As you know, it is May, and May means one thing for me. Time to prepare for another Alaska Summer. I have ordered all of my new gear and gathered all of my existing gear. As part of my prep, I tie flies. The month of May I want to showcase some of my favorite Alaska trout flies. So I will start with the first fly I go to 60% of the time when trout fishing in Alaska, the purple egg sucking leech. I like a variation of the purple leach. I like to use purple marabou and black flashabou as the tail section, cross cut rabbit in purple for the body, and finally I use black saddle hackle for the head of the fly. The saddle hackle will give the tail section more movement because it acts as a wall creating a hydrodynamic pocket, kind of like an aerodynamic draft when you get behind an eighteen wheeler on the interstate. Anyway, back to the subject at hand.
List of materials: 1. Daiichi 2441 2/0 or 2151 sz 1 hook.
2. Danville's 210 thread in black or purple.
3. Lead wire .035 about a three inch section
4. Purple marabou (3 feathers)
5. Black flashabou
6. Cross cut bunny in purple
7. Black saddle hackle (1 feather)
8. Super glue
9. Size 8mm trout bead in pink, orange, or any variation of the two
1. Run the thread on the hook shank towards the bend of the hook and stop when you get to the point of the hook. Tie in 3 marabou feathers so that they are about the length of the hook shank (maybe just a bit longer). Trim the excess. I use three feathers because I want my tail fluffy so that it expands nicely in the water when the fly is idle.
2. Next tie in a good size portion of black flashabou to the same length of the marabou. The flashabou gives the fly a little shine. Make some thread raps so that it looks clean, then rap lead wire up the hook shank leaving room to tie off the rabbit and add the hackle.
3. Tie in the cross cut bunny strip just in front of the flashabou and marabou and bring the tread near the eye making sure you rap the lead wire with the thread to secure it in place. Then cover the exposed shank with super glue and begin to rap the bunny strip slightly overlapping each rap. Tie it off and secure it near the eye of the hook leaving just enough room to tie in the saddle hackle.
4. Finally, tie in the tip of the hackle feather and rap towards the eye making at least three raps then tie it off, whip finish, and cement the head. Instead of tying an egg in to complete the egg sucking leech, I use a bead in front of the fly(pictured below). Slide the bead onto the leader prior to tying the fly on and the egg will ride in front of the leech. Boom. Purple Egg Sucking Leech.
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