Michigan Flies

Flies / Streamer

Egg-Sucking Leech

A

Will Bauer, Alaska, about 1984; Michigan recipe by Current Works

A leech profile with an egg hot spot, recognized as one of the most effective flies on Great Lakes tributary steelhead streams and, per Current Works, less intrusive than most patterns for selective fish. Betts fishes it for Pere Marquette fall salmon, and Michigan coho anglers swing it through runs and tailouts. Dead-drift or swing black, purple or olive bodies with chartreuse, orange, red or pink heads from September through April; #8 versions take pink salmon.

#2–8Black with chartreuse headBlack with orange headPurple with pink headOlive with red headBlack with hot pink head
What the pattern looks like
Reference photos of the Egg-Sucking Leech tied by others, shared by their photographers. Not our flies; our own product photos replace these as they are shot.

Photo © Quinn for Fly Deal Flies, used with permission · Egg Sucking Leech Black - Steelhead

Season
Months this pattern is in play across Michigan, derived from what it imitates.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Imitates

Eggs

  • Chinook salmon eggs6.36–8.36 mm
  • Coho salmon eggs6–8 mm
  • Steelhead eggs4–5 mm

Forage

  • Leech
Fish it for
SteelheadChinook salmonCoho salmonBrown troutPink salmon

Setups

  • Swinging flies (spey / switch)
  • Indicator nymphing
  • Chuck and duck
  • Streamers
How it's tied
A
A black bugger-style leech with a bright egg at its head; the Michigan version from Current Works trades the gaudy chenille egg for a small orange bead and a peacock body for shy steelhead. Our own write-up of the standard tie, checked against the sources below. Recipe by Ted Kraimer, Current Works Guide Service, Traverse City.

Materials

Hook
TMC 3761 #6 (2X-long, 2X-heavy nymph hook); sizes 2-8 in general, 4-6 for spring steelhead
Thread
Uni 6/0, black or olive dun
Egg
Pucci 5 mm orange pearl plastic bead at the eyeThe Alaska original uses a ball of fluorescent chenille (chartreuse, orange, pink or red) or a 1/8 in fluorescent bead. Match the egg colour to the variant: chartreuse or orange on black, pink on purple, red on olive.
Tail
Black Woolly Bugger marabou, one shank lengthPurple or olive marabou on those variants.
Body
4-5 strands of peacock herlClassic tie: black, purple or olive chenille; Orvis version: chocolate brown SLF Prism dubbing.
Hackle
Black Indian saddle hackle, palmered, barbs no more than 1.5 times the gap
Collar
Arizona Synthetic peacock dubbing, a short collar behind the bead

Steps

  1. 1.Flatten the barb and slide the 5 mm plastic bead over the point to the eye. If the hole is too tight, open it slightly from the back with a small countersink bit turned by hand.
  2. 2.Start the thread behind the bead and lay a base back to a point above the barb.
  3. 3.Tie in a black marabou tail one shank length long at the bend, and bind the butts forward under the body.
  4. 4.Prepare a black saddle hackle with barbs no longer than one and a half times the gap and tie it in by the tip at the base of the tail.
  5. 5.Tie in four or five peacock herls by their tips at the same spot. Twisting them round the thread makes a tougher rope.
  6. 6.Wind the herl forward in close turns to just behind the bead, building a slight taper, then tie off and trim.
  7. 7.Palmer the hackle forward through the herl in open, even turns to the bead; tie off and trim the stem.
  8. 8.Dub a short collar of peacock dubbing between the hackle and the bead to cover the tie-off and fill the gap behind the egg.
  9. 9.Whip finish behind the bead. A drop of cement on the whip is optional.

From the tier

  • Ted Kraimer of Current Works ties this quieter version because big, loud eggs can turn a wary steelhead aside, while the small pearl egg on a natural peacock body drifts into the fish's view and often gets eaten; he also likes that it ties fast for tributary fishing where you lose flies.
  • Fish it dead-drifted under an indicator or on a tight line through the run, and let it swing at the tailout; it can also be stripped like a small streamer.
  • MidCurrent's steelhead guide pairs chartreuse egg with black in stained water, pink egg over purple in moderate clarity and peach over olive when the water is clear.

Egg Sucking Leech Pattern Steps follow Kraimer's nine-step Current Works sequence in our own words, with colour and fishing notes from Orvis and MidCurrent; the classic chenille-egg head is described from the MidCurrent article. Unconfirmed: The Will Bauer attribution comes from MidCurrent and search snippets rather than a primary document; the Current Works page carries no date. Also checked against Phil Monahan, Orvis News (tied by Tim Flagler), 2023, Video: How to Tie an Egg-Sucking Leech, MidCurrent, 2026, Egg-Sucking Leech for Steelhead: Fly Patterns & Tactics and Wills Donaldson, Flylords, 2019, How to Tie: The Egg Sucking Leech.

Materials to buy
Everything one Egg-Sucking Leech takes, each item once: 7 items, plus 1 optional. Quantities are for a single fly. We do not sell components yet; when we do, these will link to them.

Hook and hardware

  • 2X-long 2X-heavy nymph hook1

    size 6 (2-8) · TMC 3761

    Hook

Feathers and fur

  • Woolly Bugger marabou1 plume

    black

    Tail

  • Peacock herl4-5 strands

    Body

  • Indian saddle hackle1 feather

    black

    Hackle

Synthetics, flash and legs

  • Arizona Synthetic dubbinga pinch

    peacock

    Collar

  • Fluorescent chenilleoptionalabout 3 in

    chartreuse, orange or pink

    Egg

    For the classic chenille-egg head instead of the bead.

Thread and finish

  • Tying thread1 spool

    6/0 black or olive dun · Uni

    Thread

Other

  • Plastic pearl bead1

    5 mm orange pearl · Pucci

    Egg

Sources