Treeman

FWIW, I am convinced after years of experimentation that: A. It really is easier to set the hook and one really can hook more fish with the barbs flattened. B. I am also convinced (but with much less comparative analysis) that the little bump of the flattened barb helps land a few that a hook that was made completely barbless would have lost. -So I happily endure the hassle of crimping down barbs.

Everything. Tying on tubes is a technique thta has been around for decades. Traditional patterns can be tied on the tube and the tube allows options regarding hook size and style to possibly enhance hooking or reduce fouling. Other patterns get used specifically for tubes to create a more 3 dimensional/omni directional silhoette effect. -Not something I do personally but no less a personage than Lee Wulff was a big proponent of tying on tubes.

Lee Wulff, Made a good case for the Spider.-With naught but a hackle wound on the hook it is cheap ,fast and easy to tie and lends tself to on the water triming with a little pair of scissors-turn a high floater to a spentwing or even a nymph. The longstanding choice of an Adams makes sense...... but since I like highly visible floaters I would probably go for a Royal Wulff. I have a great fondness for the Irresistible but It wouldn't be my choice if I could have only one.

So to answer the original question...If you consider indentured servitude a "career", yes there are careers in fly tying. . I tried custom/commercial tying a few years ago. I managed to swap for a very nice custom rod (Which I could have bought the blank and materials for for the cost of the flytying materials and made the rod myself in a fraction of the time spent tying...but c'est la vie-yuck! patooey-French-I hate it when that happens!) and make enough sales to accumulate a huge inventory of materials.... and make no money tying some headbanging patterns for anal retentive clients. Now I tie wooly buggers and Lefty's decievers and a few bendback bucktails formyself and friends and go fishing-life is better this way.

I don't have a specific leech pattern but FWIW-my go-to fly that almost always catches fish is a small (12-14) Wooly bugger variation. Peacock herl body, very long sparse marabou tail usually normal palmered hackle but sometimes I just put a soft hackle collar at the head.. I don't know or care if the fish think it is a leech, a damselfly nymph or just something alive-it swims through the water and EVERYTHING bites it.

Both my Thompsons are having trouble holding nowadays- I need a new vise....decisions, decisions.

Lee Wulff on Flies. Not because it is the greatest treatise on technique nor does it have dozens of beautiful must have patterns bu tbecause it has great wisdom about catching fish on flies and why perfect representation is of less importance than impression and internal movement.

My favorite trout fly is a size 12 or 14 Beadhead Magic Bugger- No color combo surpasses black day in and day out though olive or brown will also make a great showing and in late fall a hint of orange seems to please the trout. The Magic has a peacock herl body and a long tail-the length of a standard 6-0r 8 bugger but tied sparse with a small clump of stripped marabou fibers. It is not just the ultimate trout fly for still waters-it is the ultimate freshwater fly-Trout , bass, walleye, sunfish, crappie, catfish-it catches them all-generally speaking it will outfish live bait for everything but the catfish.

Over 90% of my fishing is with 2 patterns-Wooly Buggers and Lefty's Decievers. I fished 2.5 hours this evening -4 Rainbows 3 sunfish, 2 bass and a crappie (and a gazillion missed hits-they were really hitting light tonight.) Typical results for a Size 12 Magic Bugger.