Most productive chironomid?
- Thread starter Scudley Do Right
- Start date
Scudley Do Right
Life of the Party
What am missing?
RCF
Life of the Party
One in a fish's mouth...
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With all those empty slots, you are apparently missing a lot of ties............ nicely done!
Can’t imagine you’re missing anything for chironomids but I do hope you have a mini leech/jig leech/balance leech box. Or two.
Scudley Do Right
Life of the Party
Bottom row are leeches on jig hooks. I have stuff to tie more. Never saw the point of balance leeches though. Do leeches sit horizontal at all times? Maybe I'm missing out.
RCF
Life of the Party
You're missing out on tying them and then missing out on fishing them and then missing out not setting the hook.
So you are missing out on a lot...
Hot head leeches
You could do some white ones, and some ones with different mixes of dubbings. You’ve got the basics but there are all kinds of blacks, and olives, etc. I like bi-color ones too, like a black body and brown tail. And add some hot beadhead ones like Billy said. Also look up Troutpocket’s Rickards stillwater nymph. Great indicator bug.
As to balance leeches, I don’t know. It’s just something different and sometimes different works.
edit, this: https://pnwflyfishing.com/forum/index.php?threads/something-i-used-to-tie.1508/
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I put one of these to work last week. I’m aware some folks won’t tie this style because of the extra steps but I think they’re fun to tie. The hot orange dubbing looks great in the water.
Balanced leeches work well for me, particularly with a little chop on the water. I’m not sure if it really matters to the fish that the fly is horizontal or not. I do think that the fly has a lot of action perhaps due to the weight being forward of the hook eye and creating a pivot point, kind like a seesaw.
Scudley Do Right
Life of the Party
I think they are a product of pin manufactures trying to create new markets.
I just want to say that I love that this progressed to the "other chironomid"...the balanced leech. 
I like a balanced leech in black & blue (bruised) or dark red as the top fly and then a bloodworm, snow cone or a grey boy (pictured) as the bottom fly.
Let's see if anyone mentions the other "other chironomid".
I like a balanced leech in black & blue (bruised) or dark red as the top fly and then a bloodworm, snow cone or a grey boy (pictured) as the bottom fly.
Let's see if anyone mentions the other "other chironomid".
How do you get the balanced leech to 'balance' with the weight of a bottom fly?
Even though it makes the most sense to have the chironomid on the bottom I fish them the opposite way so the balanced leech can move freely on a non-slip knot.
I hope you have a good answer as I would much prefer to fish them the opposite way.
@Old406Kid I do the same. I usually fish a bead head micro leech tied on a scud hook as the top fly with a chironomid below. If I fish a balanced pattern it’s always the bottom fly. Sometimes they just want the bigger profile leech right near the bottom.
Crawbugger
Steelhead
They work well in a blizzard hatch. Can confirm they work.
There's a few ways to do it. Let the debate begin.
I've seen guys tie the bottom leader to the eye of the balanced leech using a clinch knot. This would also usually mean main leader to leech is a clinch knot. Pretty straight-forward.
I've also seen guys do loop knot to leech and then use that loop to go loop to loop with bottom leader. I've actually done that a fair amount and it works better than expected, but I think you get too much wear on the loops that result in breakoffs. I did it with 6lb fluoro and didn't experience any breakoffs, but I did break off when using 4x for bottom leader on fish that weren't even monsters. So I don't do this any longer.
I usually tie the main leader (6lb fluoro or 3x), using a loop or clinch to the eye of the leech and then, using 4x (or 6lb fluoro if not worried about hangups), I'll just tie the bottom leader to the eye with a clinch knot or, when fishing is hot and I just need to get it back out there quick, I'll literally tie a clinch knot around the main body of the leech usually right in front of the eye post. Blasphemy, I know!!
I've never had the bottom leader "slip off" or anything and it actually rides very balanced. And it doesn't seem to get as twisted as it does when tying to the eye. Which makes sense, actually, since the bottom leader is exiting the bottom of the leech down to the bottom fly. It's never on top of the leech unless tangled. So never pulling on the eye, never somehow rolling the leech over during casting or retrieving. Just a straight line.
My decision on loop or clinch to the leech is determined by the waves. If there is a decent bobbing going on then I'll just do clinch. If it's really still and I want more movement I'll use a loop knot.
Now, if there's a hatch on then I usually put the leech on bottom and mid on top. And if the mid starts out-producing the leech then I'll replace the leech with a 2nd hot mid or a bloodworm as the bottom fly. It's hard for me to go completely away from the leech since I would say the larger fish I've caught were about 70/30 in favor of the leech. Less numbers, but bigger fish on the leech. That's just me.
Not sure how Phil Rowley or Brian Chan do it, but that's how I do it.
Sorry, that got longer than you probably needed. Haha!
yep, tungsten bead balanced leech on the bottom, chrom on the tag end of the splice. Weight of the leech keeps the leader straighter in the water column, easier to detect takes.
I'm not trying to put you in the hot seat but am always eager to learn.There's a few ways to do it. Let the debate begin.
I've seen guys tie the bottom leader to the eye of the balanced leech using a clinch knot. This would also usually mean main leader to leech is a clinch knot. Pretty straight-forward.
I've also seen guys do loop knot to leech and then use that loop to go loop to loop with bottom leader. I've actually done that a fair amount and it works better than expected, but I think you get too much wear on the loops that result in breakoffs. I did it with 6lb fluoro and didn't experience any breakoffs, but I did break off when using 4x for bottom leader on fish that weren't even monsters. So I don't do this any longer.
I usually tie the main leader (6lb fluoro or 3x), using a loop or clinch to the eye of the leech and then, using 4x (or 6lb fluoro if not worried about hangups), I'll just tie the bottom leader to the eye with a clinch knot or, when fishing is hot and I just need to get it back out there quick, I'll literally tie a clinch knot around the main body of the leech usually right in front of the eye post. Blasphemy, I know!!
I've never had the bottom leader "slip off" or anything and it actually rides very balanced. And it doesn't seem to get as twisted as it does when tying to the eye. Which makes sense, actually, since the bottom leader is exiting the bottom of the leech down to the bottom fly. It's never on top of the leech unless tangled. So never pulling on the eye, never somehow rolling the leech over during casting or retrieving. Just a straight line.
My decision on loop or clinch to the leech is determined by the waves. If there is a decent bobbing going on then I'll just do clinch. If it's really still and I want more movement I'll use a loop knot.
Now, if there's a hatch on then I usually put the leech on bottom and mid on top. And if the mid starts out-producing the leech then I'll replace the leech with a 2nd hot mid or a bloodworm as the bottom fly. It's hard for me to go completely away from the leech since I would say the larger fish I've caught were about 70/30 in favor of the leech. Less numbers, but bigger fish on the leech. That's just me.
Not sure how Phil Rowley or Brian Chan do it, but that's how I do it.
Thanks for taking the time.
