Mayer's Mini Leech , Black Tying Instructions |
Materials:
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Notes: The pattern can be dead drifted with or without an indicator. When there is wind, this pattern can become more effective with the undulating action that the micro pine squirrel provides. Landon also likes to use this pattern as a trailing fly behind a streamer and finds that when the trout is attracted to the streamer but will not commit, they will usually take the smaller, unweighted Mini Leech. Another method Landon likes is to tie the Mini Leech as the lead fly on a streamer rig, so that the streamer appears to be chasing the leech. According to Landon, this really ticks off the larger trout. | ||
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Mayer Mini Leech, Brown
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Mayer Mini Leech, Olive 
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Mayer Mini Leech Jig , Black 
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Mayer Mini Leech Jig, Brown 
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Materials: (To Order Materials, click the link)
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Cowboy Leech 
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Materials: (To Order Materials, click the link)
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Many times the leech pattern you need is just tied too big or long to mimic the natural leeches found in many streams or lakes. I experienced this while fishing at Panguitch Lake in Southern Utah. Fortunately, Landon Mayer spoke to our local club and showed us how he tied his Mayer's Mini Leech and presenting his pattern to the selective trout was success with a nice 16 inch cutthroat on the first cast. Like most guide flies, it is a simple tie with just three materials mostly tied just behind the eye of the hook. The key to this pattern is the micro pine squirrel that can handle a smalll hook, retain the tapered shape and provide the action of a living leech. Landon's inspriation for this pattern came from a trip he had on the South Platte with Jason and Mark Hamrick in 2005. John Barr was with Landon and brought his Slumpbuster streamers which utilitized a Pine Squirrel strip for the zonker wing. The Hamrick's also had their version of a leech pattern known as the Cowboy Leech which also utilized a Pine Squirrel strip and was tied down to a size 14. Both had great success but Landon got the idea of creating an even smaller leech pattern by using Micro Pine Squirrel strips. A smaller pattern would need to be tied on a strong hook with a large gap and straight eye, so the TMC 2488H seemed to be the likely candidate. Rather than using Pine Squirrel for the thorax as both Barr and the Hamricks did, Landon uses a large Ostrich herl and creates a nice body that is proportional to the hook.