I stand on a wooded bank, where the leafless branches of valley oaks reach skyward like begging skeletons swaying in the wind, their bony arms pleading to the overcast sky for a precious gift. They are answered. The stingy clouds open up, and I give thanks for this long-awaited rain drumming rhythmically against my body. I just stand there, taking it all in as my boots press into the soft, soaking earth curving downward to the river’s edge. I look out over the river and watch my client methodically wading, moving, flowing with the current a few steps at a time. He flicks his Spey rod, swinging a deadly fly pattern called a String Leech as he searches for his first winter steelhead.
My mind wanders off, escapes from my responsibilities for the angler before me, comes to rest on some enjoyable memories. . . an evening’s passionate kisses, the laughter, then silence. I smile. I remember how this morning, as I lay in bed after being rudely awakened by the alarm clock, the rough tongue of my lady cat groomed this old man’s white beard. Then there was the eye-opening aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the distant memory of my first winter steelhead. The fly was a favorite of mine — the very same pattern my client was now swimming through this run.
Although the String Leech is an articulated pattern, it is not difficult to tie. Just take it one step at a time.
You need two vises, spaced as far apart as necessary for the length of the fly. Take a size 4, 2X-strong short-shank hook and cut off the bend, leaving only the eye and straight shank. Insert the eye into the jaws of the left vise. The severed bend would have been facing out to the right. Attach a strong black thread at midshank and advance it to just behind the eye. Attach a pair of weighted dumbbell eyes close to the hook eye, tie off, and cement. Now take a seven-inch length of 50-pound-test or heavier Tiger Braid or the equivalent and tie it to the eye of a size 4 stinger hook. (I like to use the Improved Clinch Knot.) Next, place the bend of the stinger in the jaws of the right vise so the eye is facing to the left. You are ready to stretch the Tiger Braid on the right-hand hook over to the shank of the left-hand hook.
On the left vise, attach the thread to the hook behind the barbell eyes and wind back to the end. Leave the bobbin hanging there. Go to the right vise, take the braid, and stretch it to the left until you can attach it with thread to the end of the left hook. Continue to stretch the braid to the left toward the barbell eyes, pinning it down with thread wraps. Bring the braid over the barbell eye and back underneath to the middle of the hook shank, all the while pinning the braid to the shank with thread. Tie off the thread, remove the bobbin, and cement the wraps.
Now move to the right vise. You’re almost done. Attach the thread to the midpoint of the stinger hook. Take a length of black rabbit Zonker strip and cut it in two down the length of the hide. Using half a strip keeps the fly from becoming too bulky. You can also instead use a narrower squirrel Zonker strip. Now attach the rear of the hide, fur up, at the midshank of the stinger hook so that the Zonker tail sticks out about half an inch past the bend. Lift the rabbit strip out of the way and wrap the thread forward in wide turns all the way to the left until you finish behind the barbell eyes on the left vise. Let the bobbin hang. It’s almost time to wrap the Zonker strip, but before you do, lightly coat the Tiger Braid with flexible cement. Wrap the hide all the way forward to the eye, and tie it off, then trim away the excess hide, and cement the head. Finished!
The first time you tie this fly, it takes a while, but subsequent attempts will go much quicker. It just requires a little patience and determination. Take it one step at a time, and you will be on your way to some memorable moments on the water.
— Andy Guibord
