We fish a lot of articulated ‘leech’ style flies at our lodges. Why? Because they work really well! In fact, we just ran a step by step fly tying post on one here.
However, one down side to most stinger style leech patterns is that once the stinger hook becomes dull or straightened, the hook cannot be changed.. After all the stinger hook is typically tied directly to the bunny tail at the vise.
We like a little more versatility in our flies, so today we present you with a great tip from Alaska West guide, Grant Turner, on a great way to rig a bunny tail fly so that it not only rides even with the stinger hook, but the hook can be replaced as well. See the step by step below.
Damn! I thought my way was the best but this is pretty awesome. I’m going to try tying a few bunny leeches like this and give it a try. Thanks for the no brainer idea!
Great idea, Grant! Try forming the loop by taking one strand of braided line, and making an overhand loop between 1 and 1.5 inches long. (NOT a Perfection Loop, it cuts braid) You can then run the single strand of braid through the eye of the front shank, wrap it around the front shank and whip finish it. You will have only one strand of braid coming off the front shank (it will be more limber), it’s simple and secure to tie on to the front shank, but you’ll still have a loop long enough to swap out hooks and also do this GREAT new trick of slipping the end of the bunny through the loop. I’ve been tying a loop-leech style fly with a sculpin head (Grant, remember the Slugger?) and threading the hook and loop through 2 holes punched through the end of the bunny. This idea of just running the end of the bunny through the braid loop is much better!