Tying Instructions: Egg Sucking Leech

1. Attach the hook to the vise. Wrap the leadfree wire about two eye lengths behind the eye with about ten wraps to about the mid point of the shank. Step One
2. Attach the thread behind the eye of the hook.
Step Two
3. Wrap the thread over the leadfree wire and down to the bend of the hook.
Step Three
4. Select a marbou tip from either a blood or plume marabou. The length of the tail should be about the same as the hook shank. Attach the marabou at the bend of the hook and secure with thread wraps up to the leadfree wire. Then, trim off the tag end of the marabou.
Step Four
5. Note that the marabou secured to the shank helps to even the shank diameter with the leadfree wraps. Attach a couple of strands of Krystalflash to the top of the shank just in front of the tail tie-in position. The strands should not exceed the marabou tips. Step Five
6. Attach the thread core of the chenille just in front of the tail tie-in position.
Step Six
7. Next, attach the tip of a saddle or neck hackle to the shank at the tail tie-in position. Sometimes, I will prepare the hackle by folding so that the fibers lay back but, with the chenille, the hackle stem will bury itself into the material and form the flow of the fibers.
Step Seven
8. Wrap the chenille forward. Take the first wrap behind the hackle tip and the next wrap in front of it. Secure the chenille where the leadfree wraps begin, about two eyelengths behind the eye.
Step Eight
9. Use your hackle pliers to wrap the hackle forward with equally spaced wraps, securing at the end of the chenille.
Step Nine
10. Wrap a second hackle at the base of the chenille for a collar. About 4-5 wraps will suffice. This is where a folded hackle really helps sweep the fibers backwards. I whip finished this thread so that I could attach a Fire Orange thread for the egg. Step Ten
11. Attach the "egg" chenille by it's exposed thread core just behind the eye of the hook.
Step Eleven
12. Wrap an egg with the chenille and secure with thread wraps behind the eye.
Step Twelve
13. Whip Finish
Step Thirteen
14. The Finished Egg Sucking Leech.
Step Fourteen

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