Voodoo Leech

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First is materials i used in the pattern. Feel free to adjust as to your preference

Thread - Black 6/0; could probably use 3/0 to allow more tension when tying down rabbit strips and the linker braid

Trail hook - Gamatasku B10S size 6
Tail - Pink marabou
Body - Black cross cut rabbit strips
Eyes - Lead dumbell size small
Linker - Spider wire EZ braid or powerpro braid
Spacers - glass beads size EE (6/0)
Lead hook - Gamatsku B10S size 4 - you can also use waddingtons shanks or cotter pins for this to save burning a hook when you cut off the front bend. The purpose of the glass beads is to prevent the braid rubbing on the cut shank of the lead hook, thus preventing wearing out of the braid. If you use waddingtons or cotter pins then there's no need for the glass beads

Materials - these can be adjusted to personal preference, and i've shown the colors of rabbit strips, marabou and Senyos Laser Dub that im using to tie these flies. Tail color matches head color, though i'm sure this could be different



The beads and spider braid are from Walmart. Beads were about $1.75

Start with your size 2 hook in the vise and lay down a base layer of thread to the tie in point at the back of the hook, about mid way between the point and the barb


Tie in a tail of marabou, not overly thick. Measure it against the length of hair on the rabbit strip and tie it in that it will be just slightly longer than the rabbit strip hair at the back of the hook. Tie down the marabou to form a rough underbody until about 1/4 inch from the eye of the hook


Tie in the rabbit strip at the rear tie in point and wind forward to the front of the hook.


While winding, make sure to keep the wraps tight and slightly overlapping, and also pull the hair back to prevent i being trapped under the wraps in the wrong direction. All rabbit hair should point to the rear of the hook. Form a small head with tying tread, whip finish and cement.


Next take a length of spider braid or power pro and fold in half. Thread the loop though the eye of the trail hook and feed the tag ends through the loop to secure the hook.


Place your size one hook in the vise, secure thread and wind to rear tie in point.
Place two glass beads over the tag ENDS of the spider braid and push to the eye of the hook.


Lay the tag ends of the spider braid over the shank of the hook in the vise and thread the tag ends through the eye and back down the shank.
secure the spider braid with tread up and down the shank a couple times and tie off with whip finish.
add some super glue to the thread and spider braid on the shank, and allow to dry.
The beads should just touch the bend of the hook but not cause the spider braid to be above the plane of the hook.


Tie in the dumbell lead eyes with figure 8 wraps and some wraps under the eyes but above the shank of the hook. this helps prevent them sliding forward or backward on the hook shank


Tie in the tail and body as described above.


Tie off the rabbit strip behind the eyes as close to them as possible and secure well with tight wraps.


Wax the thread and dub some Senyos laser dub and wrap behind and over the eyes.


Take a resonably large clump of senyos laser dub and pull apart between your fingers until all strands are in the same general direction. Tie down in the middle with several tight wraps in front of the eyes. Fold back the dubbing from over the eye of the hook, secure with a few more wraps in front of the dubbing, build a head, whip finish and cement


And that is your Voodoo Leech.
you can cut off the bend of the front hook under the glass beads.
in the photos i haven't done that step, but definitely will be making this a single hook fly.

Hope this helps.

SF
 
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Ard

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Great Step X Step !

Funny thing, I just had to rip a leech off of my neoprene foot on Monday. I was wading in sandals and it was clamped to my right ankle when I went to change to a studded boot. All the way up here! That's why we use the egg sucking leech I guess.

Beautiful job on this fly,

Ard
 
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Thanks Ard!
Had been looking for a SBS forawhile and couldn't find one, so just decided to do one myself. Will definitely be doing some more in the future, it was actually good to take my time and think about each step as I photographed it.

Eunan
 
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