LeechMayer's Mini Leech
Mayer's Mini Leech is a compact, heavily weighted leech pattern developed by Colorado guide Landon Mayer. The slim profile and tungsten bead allow it to sink quickly into the strike zone, making it ideal for targeting trout in deep runs and pools. Its simple construction and effectiveness have made it a modern classic.
Year Round
Beginner
Trout
Dec 2025
Overview
Developed by Landon Mayer, a renowned Colorado fly fishing guide known for his innovative approach to targeting large trout. The Mini Leech was designed specifically for sight-fishing to selective trout in clear western waters. The pattern's compact size and quick sink rate make it particularly effective when larger leech patterns are refused. Available commercially through Umpqua Feather Merchants.
Materials
Hook: Standard nymph hook, #12–#16
Thread: 70 denier, black
Bead: Tungsten bead, 2.5–3.5mm, silver or gold
Tail: Pine squirrel zonker strip, black or olive
Body: Thread underbody
Collar: Ostrich herl, black or gray
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Small leeches migrate vertically through water searching for food, their compact bodies creating minimal disturbance during efficient wavelike swimming. Clear water fish prefer these smaller specimens for quick consumption without the energy required for subduing larger prey.
Where Trout Eat It: Trout intercept leeches throughout the water column in both rivers and lakes, with weed edges and drop-offs concentrating migrations. Slower pools allow confident takes on drifting or swimming leeches.
How to Fish It: Dead drift presentations in rivers allow natural bottom tumbling, while lake retrieves use slow hand-twists with pauses. The heavy tungsten bead reaches depth quickly for both applications.
Best Water: Focus on weed edges in lakes where leeches hunt, drop-offs that funnel vertical migrations, and shoals that cruising trout patrol for prey.
Strike Type: Steady pulls or gradual line draws mark fish swimming away, requiring firm strip-sets to drive the hook.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Fish on 9-12 foot leader with 4X-5X fluorocarbon tippet. Excellent as a point fly in a two-nymph euro rig or under an indicator. In lake, use as part of a chironomid-style presentation with strike indicator set to depth.
Seasonal Timing: Effective as leeches are present in most trout waters throughout the seasons. Particularly productive in when leeches become more active after dormancy, and in during pre-spawn feeding periods.
Pro Tips: Sinks rapidly due to the tungsten bead, reaching depths of 4-6 feet in seconds. The dark silhouette provides excellent visibility to fish from below.
Entomology
Small leeches migrate vertically through the water column in search of food, their compact bodies creating minimal disturbance as they swim with efficient wavelike motions. Fish feeding selectively in clear water often prefer these smaller specimens because they can be consumed quickly without the energy expenditure required to subdue larger, more vigorous prey.
- Organism Type
- leech
- Life Stage
- general