Sympathetic leeches

Leeches are the primary food source for stillwater trout throughout the year. These ribbon-like creatures move through the water with graceful ease. They range from one to four inches in length and are colored in shades of olive, red, black, and brown. Some even have small spots.

From the side, leeches look like pieces of thin string, but when viewed from above or below, they are actually quite wide. This is important information when creating an imitation.

Article, photos, and flies: Shane Stalcup

The copyright for Polish translations and publication of texts and photographs from Fly Tyer magazine is owned by MG Angling International.

Use these flies to enjoy the thrill of fishing in still waters

When the Rocky Mountains shed their snow cover in the spring, most river anglers complain about the murky water and head to the golf courses, waiting until early summer. More experienced fly fishermen, however, dust off their gear and head out to the lakes.

I like to fish for trout in lakes and ponds. A large lake can accommodate many anglers, and it also has some very large fish. Catching them requires a bit of knowledge about what they eat.

Leeches are the primary food source for trout in still waters throughout the year. These tapeworm-like creatures move through the water with graceful ease. They range from one to four inches in length and are colored in shades of olive, red, black, and brown. Some even have small spots. Viewed from the side, leeches look like pieces of thin string, but when viewed from above or below, they are quite wide. This is important information when creating imitations.

New Designs

My favorite material for tying these flies is Leech Dubbing ^*1). Leech Dubbing is a blend of long natural fibers containing up to five different colors, while Sparkle Leech Dubbing contains a mixture of flash fibers that are attractive to fish. (Angora dubbing is an acceptable substitute for Leech Dubbing, while Crawdub can be used as a substitute for Sparkle Leech Dubbing.)

Leech Dubbing is a versatile material. For example, in the Extended Leech pattern, the extension of the body is nothing more than a loop made from this dubbing. The key here is to use only a small amount of dubbing in the loop; the twisted dubbing loop should be fairly loose.

When tying the Flat Leech pattern, I attach bundles of Leech Dubbing to the hook shank.(You can find instructions on how to tie this fly at www.flytyermagazine.com and http://www.flyfishingmagazines.com/ft_feature_042.shtml.) I shape the dubbing and secure the bundles, working toward the hook eye. The final step is to trim the dubbing from the bottom and top to give the leech a flat profile. Of all the leech imitations I fish with, the Flat Leech is my favorite.

The Polar Leech is another fly I’m demonstrating how to tie. It uses a new material called Polar Chenille—a long, semi-translucent, fibrous material that produces incredibly realistic-looking flies when loop-tied in combination with Leech Dubbing. If I want to tie less dense flies with a more delicate structure, I use only Polar Chenille.

*1)- Note from MGA: The Leech Dubbing and Sparkle Leech Dubbing described in the article are no longer produced under those names. In our opinion, the best ready-made dubbing for leeches (and more) is Arizona Simi-Seal.

Notes on Execution and Fishing Techniques

I prefer to tie these patterns on heavier size 8 hooks with a 2X extended shank, but I also have a few leeches in sizes 10 and 6. You can tie these three flies in black, brown, olive, red, and purple. Under certain conditions, purple can make or break a day on the water, but purple happens to be the favorite color of my fly-fishing buddy, Steve Chmelka.

I weight all my leech flies. I use the heads on the flies I use for deep-water fishing, and I reserve the patterns with the body wrapped in lead wire for fishing in shallower areas. Flies with a body wrapped in lead wire are more versatile when retrieved—when paused, they dive slightly nose-first. Patterns with a head weight stand upright on the head, but if the water isn’t too weedy, you can fish these leeches very successfully using the jigging method along the bottom.

For fishing in clear water, I use regular Leech Dubbing because it has a more subdued color. When tying flies for fishing in murky waters, I use Sparkle Leech Dubbing, whose extra sparkle attracts the fish’s attention, and the movement of the material and the fly provokes them to strike. These shimmering flies are also perfect for catching small-mouthed bass.

When fishing with leeches, I use a single-foot-long line retrieve. I wait a second or two between retrieves to let the fly sink back down. New, transparent lines are worth their weight in gold when fishing in water no deeper than 10 feet; when fishing in deeper water, we use appropriately sinking tips.

Once you’ve caught a fish on a leech fly—and these flies really work—the idea of playing golf in the spring no longer crosses your mind. You fill your fly box with leech imitations, pack your rod and float into the car, and head to the nearest trout lake. You can enjoy some of the best fishing of the season.

Performing the Extended Leech

1. 1. Wrap lead wire around one-third of the hook shank from the front. (Alternatively, to increase the fly’s weight, you can use a lead head or a cone-head.) Start with the leader thread and wrap it all the way to the end of the hook shank.
2. 2. Form a loop with the main thread that is twice the length of the intended body extension. Place a small amount of dubbing into the loop. Tightly twist the closed loop.
3. 3. (Instructions for right-handed users) Grasp the loop at the end of the desired length of the extended body (i.e., roughly halfway along the entire loop) with your left hand, and pull the twisted loop with the dubbing backward. While still holding the taut loop with dubbing in your left hand, use your right hand to fold the rest of the loop back toward the end of the hook and secure it there. Then release your left hand, still holding a few fibers between your fingers. The loop will twist together, forming an “extended” body. Secure this extended body section with thread.
4. 4. Create another loop with the leader. Place the dubbing material in the loop and twist the whole thing tightly. Wrap the dubbing around the hook shank toward the eye, and as you wrap, use your other hand to pull back any stray fibers.
5. 5. Ready-to-use Extended-Body Leech. This remarkably simple design has an extraordinary action in the water.
6. 6. In this version, the author added a marabou feather to the Extended-Body-Leech. The marabou further enhances the leech's action.

The catch: Daiichi 1710, size 8
Load: Metal cone head, bead head, or lead wire wrap
Main thread: Size 6/0 (140 denier), color matches the body
Extension: Sparkle or Regular Leech Dubbing
Tail and body: Sparkle or Regular Leech Dubbing

Making a Polar Leech

1. 1. Wind the lead wire around the hook shank. Start wrapping with the guide thread and continue wrapping until you reach the end of the shank.
2. 2. Tie on a 4-inch-long (about 10 cm—MGA) piece of chenille. Form a loop for dubbing and fill it with the material.
3. 3. Twist the chenille and dubbing together to form a string.
4. 4. Pull the string backward. Fold the section of the torso forward and secure it. Let it twist around itself.
5. 5. Wrap the remaining loop of dubbing toward the eye. After wrapping the hook with this material, comb the fibers backward.
6. 6. The finished Polar Leech fly. When dragged through the water, this hairy little fly works wonders at imitating a leech.

The catch: Daiichi 1710, size 8
Load: Metal cone head, bead head, or lead wire wrap
Main thread: Size 6/0 (140 denier), color matches the torso
Tail and body: Leech Dubbing and Polar Chenille.

MGA: Shane Stalcup is one of the most outstanding contemporary fly tiers. You can see more of his flies on his website, www.stalcupflies.com. We also recommend Stalcup’s excellent book, *Myflies From Top to Bottom*, dedicated to mayfly nymphs—available from MGA dealers.