Report 4/18/13

[ruthead]

We were advised by a local to tie up some rust and black colored leeches a couple years ago during the flood. Caught good fish in the stained wtaer swingin and strippin into the clearer water. Pretty fun as no one else wanted to fish the stained water!!

[brittsnbirds]

Do you tie your leeches with just marabou? I just use a simple tie for them.

[ruthead]

yep, he called it a mohawk leech. 4 or 5 clumps of marabou tied down the top side of shank. Easy, no technique, no talent needed.

[rcguy]

Rust and Black combination? Or some Rust and some Black?

[brittsnbirds]

RC if you tie some up I would recommend all 3.

The pattern that I tied was from an article I read some years ago. It uses a size a size 10-12, 1x straight shank hook, 2-3 clumps of maribou, and matching thread. I get the mairbou positioned so it is all laying together (wetting it with saliva or water makes it more managable). I dress my hook with the thread and stop at the hook gap. Measure the maribou (or just a little short) the length of the hook shank. Tie it in at the start of the gap. Position the thread to the eye of hook and half hitch. Hang thread on the thread stand (rotory vice), then I take the butts of the maribou and give them a couple of twists. Not too much as you want the feathers to splay out for next step. I then wrap (hurl) the maribou to the front of the hook using my Peak rotary vice. I tie it off as you would a normal fly. Whip finish a nice head, pick the body out a little trimming the long stringers out making a fuzzy, buggy body.

One year we started using them under an indicator on a size 12 hook. OMG it was the new sensation. Especially the olive. As the fly was being demolished it appeared to get more takes. We were using them in one of your favorite holes. That stretch at the island. Position the indicator so the bug was just above the weed bed.

One problem you do have is they tend to grab the tail and you miss a few.

Eventually I started counter ribbing mine with fine gold wire. As the trout start hammering it their little teeth tend to break the maribou strands. Doesn't effect the performance of the bug as it tends to make it buggier.

Colors that I have tied were the rust, olive, yellow-olive, and black. Olive by far was the biggest producer.

One day and older fella was fishing near me and noticed that I was struggling. We struck up a conversation and I finally asked him what he was slaying the fish on. I don't remember what he was using at the time but his comment was "as long as it's green, you can't go wrong down here".

Will try to post a picture of one if I can figure out how to do it.

If you ever find any in a trouts mouth with a fl. orange head it could possibly be mine. I like the red heads!!

Pat

[ruthead]

Pats I'm sure is more durable. I tie individual black, rust, and olive as well as combining. I don't wrap just tie on in clumps on top side of shank, thus the mohawk name. The black and rust alternated seem to work great in the muddy stained water. The olive works great with sinking leader in holes. Also weighted with 8 or 10 wraps of wire. If your catchin fish mine don't last long. Although was catchin them with over 1/2 the maribou gone one time. Think I'll try some like Pats counter wraped with wire. May be goin down Sunday. i understand they got .61" rain yesterday.

[brittsnbirds]

The one on the left is without wire.

Disregard can't figure out how to post a pic.

[rcguy]

Thanks for the great info Pat! I actually have tied something similar in olive. I'll tie some up in black and rust and add them to the arsenal.

It's been a couple of years but i remember brushing them out with a 22 caliber bore cleaning brush. Looks pretty good.

I was thinking about adding lead to mine..or bead.

[brittsnbirds]

No prob. Jerry.

I usually use lead, it helps build the body up. I've started using tungsten putty instead of split shot. Works pretty well until the fish pick it off. And yes I do pick them out either with the brass .22 brush or a piece of the sticky side of velcro on a stick.

[NoLuck]

Pat make sure you resize your pics to load able size. I load mine to like 640x800 I think then hit upload image. Simple as pie on e you get your ducks in a row