What's in your vise?

Mike Cline

Life of the Party
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There are eight known species of leech in Montana (per Montana Field Guide). Most, if not all are predatory leeches that feed on other annelids and small aquatic insect invertebrates. (think typical midge larvae, mayfly larvae and small caddis pupa). Leeches are not uncommon in rivers that have any sort of slow backwaters. For the most part they are nocturnal but can occasionally be seen swimming in slow, shallow rivulets or backwaters during low light hours. Scientists who have studied leeches believe they will actively enter stream flows to feed when small invertebrates are plentiful. (Think your typical midge or small mayfly hatch). They are good swimmers. (see video). On recent trips to the upper meadows of the Gibbon River, mottled gray/green, brownish green and light gray leeches were a common sight in small pools and rivulets next to the river. A great number of the browns caught were regurgitating earthworms and leeches.

Swimming leech

Enter the simple Mini Pine Squirrel Zonker. These can be tied in just a few minutes each and replicate typical stream leeches extremely well.
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A strip of zonked pine squirrel looks remarkably like the real thing (leech)
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Two simple materials-- A strip of zonked pine squirrel and palmer chenille. Four steps:
1. Tie in the pine squirrel strip with the hair facing rearward at the hook bend.
2. Tie in the palmer chenille just in front of the pine squirrel, add a small drop of head cement and wind thread, then palmer chenille forward to within 1/4" of the hook eye.
3. Stretch the pine squirrel over the palmer chenille and secure with wraps 1/4" from the hook eye.
4. Wrap the pine squirrel strip twice around the hook shank and secure with thread wraps.
 
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clarkman

average member
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topwater with a removable head

1" block
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3/4" block
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Norm Frechette

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Snow Fly Cluster

Griffiths Gnat Variation

Hook - Mustad 94840 or equivalent, size 14 -18

Thread - Gray

Hackle - Grizzly palmered through body

Body - Muskrat dubbing fur

This pattern, from Taylor Streit, is used on the Rio Grande in late November to represent a cluster of midges. The fly is very effective when these small flies are grouped together for “mating.”

The Book of Fly Patterns: Over 1,000 Patterns for the Construction of Artificial Flies - Eric Leiser

Many years ago, I fished a fly similar to this one but with a cream dubbed fur body and grizzly hackle on the Green River in Utah. That was one of my better days of fly fishing!
 

QuickreleaseEN

Steelhead
Sculpin pattern, name redacted. This one should have some kick and wiggle to it. I'd call the color palette "creative natural" on this one, I blended five different marabou colors and got creative with hackle and feathers and added a plethora of rubber legs. And of course no large sculpin pattern of mine is complete without the "angel wings" on the side- now standard issue is a double stack of stiff bent mallard flank, and here topped with a ruffed grouse flank. These push a LOT of water and compress/flare on the strip/pause, the higher the speed, the greater the effect. Pretty muted, not much flash save for three gold flashabou strands on each side and some ice dub underbody.

These will be hitting some choice undercuts soon.

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Scottp

Legend
Sickles’ Foam Hopper II

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hook - WFC Model 6 #6
thread - Uni 6/0 tan
underbody - 3mm x 3mm foam strip (tied on sides of hook only)
body - 1mm foam tan
underwing - Congo Hair shiner tan
wing - deer hair
head - 2mm foam tan
legs - medium rubber brown
indicator - 1mm foam orange

Regards,
Scott
 

Norm Frechette

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Caddis Creeper

Hook - Mustad 9671 or equivalent, size10-14

Thread - Black

Tail - Two peacock sword fibers (one-quarter inch past bend)

Body - Rear third, peacock herl; middle third, yellow floss ribbed with gold wire; fore third, peacock herl

Wing - Three to four peacock sword fibers to bend

The Book of Fly Patterns: Over 1,000 Patterns for the Construction of Artificial Flies - Eric Leiser
 

Norm Frechette

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Wisconsin-Fancy-1080.jpg

Wisconsin Fancy

Hook - Mustad 94840 or equivalent, size 12-18

Thread - Black

Tail - Brown hackle fibers

Palmer rib - One brown and one grizzly hackle palmered through body

Body - Cream dubbing fur or ginger red fox dubbing

This pattern, listed in the Little Dixie Flies catalog, features a mixed hackle palmer rib, and is similar to the bivisibles except that it has no fronting collar.

The Book of Fly Patterns: Over 1,000 Patterns for the Construction of Artificial Flies - Eric Leiser
 

Norm Frechette

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Baetis Soft Hackle

Hook - TMC100 or equivalent, size 18 – 24

Thread - Red

Body - Olive-gray superfine dubbing or equivalent (I used kapok)

Hackle - Mallard duck shoulder feather or dyed dun hen hackle

Developed by Nick Nicklas from Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, MT.
 

Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
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Balance leeches for family road trip to Banff end of this month, going to try to fish here and there with stop overs in Kamloops.

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Great looking leeches! Have fun on your trip - you might want to see about higher elevation lakes. Regardless, enjoy! (I love the red bead.)
 

Norm Frechette

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Scraggly

Hook - Mustad 3906B or equivalent, size 12-18
Thread - Black
Palmer rib - Grizzly hackle palmered through body and trimmed for a stubby or scraggly effect
Body - Peacock herl
Legs - Light brown hen hackle wound as a wet fly collar

Basically, a Griffiths Gnat Soft Hackle Pattern

The Book of Fly Patterns: Over 1,000 Patterns for the Construction of Artificial Flies - Eric Leiser
 
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