Drain’s 20: Classic Steelhead Fly Pattern

Drain’s 20 is a classic Pacific Northwest steelhead fly designed by Seattle angler Wes Drain. The pattern is generally said to have been named after Drain caught a Skagit River steelhead weighing just over 20 pounds, commonly reported as 20 pounds, 7 ounces, in 1947. That fish was significant enough to stand as a Washington state steelhead record until Ralph Wahl reportedly beat it by one ounce in 1967.

The fly itself is a bright hairwing steelhead pattern built around a red or cerise body, silver rib, purple hackle, red underwing, gray squirrel wing, and jungle cock cheeks. Its continued use in modern steelhead fishing reports shows that it remains part of the Northwest steelhead fly tradition rather than just a historical curiosity.

Wes Drain should be recognized as a pioneer for fly pattern redesign in the Pacific Northwest. In the 1940s, Wes Drain crafted a beautiful crossover steelhead fly he first named Pool and Rapids—later Drain’s 20—one of the first fluorescent-colored flies with exotic cock of the rock feathers used in Atlantic salmon flies.

The fly pictured for this blog entry, comes from the vise of Dave McNeese and was featured in Flies For Atlantic Salmon & Steelhead

Dressing Notes:
Note: Use Danville 6/0 thread so the body won’t discolor the floss. Tie off after the hackle and complete head with black thread. Tag: Fine flat silver tinsel. Tail: Golden pheasant tippets topped with two toucan feather half tail length. Body: Fluorescent red floss (cerise). Rib: Medium flat silver tinsel. Hackle: Bright fluorescent purple. Underwing: Red cock of the rock feather tied flat extending to floss butt, over cerise body only. Wing: Gray squirrel tail. Cheeks: Jungle cock. Head: Black.

An absolute classic image of Wes Drain in mid-century steelhead gear: chest waders with suspenders, a plaid shirt, short-brimmed cap, eyeglasses with flip-up sun lenses, and, of course, a bamboo fly rod. The black-and-white image and brushy riverbank setting make for a pure vintage Pacific Northwest steelhead river scene. In a fitting historical twist, the photograph was taken by Ralph Wahl and later featured on page 474 of Steelhead Fly Fishing.