here in Oregon. Wanting a little refresher on this talented man's technique, so I found a you tube video on his spey Brad's Brat. Enos Bradner originated the fly and Dave has added the some modern materials to give it a little more fish popping appeal.

I wish i could tie like Dave, but I suppose it will hunt...

Dave on :
YouTube

 

[fredaevans]

This fly is 'old' but it just works. :weight_li

 

[Ard]

Frankly that's a good enough job of fly tying for my eyes, I don't know what you could do any better!

Very fine tying!

 

[mcnerney]

That looks pretty awesome to me, congrats!

 

[dillon]

Thanks guys. I'm just in awe of the experts in how easy they make perfection look. If you watched the video, Dave wrapped both hackles at the same time, folding the schlapen over the bronze mallard wing. I couldn't do it well, so wrapped them separately. A small gap can be seen between them. One of the reasons I watched the video was to see how he makes such a small neat head. I am getting better at it. The head is known as the tiers "signature" and I want to consistently be able do it well.

I found his comments on the butt of the fly interesting. According to McNeese, steelhead key on it when they strike the fly. He uses bright shining materials in that area of the fly wrapping a silver tinsel underbody and incorporating us dubbing. I do believe little things in the fly and it's presentation can make the fish of a thousand casts come a little more frequently.

Although the hook is not as cool, I like my second try a bit better:

 

[fredaevans]

Enos Bradner - Think he invented the fly; knew him from the Steelhead Trout Club of Washington. Older fellow, even at that time, but Steelhead FEARED HIM and his fly rod.

If you Google him you'll get pages of hits.:wavetowel

fae