This is a fly pattern I’ve been improving on for years. I originally tied it to imitate baitfish at Pyramid Lake. I quickly learned that this fly works EXTREMELY well in any type of fishing environment. I’ve caught everything from bass and carp to lake trout and river browns on this fly. When tying balanced leeches, I usually stick with an extremely sparse body, which I believe does a better job of imitating the undulations of a swimming leech. Baitfish, on the other hand, don’t ungulate and “breathe” in the same way. They are solid bodied prey items which either sit still, or dart quickly. A thick bodied fly does a better job of imitating baitfish type movements.
The materials for this fly are as follows:
Hook - Firehole Sticks 511 1XL 2XG #8
Bead - Fulling Mill 4.2 mm black nickel tungsten
Thread - Veevus 16/0 Olive
Tail - Hairline Blood Quill Marabou Olive and White
Flash - Flashabou Accent or Crystal Flash
Body - Olive Ice Dub, Olive Brown Bruiser Blend, Minnow Belly White Ice Dub
Eyes - 3.0 mm Fish Skull Living Eyes Ice
Resin - Solarrez Bone-Dry
