Barr's Bouface Leech Fly Recipe

As temperatures begin to drop in the Fall and the trout move back into the shallows to feed, it is hard not to toss out a big fat leech pattern to try and entice a trout looking for a big meal. The Barr’s Bouface leech fits the bill.

We like to fish this pattern on an intermediate sinking line but if the fish aren't up in the shallows quite yet, a little bit quicker of a sink rate can be the ticket with a fairly slow, steady retrieve. If you find that the fish are biting but you can’t connect, try stopping the fly and just letting it sit motionless in the water for a few seconds after the initial “tap”. It’s common for the fish to circle back around and smash the fly.

We keep four colours of this staple fly patterns in our boxes. They are Black, Wine, Olive and Brown. They all produce well for us!

Fly Recipe

Hook: Mustad C53S Size 6 or 8
Bead: Wapsi Cyclops Brass Bead 1/8” Gold
Thread: Black Uni Thread, 6/0
Body/Wing: Wapsi Rabbit Zonker, Black and Flashabou, Pearl
Collar: Nature’s Spirit Fish Hunter Marabou, Black
Head:  Hareline Dubbin, Black

 Fly Tying Instructions

1. Slide your bead on to the hook and fix the hook into the jaws of your vise.
2. Tie in your thread covering the shank, back until approximately the point of the hook.
3. Tie in a section of the Zonker strip, securing the strip to the hook shank in line with the hook point.
4. Wrap your thread forward and tie down the front of the strip, leaving about a ¼" gap between the bead and the end of the strip.
5. Tie in two strands of Flashabou down both sides of the rabbit strip.
6. Tie in a marabou plume so that the tips extend about ¼" past the bend of the hook.
7. Dub in a head behind the bead and whip finish your thread to complete the fly.