Bodkin / Patterns

Hot Head Leech

Streamer · Trout · Smallmouth Bass · Largemouth Bass · Intermediate · 3 versions

BCFlyguys

  • Hook Daiichi 1760 curved nymph hook (also tied in 6 and 8), 10
  • Thread red

Materials

  • Tail (a decent clump of marabou)
  • Tail flash Red holographic flash (2 strands Flashabou)
  • Body Black and red rabbit fur (Simi Seal in a dubbing loop)
  • Hot head (a small amount of Simi Seal in a short dubbing loop)

How to tie it

  1. Dress a size 10 Daiichi 1760 with red thread, pull two or three inches of marabou off the stem, measure a good long tail, trim the tips off and bind the clump back to the barb with a couple of wraps underneath to prop it up.
  2. Add two strands of red holographic Flashabou either side, then yank on them so they separate through the tail. Trimmed to roughly the length of the longest marabou, or slightly longer.
  3. Build a dubbing loop, leaving about a hook eye of bare shank up front, fill it with black and red Simi Seal, spin it, and brush it both before and after spinning. Brushing transforms how much the finished fly flows in the water.
  4. Wrap the loop forward like a hackle, sweeping the fibers back with each turn, tie it off, sweep everything rearward and wrap back on it a little to smooth the transition.
  5. For the hot head, build a short, small dubbing loop with only enough Simi Seal for two or three turns, and brush it out really thin. A thin rope is much easier to wrap in tight quarters, and the long fibers are what create the veil effect over the body.
  6. Wrap those two or three turns tight against the black and red, pulling the fibers down so you do not trap them, then tie off on bare thread rather than into dubbing. The tyer breaks his thread on camera doing exactly that.
  7. Sweep everything back, wrap over it for durability, form a bright red thread head, whip finish and brush the whole fly out hard.

Other versions

2 more in the app: BCFlyguys (2), Reference Recipe.

Tying videos

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