Martyn White | Thursday, 15 January 2026
This week's fly is the balanced leech, a clever and interesting design that I've really come to like even though I only have limited opportunity to make use of it.
It's an effective fly and offers a more realistic orientation than a normal weighted leech when fished under an indicator as it rests horizontally much like a swimming leech, damsel nymph or minnow. I can't say definitively that they are more effective than a conventional fly because I've not done side by side tests, but I feel like they are. And in my experience they are far less likely to deep hook a fish in the way a streamer under an indicator sometimes can: my suspicion is it's something to do with fish swimming up as they eat the suspended vertical fly before turning down and registering the eat, but that's just speculation.
Although it's ostensibly a trout fly and was designed to be fished under an indicator on lakes, it has wider applications. It makes a good indicator option on rivers when you want something bigger than the usual nymphs but not quite a big aggressive streamer. It's a perfect fly for popper dropper fishing warm water species like bass and panfish. And it makes a great jig option for targeting smallmouth or specimen perch around rocky structure. I've no doubt there will be other applications where it will be useful, I just haven't tried them yet.
Here's a basic dressing, but you can do just about anything in terms of materials.
Hook: Jig hook 4- 12
Thread: 140 denier, I prefer flat because it's less likely to cut on the balance pin.
Weight: Tungsten bead on a flat head dressmaking pin
Tail: Marabou & Flash
Body: Flash dubbing (spectra, microflash or light bright etc)
Rib: wire or mono
Tie them in any colour you'd tie a leech or bugger pattern. No need to stay natural either, an orange fritz is a great one for winter that has the added advantage of annoying purists.
Usually when it comes to stillwater trout fishing, the information flow seems to go from the UK/Europe to North America. Phil Rowley for example has made a lot of hay just recycling FAB and buzzer patterns from the UK reservoir scene. Another washing line article anyone? It's only wafer thin! But I fear this has meant that British, Irish and Europeans are missing out on some good stuff. The balanced leech being a prime example, I don't know anyone in the UK who fishes them or who knows anyone who does and I doubt I'd have found out about them if I hadn't come to Japan where the American influence is stronger. It's a real shame.