“Fly tying is a school from which we never graduate”
HEADS UP! Great Crane Prairie Pattern ! FUZZY BALANCED LEECH
HOOK: TMC403BLJ, 60 degree jig hook, SIZE 12
SHOWN, Wide gape, Medium wire, Super fine Barbless Point, Black Nickle, Size 16-10
THREAD: VEVVUS 6/0 Black
BEAD: HARELINE PLUMMETING TUNGSTEN, Metallic Brown, SIZE 7/64” SHOWN
TAIL: Marabou, BROWN SHOWN
TAIL FLASH: Midge Flash, ROOT BEER PEARL SHOWN
BODY: HARELINE MICRO UV POLAR CHENILLE, UV BROWN SHOWN
TYING INSTRUCTIONS
Place hook upside down in vise and begin by laying a thread base down from the hook bend at the eye, rearwards to just in front of the bend of the hook.
Prepare a heavy-duty sewing pin by cutting to a length of approximately 3/8 of an inch. Place the bead onto the pin and secure the pin and bead component to the top of the hook shank, extended style. The gap between the eye bend on the hook and the back of the bead should be at least equal to the width of the bead. Continue to secure this by wrapping thread up to the back of the bead forcing it forward into the head of the pin. Once secure, use super glue or thin UV cement to make certain it stays firmly attached to the hook. When I’m tying more than just a couple of these, I will prepare the hook / extended bead chassis ahead of time prior to finishing the pattern.
Tie in a tail of Marabou tips equal to the length of the body including the bead assembly. Tie in two strands of midge flash on each side of the tail. The flash length should not exceed the length of the tail.
For the body, tie in a single strand of UV Micro Polar Chenille at the tie in point for the tail. Wrap forward with touching wraps up to the bead. Tie off and whip finish. Trim off the chenille as needed for uniformity in length as some fibers can be slightly unruly. A size 12 pattern should finish approximately 1 ¼” in length.
This pattern is very simple to tie. It can be tied in various colors and I like them all, as long as it’s brown. Seriously, the brown has been very effective as has black. Experiment with colors.
Typically, this pattern would be fished under an indicator, however it can be stripped as well. This pattern has fished very well at Diamond Lake, Upper Klamath Lake, Crane Prairie and others and it is very attractive to not only trout but warm water fish species as well.
Give it a try. I know you’ll like it,
Steve Day