Black Leech

tied by Gary Meier

Hook: 3XL nymph hook size 6, 10, 14

Thread: Black 6-0 Uni-thread

Head: Black glass bead - Size 8-0

Weight: 12 to 20 turns of lead-free wire (.025 for size 6, .020 for size 10, .015 for size 14)

Tail: Black marabou or Natural gray turkey marabou

Body: Marabou same color as tail

Tying Notes:

1. Crimp the hook barb (I used a size 10, which seems to be a good happy medium that works in most situations and I don't have to carry three different sizes.), add the bead and then the lead-free wire. Rather than the glass bead, I used a black brass bead. It adds more weight and seems to work as well as the glass. Since I use the brass bead, I needed only 14 wraps of .015 wire. I wrap the wire on the hook shank, cut it off, and then push is up into the bead so that the majority of the weight is in the front of the fly. This allows the fly to dive and dip when manipulated during the drift or on the retrieve.

2. Secure the wire with thread and then wind the thread down to the hook bend.

3. Tie in the tail. Tail should be the length of the hook shank. I used the natural wild turkey marabou just because it's a little different from the black leech immitations the trout usually see.

4. Wrap marabou feather left in front of tail around the thread to form a marabou chenile.

5. Wrap marabou chenile forward forming a body with a narrow abdomen tapering to a larger thorax.

6. Tie off and whip finish.

7. Trim to tapered shape as necessary, then brush backward with velcro to give a shaggy appearance.

Fishing Notes:

I have found this fly to be very effective in the driftless area when fish are spurning both dries and nymphs. It is particularly good in deeper runs and pools. I fish it upstream dead drift, upsteam dead drift with twitches, and down and across with a twitched across stream retrieve depending on what the fish want on any particular day. I have found the fly especially effective when twitched along holding structure.