Overview
This Umpqua Feather Merchants signature pattern was developed in collaboration with Landon Mayer to add UV-enhanced materials to his original Mini Leech design. The radiant dubbing collar incorporates UV-reflective fibers that remain visible in low-light conditions and deep water. The purple color variant has proven particularly effective, possibly due to its contrast against natural backgrounds.
Related patterns
Behavior & presentation
- Natural Behavior
- Brightly colored leeches swim with undulating motions near bottom structure, their high-visibility profile triggering aggressive reactions. The jig design creates natural vertical movement that appears vulnerable.
- Where Trout Eat It
- Near bottom where the bright profile stands out, mid-column when fish are actively hunting.
- How to Fish It
- Steady retrieves with pauses, using the jig design to create vertical movement that triggers reaction strikes.
- Best Water
- Target drop-offs where bright colors are visible at depth, seams that concentrate drifting prey, and structure where territorial fish hold.
- Strike Type
- Aggressive takes as fish react to the bright, moving profile.
Fishing strategy
- Rigging Suggestions
- Fish on 10-12 foot leader with 4X-5X fluorocarbon tippet. Works well as a point fly in euro rigs or under an indicator in deeper water. In lake, fish on an intermediate sink line to maintain contact through the retrieve.
- Seasonal Timing
- Effective with peak performance during low-light periods in any season. The UV materials make this an excellent choice for dawn, dusk, and overcast conditions when standard patterns may be less visible.
- Pro Tips
- The tungsten bead provides fast sink rates while the UV dubbing maintains visibility as the fly descends. The radiant collar catches and reflects available UV light, making the fly visible to fish even in conditions where human eyesight struggles.
Where to fish it
Rivers anglers pair with this fly, with local shops that stock it.
River details and fly shops from River & Run, our sister site.
Entomology
Leeches display a distinctive rising and falling swimming pattern as they pulse their flattened bodies, creating rhythmic vertical movements through deeper water layers. This undulating motion attracts fish from a distance, particularly in turbid conditions where the leech's silhouette and movement are more detectable than color or detail.
- Organism
- leech
- Life stage
- general
Pattern details
- Moving Water
- Stillwater
- Rocky Mountain
- active-retrieve
- strip-retrieve
- searching-pattern
- jigging
- high-water
- low-clear-water
- tailwater
