Egg Sucking Leech Pattern & Tying Instructions
Fly Tying Recipe:
Egg Sucking Leech
Show / Hide Egg Sucking Leech Transcript Video Transcript:
I recently saw this version of an Egg Sucking Leech on one of my favorite blogs called the “CDC Caddis Blogspot” out of Switzerland. The fly is easy enough, even for an absolute beginner to tie but has a look I find remarkably appealing.
For a hook, I’m going to use a Lightning Strike SN1 in size 12. It’s both 2X heavy and 2X long. Start by mashing the barb which is usually necessary for getting the bead on the hook.
The egg part of this egg sucking leech is an 1/8” diameter fluorescent fire orange bead. Thread a single bead onto the hook point, small hole first and allow it to slip up onto the shank. Get the hook firmly secured in the jaws of your tying vise and slide the bead up to right behind the hook eye.
For thread, I’ve loaded a bobbin with a spool of UTC 140 Denier in brown. Get your thread started on the hook shank immediately behind the bead and take a few wraps rearward before snipping or breaking off the tag.
The tail of the fly is made from a single dark brown marabou blood quill. Try to find a nice, full even feather. Begin by stripping all the lower matted and malformed fibers free from the stem. Moistening the feather works wonders in terms of making it more manageable. Measure to form a tail about a full hook in length and transfer that measurement rearward to the start of the hook bend. While keeping this position, start taking thread wraps to bind the marabou to the top of the hook shank. Once it’s locked down, pull the excess butt end of the feather up to vertical and snip it off close behind the bead. Taking a few thread wraps forward will push the butt ends up into the back of the bead and help to stabilize it on the hook. Continue taking thread wraps rearward to bind the marabou to the top of the hook shank, all the way back to the start of the bend. Then, advance your thread forward to the hook point in preparation for dubbing.
The entire body of the fly is formed using chocolate brown SLF prism dubbing. You’re going to need a pretty ample clump to produce a body long enough to cover the whole hook shank. Create a dubbing noodle about 3” long, don’t go too thick, as it’s almost always easier to add dubbing than it is to take it away. Start taking wraps with the noodle so the dubbing begins right at the base of the tail. Continue making touching wraps forward to build up a slightly tapered body on the fly that ends at the back edge of the bead.
With the body formed, execute a 4 or 5 turn whip finish, seat the knot and then snip or cut your tying thread free. The final step is to use a dubbing brush, here a strip of velcro glued to a popsicle stick, to brush the dubbing out a bit.
Egg sucking leeches also work well in black and dark olive. If you enjoy tying and fishing simple flies as much as I do, be sure to leave ample room in one of your fly boxes for a whole passel of these guys.
For a hook, I’m going to use a Lightning Strike SN1 in size 12. It’s both 2X heavy and 2X long. Start by mashing the barb which is usually necessary for getting the bead on the hook.
The egg part of this egg sucking leech is an 1/8” diameter fluorescent fire orange bead. Thread a single bead onto the hook point, small hole first and allow it to slip up onto the shank. Get the hook firmly secured in the jaws of your tying vise and slide the bead up to right behind the hook eye.
For thread, I’ve loaded a bobbin with a spool of UTC 140 Denier in brown. Get your thread started on the hook shank immediately behind the bead and take a few wraps rearward before snipping or breaking off the tag.
The tail of the fly is made from a single dark brown marabou blood quill. Try to find a nice, full even feather. Begin by stripping all the lower matted and malformed fibers free from the stem. Moistening the feather works wonders in terms of making it more manageable. Measure to form a tail about a full hook in length and transfer that measurement rearward to the start of the hook bend. While keeping this position, start taking thread wraps to bind the marabou to the top of the hook shank. Once it’s locked down, pull the excess butt end of the feather up to vertical and snip it off close behind the bead. Taking a few thread wraps forward will push the butt ends up into the back of the bead and help to stabilize it on the hook. Continue taking thread wraps rearward to bind the marabou to the top of the hook shank, all the way back to the start of the bend. Then, advance your thread forward to the hook point in preparation for dubbing.
The entire body of the fly is formed using chocolate brown SLF prism dubbing. You’re going to need a pretty ample clump to produce a body long enough to cover the whole hook shank. Create a dubbing noodle about 3” long, don’t go too thick, as it’s almost always easier to add dubbing than it is to take it away. Start taking wraps with the noodle so the dubbing begins right at the base of the tail. Continue making touching wraps forward to build up a slightly tapered body on the fly that ends at the back edge of the bead.
With the body formed, execute a 4 or 5 turn whip finish, seat the knot and then snip or cut your tying thread free. The final step is to use a dubbing brush, here a strip of velcro glued to a popsicle stick, to brush the dubbing out a bit.
Egg sucking leeches also work well in black and dark olive. If you enjoy tying and fishing simple flies as much as I do, be sure to leave ample room in one of your fly boxes for a whole passel of these guys.
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