steelhead flys

[bobberdown9321]

is an egg sucking leech a good fly for steelies?

[Cliff]

It depends on where you are really, but personally i think it is. Black and purple egg suckers work well on the santiam. another good one, is an egg pattern alone! as a dropper fly.


CLiff

[D$_KFalls]

Yep ... depending on your water. For example, I've caught steelhead on the Rogue with a black leech with an orange bead. I've also seen success with pink, yellow and purple beads. On the Applegate, I've had success with a black (or dark-colored) leech with a chartreuse bead.

Ask a local fly shop if egg-sucking leeches work on the local river. Make sure you check local regs, too, since some places you can't use a weighted fly (most of the leeches I have tied are weighted).

D

[Ryan Pultz]

I fish them on the clack also and have a few takes. rp

[D3smartie]

Up and down the coast the egg sucking leech has taken a ton of steelhead... It is a must have pattern in my book.
Purple, orange, and pink heads with either purple or black bodies.
They work well for cohos and kings too.

[AndyK]

is an egg sucking leech a good fly for steelies?



I've hooked steelhead in a number of rivers using an egg sucking leech. My favorite (and most successful) color is purple. Maybe I'm more successful with that color because I use it more often!

Fly size depends on water conditions. But I've been successful with a number of sizes, size 10 through 1/0.

[Mad Mikey]

The fly you get in front of them is a good fly.

I had a pile of them left over from guiding in AK in the mid 90's and used them on my sink tips for Winter fish and mid-day steelheading on the Deschutes.
The "bugger" style ones I had I even greased up and fished on a floating line. Sizes ranged from #2 to #6.

[LunkerFish]

I'll add my 2-cents to everyone elses...

A purple and black egg-sucking leech is one of my favorite patterns. Size depends on situation, but I mostly use a size 8 or 6.