FLYMPH FORUM

Clitellata Hirudinea (fun to say - fun to fish - soft hackle leech)
Hook - Mustad Alpha Point Limerick Streamer/Model L87AP (Size 8)
Thread - 140 Denier Ultra Thread (Rusty Brown)
Collar Tail - Ringneck Pheasant Flank Feather (Auburn Brown)
Rear Body - Ringneck Aftershaft/Philoplume Feathers (Olive)
Body Hackle - Ringneck Pheasant Rump Feather (Olive)
Middle Body - Ringneck Aftershaft/Philoplume Feathers (Olive)
Front Body - Ringneck Feather Marabou (Olive)
Front Hackle Collar - Ringneck Pheasant Rump Feather (Olive)
Head - Tying Tread (whip finished and coated with SHHAN clear nail polish)





Some of the tools I used to tye this pattern.


Ringneck Pheasant Rump Feathers:



Preparing Feather for tying - Separate Tip Section and Pull back most of the fibers to reveal the center tip section (part used for tying in the rear and body hackle)


Mount the hook in the vice, tye in the front collar hackle and then the rear tail hackle.


Grasp the center stem in your hackle pliers, gently fold the fibers rearward and wrap forward in close touching turns.

Secure stem with a few wraps of tying thread.


Behind most of the rump feathers you will find these delicate aftershaft (philoplume) feathers. Keep these for the rear body hackle. I tye them in by the thicker end (bird end), and reinforce them in a thread dubbing loop.


Carefully twist the feather in a thread dubbing loop, stopping occasionally to run a bodkin needle backwards along loop to flare the fibers outwards before wrapping.


Tye in another prepared rump hackle (tye in by the triangular tip section)



Repeat process for next plume section









Brush out the fly to make sure body if fluffy and hackle fibers radiate in all directions.


Pinch body to force hackle fibers to extend backwards around the body to the fly.

Apply head cement.


You could also use a folding block to use the entire feather in a dubbing loop.

Clipped and ready for tying the next leech.


The finished fly has a nicely tapered profile (very leech like shape) and a "squishy" soft-core texture for the body (added fish appeal).

Can't wait to give these a swim!

Good use of materials and tools.
Well done!

Lou

Thanks Lou. It was fun playing around. Gave me an excuse to use several tools. Hopefully reinforcing sections in dubbing loops will make the pattern more durable.

This also gave me a chance to play around with generative AI technology (something I am learning on the side). I was having fun coming up with a name for the pattern. Started out with "Limerick Leech" and feed it into the Bing art generation tool. It came up with this fun ole style engraving of a leech in a top hat.



Definitely fun!

Wouldn't this make a great tee-shirt.

EDIT - Adding a few more pictures:
I kept tying variations of these after the recent swap. I keep playing around with the body profile and feather/fluff density.



The version below is tyed with natural ringneck feathers and three rump feathers (rear/middle/front) and fluff used as tail and two midsections. I like the way it turned out, and can't wait to fish with it. The bass are going to love it!

Cool, and great pattern &sbs

Ray, that is a killer looking Leech pattern. Well done!!

Thanks Ray, you’re not gonna believe what I found in the road today! Yes a beautiful rooster pheasant right in front of pheasant farm, and they were having a tower shoot, the bird was still warm and in excellent condition. Your pattern will definitely be used.
Thanks, Mike.

Are you going to skin out the pheasant? Hopefully you can keep the whole skin.

Yep, he’s in the freezer for a bit to make sure any unwanted critters are dead to.

Ray.. the artwork is pretty amazing... not sure I'm ready to turn my non-techy brain onto AI Art generative whatever you said...but the name and art work is a hoot. Oh yeah.. the fly aint too shabby either.