I saw a guy on YouTube tying what he calls a Black Fox. It looked good, but I simplified the tying procedure and used more economical materials and came up with this much more workable version.
The Black Fox
Hook: #8 Cabelas Model 03
Thread: Black Kevlar 6/0
Head: Standard red plastic bead, like for a slip bobber.
Tail: Black Renegade Craft Fur (he used Arctic Fox), with a few strands of Krystal Flash on top.
Body: Black Rengade Craft Fur, in a dubbing loop (he made a Fox brush with red wire…way too much trouble and special equipment).
Rib: Med Red Uniwire.
I took it out this morning and both SM Bass and Shellcrackes were attacking it viciously. I think it’s a good pattern.
…Gigmaster, that’s close to a steelhead fly
out my way called ‘egg sucking leech’. I’ll have
to find me a red bead and give that a try, thanks for the post and recipe.
My go-to fly for spring is almsot identical to this pattern. I use Arctic Fox or rabbit for the tail and a bubbing brush made from seal fur for the body. This pattern is extremely effective for both trout and warm water and almost indestructible when made with a bubbing brush with wire. I’ve had many of them last well over 100 fish and still be going strong.
It may seem like a lot of work and specialized “stuff” but I can tie these with a dubbing brush in about 3 minutes and if I could only take one pattern it would be this leech tied in size ten and six.
