Marabou Leech

Marabou Leech, Black

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Tying Instructions

1. Wrap a section of lead wire on the forward portion of the hook shank. Attach the thread to the hook shank behind the wire wraps.

2. Secure the wire with thread wraps and wrap the thread back to the bend of the hook.

3. Cut 6-10 flues from the plume marabou. If the marabou has few barbs at the tips, pinch those off with your fingers. Measure the tail length to be about the same as the hook shank. Attach the fibers with 3-4 thread wraps at the bend of the hook.

4. Keeping the tag ends of the marabou on the top of the hook shank, secure with thread wraps covering all of the shank up to the midpoint of the shank.

5. Cut another 6-10 flues of marabou and proceed with a mid wing. These flues should be the same length as the tail but secured at the midpoint of the shank with 3-4 thread wraps.

6. Again, secure the tag ends of the Marabou with thread wraps covering all of the shank and wire wraps up to behind the eye of the hook. Leave enough room to anchor a front section of Marabou and secure those tag ends as well.

7. Attach 4-6 strands of Krystalflash for an overwing on the top of the hook shank just behind the eye. Cover all of the material with thread wraps and whip finish. Use some Black Nail Polish to cement the head.

Materials to Order Material, click the link
Hook	TMC 5263 #6-12
Thread	Danville Black 6/0
Head	Danville Black 6/0
Weight	0.025 Leadfree wire
Body	Thread wrapsDanville Black 3/0 over Black Marabou
Tail	Black Marabou
Mid Wing and Forward Wing	Black Marabou and Black Krystalflash over the Forward Wing

Hal Jannsen

Marabou Leech

Designed by Hal Janssen. Hal got his first inspiration in 1957 as he designed a Marabou Leech for Black Bass based upon an earlier pattern known as the Ozark Bucktail. Later, along the Williamson River in Oregon, Hal encountered leeches and came back to this pattern for the intent of catching trout.

A natural leech will collapse into a small ball, then extend 4-5 inches in length when swimming. By staggering the Marabou wings along the top of the hook shank he got a slender, tapered appearance in which the marabou will flatten and wrap itself around the hook. Marabou will achieve this movement and create a close representation of a natural leech.

Marabou

The proper selection of Marabou is critical. Use the fully barbed flues found along the middle of mature plume quills. These flues should be long, 3-4 inches if possible. The Marabou Leech is a very effective pattern for the Sierra Nevada. With its pulsation motion (due to the Marabou), fish find this fly very attractive. Krystal Flash strands are sometimes used over the front wing. The body is a thread wrap over the hook shank securing the tag ends of the marabou to the top of the shank.

Try to keep the amount of Marabou used to a minimum, 6-8 flues for the tail and wings. However, fully barbed flues may be difficult to find, even on plume marabou. If so, increase the number of flues until you get your desired effect. Once wet, the marabou will appear much thicker. The pattern should also be weighted, 8-15 turns of leadfree wire wrapped along the front half of the hook shank or you can use a bead.

Variations

There are a number of variations of the Marabou Leech. A common commercial tie is to use one forward wing and spirol wrap the butt ends of the tail marabou for the body as I did with the Olive Marabou Leech. This pattern works well for smaller sizes. Others will wrap a body of dubbing or chenille and tie the forward wing long enough so that the material extends to the tail. On the Dark Cinnamon Marabou Leech, I thread wrapped the lower portion of the body and then wrapped the remaining Marabou tag end to the wing.

The Marabou Leech is usually fished as a streamer with a full sinking line. You want to get the fly near the bottom to mimic the natural. Use some short tugs of 2-3 inches or some long pulls of 8-12 inches to mimic the undulating swimming of the leech. In stillwater situations, some will simply troll the pattern while kicking from a float tube using the pause and tug technique. If you come across shallow shoals and drop-offs, try using the pattern with an intermediate sinking line or floating line.

Claret Marabou Leech

Hook	TMC 5263 #6-12
Thread	Danville Black 6/0
Head	Danville Black 6/0
Weight	0.025 Leadfree wire
Body	Thread wrapsDanville Black 3/0 over Claret Marabou
Tail	Claret Marabou
Mid Wing and Forward Wing	Claret Marabou and Wine Krystalflash over the Forward Wing

Olive Brown Marabou Leech

Hook	TMC 5263 #6-12
Thread	Danville Olive 6/0
Head	Danville Olive 6/0
Weight	0.025 Leadfree wire
Body	Thread wrapsDanville Olive 6/0 over Olive Brown Marabou
Tail	Olive Brown Marabou
Mid Wing and Forward Wing	Olive Brown Marabou and Root Beer Krystalflash over the Forward Wing

Olive Marabou Leech

Hook	TMC 5263 #6-12
Thread	Danville Light Olive 6/0
Head	Danville Light Olive 6/0
Weight	0.025 Leadfree wire
Body	Thread wrapsDanville Light Olive 6/0 over Olive Marabou
Tail	Olive Marabou
Mid Wing and Forward Wing	Olive Marabou and Olive Krystalflash over the Forward Wing

Crawdad Orange Marabou Leech

Hook	TMC 5263 #6-12
Thread	Danville Brown 6/0
Head	Gold Cyclop Bead
Weight	0.025 Leadfree wire
Body	Crawdad Orange Marabou wrapped around the shank
Tail	Crawdad Orange Marabou
Mid Wing and Forward Wing	Crawdad Orange Marabou