'Rusty Rat' (Variant) Tied By Scott Howell Name 'Rusty Rat' (Variant) Category Salmon/Steelhead Hook Partridge CS10/1 or Daiichi 2051 Sizes #6 through #2 Tag Fine Gold Tinsel Tail Natural Peacock Sword(s) Body 1/2 GloBrite (#9) Yellow Floss (w/ Floss Veil) - 1/2 Peacock Herl Rib Fine Oval Gold Tinsel over floss - Medium Gold Oval Tinsel over Peacock Collar(s) Sparse Iron Dun Hen Hackle under Natural Guinea Wing Natural Grey Squirrel Tail accented with Black Hills Gold Lite-Brite Head Danville Red no-wax Flymaster thread

Scott Howell has a talent for taking old patterns and reworking them with new materials so that they become a better fly, and he has shown his usual mastery with this fly. The venerable Rusty Rat was originated by J.C. "Clovis" Arsenault in 1949, an internationally known fly tyer in his day. He sold this and many other flies around the world, but the Rusty Rat has become know through the years as a one of the most successful of the Atlantic Salmon hairwings. It has been equally successful with Steelhead. You can see more of Scott Howell's flies at The Flies of Scott Howell.