The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

Other

Balanced Leech

Insect Species Icon None
Difficulty Icon Medium - 5-7 Min
Water Category Icon Coldwater, Warmwater

Tying Video

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Tying Recipe
  • Hook: 60 degree jig hook size #8
  • Bead: 5/32” Black Cyclops Bead
  • Pin: 3/4” Sequin Pin or Small Nail
  • Thread: Veevus 6/0 Olive
  • Tail: Blood Quill Marabou Olive
  • Flash: 2 Strands of Micro Flashabou  Pearl
  • Body: Arizona Simi Seal Dubbing Olive Grey
  • Hook: Any jig hook will work 60 degree or 90 degree bend.
  • Bead: Any standard bead will work, make sure the bead is large enough to go through the pin, and small enough to not slip off the end of it. Use the recommended size of 5/32″ if you are unsure.
  • Pin: To extend the body and weight beyond the shank of your jig hook, a sequin pin or small nail is required.
  • Thread: Any medium thread size is fine. 8/0 or 70 denier at the thinnest, 6/0 or 140 denier at the thickest. Match the thread color to the body.
  • Tail: Any marabou feathers will work. If making larger flies, use longer fibered marabou like blood quills or strung marabou.
  • Flash: Choose the flash of your choice! Any will work for this pattern.
  • Body: If you’re going to deviate from the recipe, make sure the dubbing you’re using is long fibered like the arizona simi-seal. Hareline fusion dubbing is a good replacement.

This is a great fly to get creative with to get the exact pattern you’re looking for for plenty of freshwater fish. For more of a baitfish pattern, consider tying on some pupil dumbbell eyes and adding material in front of them. Try adding some thin round rubber legs for extra movement if fishing this in swift water. You can tie this in simple woolly bugger pattern, pine squirrel leech, or a combination!

This is a great pattern for fishing stillwaters with an indicator rig. With the weight of the fly positioned beyond the hook shank and eye, this fly hangs parallel to the bottom, rather than straight up and down. This gives it a more accurate representation of an actual leech suspended in the water column. With the added weight of a large fly, this is one that is sure to get your rig in the strike zone of any stillwater.

Fish this fly as the bottom most fly on your indicator rig when fishing both stillwaters and rivers. The jig hook will allow this fly to hang hook point up resulting in less snags on the bottom. Fishing this as the bottom fly allows the other flies on your rig to float freely suspended exactly where you want them to be when fishing. It is also possible to fish this pattern as a regular streamer. The bead will sink the fly head first, and as you strip the fly in, it will lift and sink much like a neko or wacky rigged soft plastic on conventional gear.

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