Fly Tying Inventory
Mini Squirrel Leech
Mini Squirrel Leech is a small stillwater leech from Cheech of Fly Fish Food, who fishes mostly size 6 and smaller flies in lakes. He leaves the hackle off to keep a leech's natural slim shape, and the short shank hook allows a long marabou tail without making the whole fly too long. The body is a dubbing you blend yourself by shaving pine squirrel fur off the skin and mixing in three shades of Ice Dub for flash. Tied here on a size 12 hook.
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Materials
Firehole Stones Matte Tungsten Beads, true blood, 3.0mm (1/8 inch)
True Blood · 3.0mm
Wooly Bugger Marabou, claret
Claret
Whole Pine Squirrel Skins, leech red, fur shaved from the skin for the dubbing blend
Leech Red
Ice Dub, claret, for the dubbing blend
Claret
Ice Dub, UV pearl, for the dubbing blend
UV Pearl
Ice Dub, red, for the dubbing blend
Red
How to Tie the Mini Squirrel Leech
- 1
Step 1
Shave the fur from the pine squirrel skin with an electric trimmer and collect it in a small blender jar.
- 2
Step 2
Add a pinch each of claret, UV pearl and red Ice Dub to the squirrel fur.
- 3
Step 3
Run the blender until the fur and flash are mixed into one loose dubbing, then pull it out and fluff it by hand.
- 4
Step 4
Slide the bead onto the hook and mount the hook in the vise.
- 5
Step 5
Start the wine thread behind the bead and wrap back to the bend.
- 6
Step 6
Tie in a clump of claret marabou at the bend for a long tail. Bind the butts down and trim any excess.
- 7
Step 7
Form a dubbing loop at the base of the tail and advance the thread to the bead.
- 8
Step 8
Spread the blended dubbing in the loop and spin it into a rough, flashy rope with a dubbing spinner.
- 9
Step 9
Wrap the rope forward to the bead, tie it off and trim the excess.
- 10
Step 10
Brush the body with a comb or brush tool to pull out the squirrel fibers and flash.
- 11
Step 11
Whip finish behind the bead and cut the thread.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pm_JXFwuww
Credit: Cheech / Fly Fish Food