• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
- Plan Your Next Adventure -

Deneki Outdoors

Alaska | The Bahamas | Chile

  • About
    • Jobs
    • Blog
  • Locations
    • Rapids Camp – Bristol Bay, Alaska
    • Alaska West – Western Alaska
    • Andros South – The Bahamas
    • Rio Salvaje – Chile
  • Air Taxi Service
  • Memberships
  • Search

Aug 17 2021

Fly Tying: Impersonator Leech

Impersonator Leech

When it comes to trout, streamer patterns are without a doubt, extremely effective. The best thing about streamers is, they relatively easy to tie, and the color combinations are as vast as the number of colors out there. That being said, a surefire color combination is red and black.  Is it a confidence thing? Maybe.

The Impersonator is an inspiration of a few different patterns, The Silveynator, Trevor’s Sculpin, and The Kryptonite Sculpin.  All these flies have something that prompted this little jewel of a fly. Although many streamer fly patterns are “large” sometimes smaller is better. Of course, you can tie it bigger.

This fly will produce whether you are into swinging for trout on a trout Spey or wanting to nymph.  It is also a great little lake leech as well.  The heavy tungsten bead-head gives the fly a lot of drop quickly while adding a lot of up/down motion while stripping. Give this little bug a try. You will not be disappointed.

Tie, Instruction, & Photos By Mike Brown, owner of Mossy’s Fly Shop in Anchorage, Alaska.

Fly Ingredients:

  • Hook: Firehole 811 sz 8
  • Beadhead: 3/16 Tungsten Beadhead
  • Tinsel: Veevus Mini Flat Pearl
  • Dubbing: UV Ice Dub Red
  • Tail: Straight Cut Rabbit
  • Collar: Rabbit Fur
  • Thread: Veevus 8/0

Step 1.  Slide your bead-head onto the hook and place it in the vise.  Start your thread behind the bead and wrap it back to the start of the bend.

Step 2.  Tie in your flat braid and wrap forward to the middle of the shank and tie off, trim.

Step 3.  Create a dubbing loop.  Place your dubbing in the loop and spin.  Pick out the material till you create a thin core.

Step 4.  Wrap your dubbing, sweeping the material backward with each turn.  Create a nice little ball.  Brush/pick out the trapped material.

Step 5.  Tie in your rabbit strip, placing it over the top of the dubbing ball.  Trim your tail appx the length of the hook shank.

Step 6.  Create another dubbing loop.  Trim a small of fur from the hide and place it in the dubbing loop.  Spin and brush out trapped hairs.

Step 7.  Wrap your rabbit forward, brushing the hair back with each wrap.  Wrap it up tight into the bead-head.  Tie off and whip finish. 

Finished Fly.

Other Fly Trout Patterns:

Filed Under: Alaska West, Fly Tying, General, Rapids Camp Tagged With: fly tying, Leech, steamers, trout fishing, trout flies, trout food

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

All Blog Posts

Recent Posts

  • One Question: What Fly Pattern Do You Want To See?
  • Avoid These Three Things Bonefish Hate
  • 3 Mistakes You’re Making When You Spey Cast And How To Fix Them
  • Fly Tying Tutorial: Morrish Hitched Tube Skater
  • Tips For Better King Salmon Fishing On The Swing

Top Posts

All About Spey

All About Trout

All About Bonefishing

All About Gear

Subscribe

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Photography by Peter Viau, Tosh Brown, Abe Blair, Kyle Shea and Kara Knight.

Contact Information

Mailing address:
200 W. 34th Ave. #1170
Anchorage, AK 99503

Headquarters:
6160 Carl Brady Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99502

U.S. Information and Reservations:
800-344-3628

International Information and Reservations:
+1 907-563-9788

info@deneki.com

Locations

Rapids Camp
King Salmon, Alaska

Alaska West
Kanektok River, Alaska

Andros South
South Andros Island, The Bahamas

Rio Salvaje
Puerto Montt, Chile

Air Taxi
Alaska

Copyright © 2025 · Deneki Outdoors · Privacy Policy · Site by 21 Designs

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we assume that you are okay with it.