Spey Fly Tying: The Grapefruit Leech

Grapefruit Leech from Fly Fish the Mitt on Vimeo.

This Spey fly tying video was put together for the Revive Fly Fishing online magazine (http://reviveflyfishing.com/).
The fly is the Grapefruit Leech. It’s a steelhead swing bug designed by Kevin Feenstra (http://www.feenstraguideservice.com/). The fly has proven to be a very effective swing bug for Great Lakes steelhead.
The material and instructions for the Grapefruit Leech can be found on Kevin’s site at http://www.feenstraguideservice.com/pdf/grapefruithead_fly.pdf.

Materials:
Hook: Daiichi 2461 or equivalent 3xl streamer hook size 4-2/0
Tail: Black Marabou with sparse red flash
Hackle: Black or Purple Schlappen
Body: Black Marabou Feather
Collar: Large Mallard Flank
Flash: Combination of Green, Silver, and Blue Flashabou
Head: Fuchsia large cactus chenille followed by a veil of chartreuse ice dub

The Grapefruit Leech has proven to be an effective fly on both sides of the Great Lakes.   Swung on a traditional wet fly swing presentation the Grapefruit Leech is full of contrast and movement.  Especially effective on dark days, in high water, or lower in the river, this and other leech/intruder patterns can elicit that type of grab we are always looking for.  Keep looking at our blog as we bring you more Spey Fly Tying Videos from across the web.

The Grapefruit Leech Spey Fly Tying

Tying A Spey Fly Video: Dark Mackerel By Davie McPhail

Davie McPhail demonstrates tying a spey fly in this video about the Dark Mackerel

Tying tutorial on the Mahoney

A great pattern with a ton of movement.  Can be tied in a variety of colors.   In Dec Hogan’s book it’s black and red (original dressing) however a box full of these in lots of colors would cover you for sure.

Davie McPhail demystifies building the married wing. Then a video on setting it on the hook.

A quick look on how a married wing is built by Davie McPhail

Then skip to the 7 minute mark and learn how to attach it to the hook.

Davie McPhail ties a purple spey fly

Davie McPhail ties a purple spey fly and shows us all how bad we really are at it….

Tying the Ho Bo Spey Fly

A popular fall and winter steelhead fly for our waters is the Ho Bo Spey Fly.   The Ho Bo Spey has great movement and can be tide in any color to match any situation.   Playing with the thickness of the materials can also be played with to match the clarity of the water.   I like this version of black and blue with the orange accents for darker days.