Fly Tying Inventory
Balanced Leech – Olive
The olive variant of the balanced leech imitates the common olive leeches found in many western stillwaters. Fished under an indicator, this fly suspends horizontally at the desired depth, providing a natural presentation that tempts cruising trout.
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Materials
Barbless jig hook, sizes 6-12 (e.g., Umpqua C400BL or Daiichi 4647)
Dritz beading pin or Hareline Balanced Fly Pin, trimmed to 2/3 hook shank length
1/8"-3/16" tungsten bead, chartreuse or olive
6/0 or 70D, olive
Blood quill marabou, olive
Arizona Simi Seal dubbing, olive or olive/gray blend
Pearl Krystal Flash, 2-3 strands (optional)
Superglue or Zap-A-Gap
How to Tie the Balanced Leech – Olive
- 1
Step 1
Place the jig hook in your vise. Trim the pin so it extends forward from the eye about the hook-eye width.
- 2
Step 2
Slide the tungsten bead onto the pin, then secure the pin on top of the hook shank with the bead extending in front of the hook eye.
- 3
Step 3
Wrap thread from the hook eye back to the bend, fully covering the pin. Add a drop of superglue for security.
- 4
Step 4
Select a sparse clump of olive marabou, about 1.5x shank length. Tie in at the bend. Add 2-3 strands of Krystal Flash if desired.
- 5
Step 5
Form a dubbing loop just in front of the tail. Add olive Simi Seal dubbing and spin to create a tight rope.
- 6
Step 6
Wrap the dubbing rope forward in touching turns, brushing fibers back as you go, all the way to just behind the bead.
- 7
Step 7
Whip finish tightly behind the bead.
- 8
Step 8
Pick out the dubbing with a brush or Velcro for a buggy look. Hang from eye to verify horizontal balance.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJQyA2lOZ0w
Credit: Jerry McBride / Various