Simple Deep Leech

[FlyFishin'Jam 0]

This one came abouts from watching my friends using these 'gulp alive' type soft plastic baits successfully with smallmouth bass (those bastards and their baits!) The tables were turned once this hit the water

 

It's a simple deep leech measuring about 4 inches in length, a size 6 mustad streamer hook, some 0.30 lead wire. Now here is the fun part, make a dubbing brush with fibres that are quite long, EP will do here, use some red and fluoro purple sparkle (you could even buy the brushes if u wanted), start at the hook bend and tie it in after laying down some leadwire, run the brush around the hook shank up towards the eye or if you have a rotary vice this will be alot easier brushing back towards the hook as you tie as not to trap any fibres (try not to stab your fingers and thumb too much), a comb can help. Tie off and trim the material that is along the hook shank quite short leaving the longer tailing fibres nice and lengthy. Try and get the basic shape of a leech.

 

 

here are the pics of when it is dry and when wet, in the water the long fibres have a really nice action similar to marabou, the lead gives it some lovely undulation. Next trick you could do is make it weedless by tying a mono weed guard made of hard mono. Good to throw around stumps and rocks.

[Bryan Wright 0]

Great leech. Nice and simple looking I bet is a killer.

[NJ All Day 0]

That's a great looking leech. Had a very good shape when wet.

[Druce 0]

great pattern! i usually use bunny strip leeches by tying at the bend than rapping all the way to the eye, and i put on a few good lead raps befor, once its wet it sinks really well, but if this pattern pays forward more results i may have to switch! anyone ever tried something similar to flyfishin's pattern?

 

Druce

 

[bad fish rising 0]

im sure the EP leech will cast way better than a big wet rabbit

[the_scotsman 0]

do you put something on it to keep it slicked down when it's in the water?

looks good

[learnin to fly 0]

Looks like a real leech when wet. Nice job. As a "newb" I feel I get to ask a few stupid questions, so here goes... What is EP? I've seen this used in many patterns but don't know what it is!

[INS 0]

:yahoo: Very good tye. This will catch fish. :yahoo:

[FlyFishin'Jam 0]

do you put something on it to keep it slicked down when it's in the water?

looks good

 

With this guy just the retrieve keeps it nicely in shape, the amount of lead in it pulls it down and the fibers trail. Then with a jerky strip retrieve it looks oh so nice in the water, i should attach some line and put it in a big glass bowl with some water and make a video . I guess you could do something like put some goop in your fingers and run it through the fly like hair gel and let that dry to keep the profile even more leechy underwater. I have done that before and it seems to work as we know those fibers do have a habit of 'poofing up'. Or just trim it down more. No need here tho.

 

learnin to fly - the Ep fibers you can probably find in your local fly shop or someplace like basspro, there are a number of other alternatives to this and dubbing brushes can be constructed out of just about anything i am getting interested in polar fiber and craft fur. So look out for those 2 aswell.

 

 

[Old Hat 0]

Looks like a real leech when wet. Nice job. As a "newb" I feel I get to ask a few stupid questions, so here goes... What is EP? I've seen this used in many patterns but don't know what it is!

 

Enrico Puglisi fibers (EP fibers) I believe. A tyer who has a line of materials and tools.

 

His website

[learnin to fly 0]

Thanks fellas. I've used craft fur for tying jigs and have seen many of Enrico's flies. It's all making sense now!! I appreciate the info.

[flyderaght 0]

bernat makes a yarn called disco fur-makes really simple leeches/ great colours ande easy to work with. michaels carries it.

marc

http://www.yarndex.com/yarn.cfm?yarn_id=3299

[FlyFishin'Jam 0]

bernat makes a yarn called disco fur-makes really simple leeches/ great colours ande easy to work with. michaels carries it.

marc

http://www.yarndex.com/yarn.cfm?yarn_id=3299

 

Oh kool, i need to go there as the wife needs some yarn and i need some little storage boxes for all my hooks, beads, eyes etc, a few items for my dubbing brushes too. So i will add this to the list. Do you have a picture of a leech made with the disco fur? (lol the name puts a smile on my face)

 

Anyway tied a few more of these last night and trimmed them down to more represent what they appear like when wet. I think they look great in the water and its just so easy.

 

[Guest rich mc]

that is one sweet looking leech. being a long time bait dunker who used leeches alot in warm water . i have one question when a bait angler hooks a leech the hook goes thru the suction cup and the leech swims by itself. the natural look would have the narrow end on the hook with the fatter end as the tail.could this pattern be reversed ? no doubt it would catch fish the way it is rich mc

[FlyFishin'Jam 0]

I think you are completely correct rich mc, the skinny end of the leech is his mouth and the fat end is the sucker? I haven't ever use these for bait tho i have had some 'encounters' with them before. Once in the middle of a lake i watched one undulate from the depths as my feet were pleasantly dangling in the water with the cool water soothing my toes only to latch on in an instant. Another one was when i was going for a 'wade' barefoot only to return from my mission and head back to the cottage and suddenly notice my feet were bleeding, i had no less than 100 tiny leeches about 1cm long in between every toe on my foot, quite happily feeding away. Just before i went back to the cottage i dangled my feet from the dock and wondered why the minnows kept 'nipping' my toes those 'minnows' were juvenile smallmouth, they sure clue in quickly after feeding on zooplankton. Ah well figured that out! This pattern could be reversed quite easily, although it may take some thought to get it to undulate in the way i would like...Ideas?

 

 

These fish like leeches too, actually my first walleye incidental catch in mid day in 2ft of water, undercut bank with over hangings.