LeechBrent's Vampire Leech
Brent's Vampire Leech is a stillwater pattern designed for aggressive trout in lakes and reservoirs. The striking combination of chartreuse bead and purple UV polar chenille creates a high-visibility attractor pattern that draws strikes from fish feeding on leeches. The black rabbit zonker tail provides lifelike movement while the purple chenille body adds bulk and UV flash.
Year Round
Intermediate
Trout
Dec 2025
Overview
This Sport Fishing on the Fly pattern showcases an attractor-style leech that excels in stillwater situations where visibility is key. The chartreuse bead serves as a highly visible hot spot while the purple UV polar chenille creates a bulky profile with built-in UV flash. The black rabbit zonker tail provides the movement that makes leech patterns so effective. The color combination may seem unconventional but has proven effective on stillwater trout.
Materials
Hook: Mustad 3XL Streamer Hook, #8
Thread: Danville 140 Denier, black
Bead: Tasty Tackle Bead, 1/8", chartreuse
Tail: Rabbit Zonker fur, black
Body: UV Polar Chenille, purple, large
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Leeches move through stillwater with rhythmic body contractions, alternating between active propulsion and passive gliding. Their blood-feeding adaptation and dark coloration make them visually distinctive against lighter backgrounds.
Where Trout Eat It: Trout attack this attractor in mid-water where the chartreuse bead and purple UV chenille create high visibility during active feeding periods. Fish respond to aggressive attractor colors as the leech swims between shoal structure and open water.
How to Fish It: Fish on 9-12 foot leader with 3X-4X tippet, suspending under indicator for cruising fish or strip retrieving for active feeders. Strip with moderate pace faster than subtle micro leech presentations to create aggressive attractor profile with UV properties working in low-light.
Best Water: Effective in murky or off-color BC stillwaters where visibility is key, and during overcast days when UV properties enhance attraction. Fish over shoals and drop-off edges where aggressive feeders patrol rather than selectively feeding trout.
Strike Type: Solid pulls during retrieve pauses indicate fish have engulfed the fly—maintain tension and strip-set.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Fish on 9-12 foot leader with 3X-4X fluorocarbon tippet. The weighted bead provides adequate sink rate for most lake presentations. Can be fished under an indicator for suspended fish or stripped for actively feeding trout.
Seasonal Timing: lake effectiveness with particular strength during overcast days and low-light conditions when the UV properties of the polar chenille become more effective. Select this pattern when fish are actively feeding and responding to attractor patterns.
Pro Tips: The chartreuse bead provides a highly visible attractor point while the purple UV polar chenille creates a bulky profile with enhanced visibility in low-light conditions. The black rabbit tail adds contrast and movement.
Entomology
Leeches undulate through stillwater with a characteristic swimming motion, often moving from bottom structure toward open water where they become highly visible to cruising trout. Fish key on leeches during their migration periods and active feeding times, recognizing them as substantial, slow-moving meals that require minimal effort to capture.
- Organism Type
- leech
- Life Stage
- general