LEECH WITH A COLLAR
When I am fly fishing, 99% of my fly fishing is using subsurface flies which may or may not be weighted. My soft hackles, wet flies, midges and some streamers will not be weighted. My buggers, some streamers, flymphs and leech patterns will be weighted. I am always surfing the Internet watching others tying patterns I would be interested in fishing because they "fit my style" of fly fishing. I really do not look for a particular named pattern but just searching and seeing what is being tied that looks interesting to me. I enjoy watching how others use their tying tools during tying and how they are tying in the material. I always learn something new or something that I want to try. Tying is very relaxing to me and I spend a lot of time at the tying table. I find some patterns I feel will be great for teaching to the "boys" at the ranch due to them being rather simple ties and I look for patterns that I feel will work the best for when I am teaching disabled vets.
I have never been happy with the looks of my leech patterns even though they do catch fish. I just wish they looked better to me. I found this leech pattern the other day and it answered many questions I had on how to make my leeches look better. It turned out to be a lot easier for me to get the "look" I wanted for my leech patterns. I do not want anyone to think that this pattern is my creation. It is just a pattern another tier used and I liked it and wanted to share it in case others might want to tie up some and try. I decided to call it a "leech with a collar".
Materials:
- Lightening Strike NH9 Hopper hook in size 8
- Tail – Hareline Dubbin Strung Marabou Blood Quills in Ginger with 4-5 strands of crinkle gold flashabou
- Weight – 12 wraps of .025 lead wire on hook shank under body
- Ribbing – gold ribbing wire
- Body – Angora goat in Ginger
- Thread – Burnt Orange Ultra Thread (UTC) 140
- Collar – Presented pattern is black rabbit fur in a dubbing loop and one could use hackle.
This is the hook with thread wraps covering lead underbody, marabou tail with crystal flash and wire rib tied in
This shows the body which I used Don's Rope dub technique to apply the Angora to the hook shank. One could just pinch dub it to the thread or use a split thread or loop. All will work but the rope dub is faster. The gold rib is wrapped and tied off behind the hook eye.
This shows the dubbing after roughing it up with a dubbing brush. Don't baby it with the brush. Go after it with gusto! I feel one could do a whip finish and fish this fly at this point, but, I wanted to put a collar on it which I did using rabbit hair but one could use a hackle collar too.
This shows the completed fly after I put some rabbit hair in a thread loop and created a collar and then completed the fly with a good whip finish and covered with head cement or Sally Hanson.
Here is the same pattern in olive, red wire for ribbing and orange hackle.
I have not had a chance to try it out on the fishes yet, but, feel confident that it will catch fish.
Warren Patterson ("WarrenP" on FAOL)
Tullahoma, Tennessee
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