Stan's been on the tools again!
Last month, I received this cool looking tin through the post:
It was from good friend and French fly designer, Stan (of Ceramic Flies & Nymphèvolution fame). I opened the tin and read the accompanying note - it described some new nymphs he'd been working on - now he had found the perfect body wire material, he'd tied some up and sent them over for me to test - I love receiving packages like that!
I tested them late last month - not in ideal conditions, hadly any water and it was in full sun - but I did walk away with a few small 'wildies' to the net, from a seculded spot where a feeder stream entered the main flow.
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Before I continue, I have a very special 'one day only' offer for you ...
For today only - If your order total is £40 or more for any of our flies, we will add in one of our Unweighted Micro Nymph Selections for FREE - there's no discount codes (or special phrases to say) - just order £40+ and your free selection will appear, as if by magic, in your basket with a 100% discount already applied!
Please Note: This special offer closes at midnight tonight, or when you've cleaned us out of Unweighted Micro Nymph Selections, whichever one happens sooner.
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I think these Brassie nymphs are something really special. Stan's Brassie Nymph is a simple pattern that does exactly what it needs to do at this time of year, and I think you're going to like it.
We've only got 100 of each colour tied up for this first release, so once they're gone, that's it for now.
If you're the sort of angler who likes to show the fish a new pattern before everyone else has one in their box, these are definitely worth a look.
Stan's Brassie's comes in three coloured variations:
• Black Widow
• Chocolate Brown; and
• Spanish Olive
Each with its own specialist coloured wire body and a thorax of special 'secret' French dubbing. Every one is tied on a size 18 Maruto 7248 medium wire (long shank) barbless hook, which gives it a slim, natural profile as it tumbles along the riverbed.
It's a light nymph at just 0.04g, built to imitate the kind of dislodged nymph that trout and grayling can't resist gorging on through August and September.
With only 100 of each colour available in this batch, if a colour catches your eye, don't leave it too long to decide!
What makes the Brassie so useful is its versatility across different water types and setups.
It's designed as a dropper fly for river nymphing setups and sight nymphing in slower flows, and works equally well on stillwaters fished with a figure-of-eight retrieve on a floating line - see the P.S. section at the end of this email.
On rivers, it's ideally fished as a dropper in your nymphing rig, and it comes into its own for single sight nymphing in those slower, clearer flows where fish can inspect a fly closely. The barbless hook and slender wire body mean it sinks quickly without excessive weight, so it gets down to where the fish are feeding without unbalancing your leader. It's a pattern built for precision rather than bulk, which is exactly what you want when grayling are picking off naturals close to the bottom.
Don't overlook stillwaters either. A figure-of-eight retrieve on a floating line keeps the Brassie moving with a natural, slightly erratic action that mimics a dislodged nymph drifting in the current or being stirred up near the margins.
The 1.5mm glass bead head adds just enough weight and flash to get attention without looking artificial, and the specialist coloured wire body catches the light nicely as it moves. Whether you're working a river seam or working a stillwater bank, this is a fly designed to be fished actively rather than left to sit.
Each Brassie is tied to Stan's usual standard, which is to say properly, consistently, and with high-quality barbless hooks throughout, in keeping with how we do things at Barbless Flies.
If you've fished his other patterns before, you'll know what I mean when I say there's a neatness to his work that you can see and feel in hand. This isn't a fly with a complicated story behind it. It's a straightforward, well-tied nymph that suits the conditions we're heading into now, and I think it deserves a place in your box this season.
We are making these nymphs available in the following formats:
• A pack of 3 (all the same colour) for only £6.75
• A pack of 6 for only £12.50
• A Pack of 12 for only £24; or
• A Mixed pack of 12 (4 of each colour) for only £24
Please Note: This is a limited first batch of only 100 of each colour, tied to Stan's usual exacting standards.
Each nymph is tied on a size 18 Maruto 7248 medium wire, long shank, barbless hook, with a specialist coloured wire body, thorax of special French dubbing, topped off with an 'unbreakable' 1.5mm coloured glass bead - weighing a light 0.04g.
I hope one earns a place on your leader over the coming weeks - they've slready secured a spot in my summer nymphing box.
If you've got questions about which colour might suit your local water, or how you could fish a Brassie, I'm always glad to hear from fellow anglers, just reply to this email.
Tight lines.
P.S. When fishing a Brassie as a dropper, try positioning it just above a heavier point fly rather than below it. Since the Brassie is light at just 0.04g, it will ride higher in the water column and imitate a nymph that's been dislodged and is drifting up, which is exactly the behaviour that triggers grayling and trout to strike.
On stillwaters, keep your figure-of-eight retrieve slow and irregular rather than steady. A consistent retrieve can look unnatural, whereas short pauses and slight variations in speed mimic the erratic movement of a real nymph caught in the current.
One common mistake is fishing a Brassie too deep on slower, clearer flows. Since it's designed for sight nymphing, try presenting it just above the fish's feeding zone rather than right on the bottom, so you can watch for the take rather than relying on feel alone.
