Overview

The Mini Leech Jig is a jig version of the Mini Leech, the small leech pattern from Umpqua signature tyer Landon Mayer. It uses a micro pine squirrel body and an ostrich herl collar on a barbless jig hook with a tungsten bead.

Leeches live in rivers and lakes all year, and high water washes them off banks and the bottom where trout pick them off. Pine squirrel and ostrich breathe and undulate even on a dead drift, which gives this fly life when it is barely moving. The tungsten bead and jig hook make it a strong anchor fly that sits balanced, rides point up and works in both moving and still water.

Euro Specs

• Bead: Tungsten.
• Hook: Umpqua jig hook, barbless.
• Role: Anchor (point) fly; also fished alone as a drifted leech.

How to Fish It

• Anchor fly: fish it on the point of a nymph or Euro rig and add a smaller nymph above it.
• Dry-dropper: hang the 16 under a foam dry in slower water.
• Drifting streamer: dead drift it alone or add slow strips and twitches along banks and drop-offs.
• Stillwater: fish it under an indicator or retrieve it slowly near weed beds and drop-offs.

Choosing Color and Size

Black gives the strongest silhouette in low light and off-color water. Brown is a natural leech color for clear water and bright days.

Choose 12 as a heavier anchor in deep or fast water, 14 for all-around use, and 16 for clear water and lighter rigs. Black is offered in 16 only.