I’ve been eyeballing the RLS Rat a Tat in the back of A Perfect Fish for about as long as I’ve owned the book. At first I didn’t really know what to make of this pattern. Over the years, its energy grew on me. Finally, this winter, I found the saddles I needed to tie it. Ken described the Rat a Tat’s genesis this way: “That’s a fly I designed just to irritate fish. It’s the kind of a fly that will get a reaction strike.”
I’ll be sure to hold on tight.
Ken once told me that he sometimes includes yellow elements in a fly to indicate the presence of fat, so this should make a fine greasy baitfish pattern (think herring or menhaden). Note how naturally the jungle cock nail integrates with the random black of the grizzly. Lots of magic going on here.
Ken Abrames’ R.L.S. Rat a Tat. This tie is about 11″ long.
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A closer look at the zebra-like tail section reveals great gobs of grizzly goodness.
currentseams.com 
Very cool!! Thx!
You’re welcome. I think I need to do a Big Eelie in this color scheme.
Nice! If I squint I see a mackerel…
Sure. I’ve always been intrigued by this color combination.
in regards to the rls rat a tat flatwing could you share where you found the hackle this past winter I have been searching for a decent substitute since kens hackles became unavailable sincerely Manny Jorge
Manny, I feel your pain. Flatwing hackle is the unicorn of fly tying material. The best source I’ve found is the Keough booth at the Edison, NJ Fly Fishing Show in January. I know that doesn’t help you for another 10 months. He’s got these bins filled with hundreds of saddle patches and yes, I went through all of them. Took me the better part of an hour. He also sells packaged saddles, some marked “Flatwing” that are over twice as expensive as the bin saddles. You might be able to get those from him online — I don’t know. However, I usually don’t buy saddles sight unseen. Hope that helps!